Gooseberry Falls...Day 1 ~ MN Gov't Shutdown

A family get away to the North Shore...
And wouldn't you know it...

The first day of said trip fell on July 1st.

Oh sure...I knew the whole Minnesota Government Shut Down was looming....
But I didn't think it was actually going to happen...
On July 1st.

When we arrived near Gooseberry Falls on Highway 61...
So had a few hundred other people...cars were parked up and down both sides of the road...

So, we parked out there too...
And wandered in...

It was totally worth it...
The falls did not disappoint...

I got my little man to stop just long enough for a Project Me. Project You photo...

But all he wanted to do was what THESE fellas were doing...
Crossing the raging waters on a log...

I actually thought about trying to do this with him...it didn't seem THAT unsafe...what, with there being two logs and all...
But on this 'vacation' ~ our kiddos had different versions of what they wanted to be doing...
And H (you'll notice no photos of her in this post...) was at the top of the trail - waiting for us to leave so she could go back to the hotel to swim...
And she wouldn't hear of anything else...(This has NEVER happened before...and let me tell you...I don't even know how to react! ACK!)

It may have had a little to do with the fact that she didn't like that we weren't supposed to be in that park
...She's a rule follower that one...

But her little brother had plenty of fun exploring...
He kept repeating things like...
"It's so beautiful here! Why did the Governor want to close this place?'

I think he & I could have spent all day here, wandering the trails, snapping photos...

The trip was worth it...

Even if we didn't stay very long...

They might be able to close all the rest stops and state parks...

But they can't take away the roadside beauty along the way...

Lupines everywhere you look...in full bloom...

I'd love another trip up to the North Shore soon...but the hectic summer schedule doesn't seem to allow for it...trying to get everything in during the short short nice weather season ~

But it's just as beautiful, or more so...during other Minnesota seasons...