Last week I had the pleasure of sampling the weather and majesty of northern Minnesota. Please allow me to digress from the usual weather content in this space to share some of the beauty and my perspective.

For those of us who grew up in the Twin Cities, a trip up north reminds us we live in a diverse and stunningly beautiful state. Majestic forests. Rocks and rivers. Lakes and ledge-rock. We are truly blessed to live in this amazing state we call Minnesota.

When I was young our family would load up the ’57 Chevy and take day trips to Gooseberry Falls to play in the rivers along the North Shore. Seeing the striking beauty of Lake Superior for the first time is an amazing experience for many.

Lake Superior at Grand Marais. Paul Huttner/MPR NewsAs a 6th grader at Deephaven School I was among the first few years class groups to take a week-long environmental learning trip to what was then Camp Isabella. That trip was a key developmental piece in what ultimately would be a career as a broadcast meteorologist in Minnesota.

Today’s Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center grew out of those early Camp Isabella years. Over the past 45 years literally hundreds of thousands of Minnesota and Upper Midwest students have gained valuable education about and appreciation for our natural environment in Minnesota thanks to Wolf Ridge.

To me and many of my Twin Cities friends, northern Minnesota is a part of our collective Minnesota soul. As I sit here in the Weather Lab back in the Twin Cities writing today, I find I am still firmly in a ‘218’ (area code) state of mind.

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Artist’s Point on Lake Superior at Grand Marais. Paul Huttner/MPR NewsEly to Grand Marais

My journey began near Ely last week. If you’ve heard me during member week at MPR you know Bear Head Lake State Park is one of my favorites.

McGhiever via Wikipedia Commons.Bear Head a jewel in the Minnesota State Parks system. The campground is great. The beach is awesome. The remote campsites are a little like being in the BWCA with excellent campground facilitates nearby. And for families with small kids who want a little more shelter I highly recommend the camper cabins, if you can get one. They book fast.

Summer solstice sunset at Burntside Lake near Ely. Paul Huttner/MPR NewsBurntside Lake

In my many trips to the Ely area over the past 40+ years, I can’t believe it took me this long to get to Burntside Lake. This amazing 7,000+ acre lake is studded with over 150 islands. The west end of Burntside is an entry point to the Crab Lake zone of the BWCA. Pristine water. Rugged natural forested shoreline. Sigurd Olson’s Listening Point. Does it get any better?

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Cabin deck perched on rocky shore at Burntside Lake. Paul Huttner/MPR NewsDuring our stay at Burntside Lodge we had the pleasure of meeting owners Lonnie and Lou LaMontagne who graciously gave us some of the history of the lodge and this amazing lake.