Hank's first look at Lake Superior lasted about four seconds. Then he walked straight in up to his elbows, stopped and stood there with an expression I can only describe as betrayed. Lake Superior in June is not the lake at Nisswa.
Caleb and I got married on June 22, 2019, and for our seventh anniversary we took the weekend before it and drove up to Two Harbors. We brought the dog. We left the cat. She had opinions about both.
What it cost
We stayed two nights, June 19 and 20, at a dog-friendly hotel in town. The room was $189 a night plus a pet fee of $35 a night, so $448 for the weekend. That pet fee is a little spendy, and I'll admit it stung more at checkout than it did when I booked.
At home, Tasha came to look after Mabel. She's the Rover sitter who stayed with her during our lake week last July. Four visits at $26 each came to $104, plus $12 in booking fees and a $20 tip, so $136.
That's $584 for the room and the cat care. Gas and food were on top of that, but we'd have eaten anyway, so I'm not counting the food.
What we did
The drive is about two and a half hours from Cambridge. Hank rode in the back seat on his hammock cover, and we stopped twice so he could stretch his legs. He's cleared for normal play now, but jumping out of the car is still off the list, so Caleb lifted his back end down at every stop, which Hank tolerates the way you'd tolerate a valet.
Friday evening we walked out the breakwater toward the little lighthouse with the wind coming straight off the water. It was fifty-some degrees and felt colder, and I was glad I'd packed a flannel. Hank leaned into the wind with his ears inside out and his nose going a mile a minute. Ore boats, gulls, the smell of cold water: a lot of information for a dog from Isanti County.
Saturday was our anniversary day, two days early. After one false start (more on that below), we walked slow loops along the shore, read on a bench while Hank napped in the grass, and in the evening got fish from a takeout window and ate it at a picnic table by the water, with Hank under the table hoping for a dropped fry. It was the quietest, nicest day we've had in a long time. The last six months have been a lot of vet appointments and baby gates, and it felt good to just sit.
Hank waded in the lake two more times that weekend, to his elbows and no farther. Superior is cold and rocky, so we kept him leashed and in the shallows. His real swims can wait for warmer water and his life jacket.
What we'd skip
- A popular waterfall park on a June Saturday. We drove up the shore Saturday morning to a state park with big falls and found the lot full, the rocks wet and slick and what felt like four hundred people on the trails. For a dog with a rebuilt knee, slick rock and crowds were a bad combination. We turned around after ten minutes. A weekday, or no dog, would be a different story.
- Bringing his whole travel bed. It took up half the cargo area, and Hank slept on the cool bathroom tile both nights anyway.
- Winging it on dinner. The hotel didn't allow dogs to be left alone in the room, which I knew going in, so takeout and patios were the plan. Next time I'd look up which places have dog-friendly patios before we go instead of wandering around hungry on Friday night.
Back home
Tasha sent a photo after every visit: Mabel on the windowsill, Mabel in Hank's bed, Mabel ignoring a wand toy with real conviction. By Saturday evening she was greeting Tasha at the door, which she has never once done for me.
We got home Sunday afternoon. Hank went straight to his water bowl and then to his spot by the back door. Mabel walked into the kitchen, looked at all three of us and walked out again.
Mabel's verdict: Tasha may come back. The rest of us are still under review.
