Cascade River

We woke up our first day in Lutsen to an overcast day, but with comfortable temperatures for hiking.  We ventured 15 min north to Cascade River and Cascade Falls and hiked.  With 10 kids ranging in age from 15-2 and varying amounts of daredevil attitudes, the 5 adults had to keep a close watch and a tight grip as we walked along steep cliffs and raging water.

No matter how many times I've seen this area, I just never grow tired of it!

The safest place for an oblivious two-year old!

Ben was usually running ahead and causing me near heart attacks, so this was a rare family photo.

Cousins!

As it got close to lunch time, we crossed the busy highway and walked down to the shore of Lake Superior.  We could finally relax and let the kids run on the big rocks and skip stones in the water.  The fog was very heavy, which made for some pretty pictures.

Cheesey...but one of the boys asked us to kiss!

My Sisters

Dawsons

My oldest & youngest skipping rocks

As the fog burned off, it turned into a beautiful day!

We could finally start to see out far into the lake

We had a picnic lunch and played here for a long time.

We returned to our condos that evening and decided to take advantage of the "Kids Eat Free" deal at Papa Charlies.  The restaurant couldn't have been more accommodating of our big group.  And yes, all of the kids really did eat for free!  Just as we were placing our orders, Luke, Katy and their boys rolled in from driving literally without stopping!!

We got our own private dining area at Papa Charlies

Cousins playing Ships Across the Ocean while the bill for 21 people was being sorted out.

Charlie & Ben

Luke & Katy went straight from their van to dinner.  After dinner, we all grabbed what we could from their van and helped them move into their condo.

Finally...all 13 cousins for a picture!!