We just came back from a trip to the Twin Cities.  Right before we left, the metro area received a little more snow again.  The grass is almost covered.

As we drove back up north, we saw more snow, but it wasn’t until we were well up the Gunflint Trail that it was truly winter.

We are getting lots of phone calls  that go like this:  ” (Big sigh) Well, I suppose you don’t have any snow either, right?”  The picture below, from Jonathan Baumann of Golden Eagle Lodge, should clearly answer that question.  Snow in the Twin Cities melted in the rain and then a little dusting of snow fell.  But up here, we lost a small amount of our good snow on that rainy day, and then we were pummeled with 10+  inches of fresh flakes.  This is Minnesota’s premier winter cross-country skiing destination for good reasons — we get the snow and then we keep our snow.  That gets tiresome in April, but it’s wonderful in December.

The skiing is good.  There’s enough snow that the big grooming machines have been able to get out on both sides of the system and they will continue to improve the trails each day.  Don’t be fooled by that wimpy little snow in your metro area front yard or by the so-so snow along the North Shore  — the Central Gunflint Trail is ready for your ski vacation.

Jonathan Baumann photo of Central Gunflint Ski Trail