"I
loved almost every minute of the trip. While the activities were
obviously the highlight, I most enjoyed the relaxed, congenial
atmosphere created by the guides. Everybody (I think!) felt
comfortable, welcome and well catered to."
RS, 2007, Los Angeles, CA
Highlights:
- Experiencing the
exhilaration of mushing a team of sled dogs
through wilderness
- Learning or
improving your cross country skiing on endless
miles of well-groomed ski trails
- Snowshoeing
the loop on Oberg Mountain with its 8
overlooks
- Luxuriating in
your private room in a beautiful lakeside condo
with a view of Lake Superior
- Exploring the
totally charming town of Grand Marais
- Relaxing your
tired muscles in the hot tub and sauna
Combining lots of outdoor
activity, natural beauty, and four nights in an award-winning
resort, this wintertime adventure vacation is the perfect recipe
for an interlude in your daily life that is at once invigorating
and deeply relaxing. The invigorating part comes from the very
fun activities of dog sledding, cross country skiing, and
snowshoeing. The relaxing part comes from the rest of the trip.
It's not just the hot tub or saunas, or even the optional
massages. It's also the beauty and quiet of the condos, with
their windows looking out over Lake Superior; delicious meals
that you don't have to plan or cook; and the camaraderie of
other women. We guarantee that by the end of five days you will
feel like you've completely gotten away from the daily grind.
This
trip is for any woman who
wants to experience a variety of winter activities while staying
in wonderful accommodations. This trip can be as relaxed or
active as you choose! If you want to have the energy to do
everything we offer, some prior conditioning is definitely a
good idea.
Accommodations:
- four nights at
the award-winning Bluefin
Bay resort. Bluefin is a collection
of well-designed, comfortably appointed seaside
vacation homes located right on the lake, each with
fireplaces, jacuzzis, and great views. They also
boast a year-round outdoor pool and hot tub, two
saunas, an indoor pool and whirlpool/spa and an
exercise room. We've reserved three homes, each of
which has three bedrooms with a double bed.
Maximum group
size: 10 / Women Exclusive
Trip price: $1285
- $1375* -- There is a $50 deduction for
registration prior to 9/30/08 and 3% of the trip fee if
the balance is paid by check. $300 deposit. *If you are
coming with someone with whom you would like to share a
room, you can each deduct $200 from the trip price.
E-mail Travlgrrl@aol.com
for more information.
Trip price
includes:
- guide
services and instruction
- four
nights lodging in a private room
- meals
from lunch on Saturday thru lunch on Wednesday
- skis
and snowshoes
- round
trip transportation from Duluth,
MN
- one full day of
dogsledding with two women per sled
Trip starts:
at 10:00 am in Duluth, Minnesota (DLH) on January 10
Trip ends: at
3:00 pm at the airport in Duluth on January 14
To
learn more about
Bluefin Bay Resort, visit www.bluefinbay.com;
to learn more about the surrounding area, visit the web
site of the Lutsen Tofte Tourism association at www.lutsen-tofte.com.
Itinerary
January 10: The trip
begins Saturday at 10 a.m. in Duluth, Minnesota, when we pick
you up at your hotel or the airport. We’ll drive up to Tofte,
about a two hour drive from Duluth, stopping for lunch along the
way. After taking time to settle in, we'll stretch our legs with
a snow shoe walk on nearby Oberg Mountain. After a short climb
to the top (only in Minnesota would this be considered a
mountain) there is a relatively flat loop trail leading to 8
different overlooks, a perfect introduction to the area. We'll
end our day with a hearty dinner and afterwards enjoy a roaring
fire, relax our muscles in a hot tub or sauna, or just sit in
our comfortable living room and gaze out the window at the vast
frozen lake.
January 11: This
morning we'll go for a cross country ski near Bluefin Bay. The
trails are appropriate for a variety of ski levels and your
guides provide the instruction you need to improve your skiing
techniques. In the afternoon you may choose to relax or read at
our condo or do some snowshoeing, or perhaps go out for another
ski. There's a run that's all downhill and lots of fun! And of
course there is a massage therapist available by appointment.
Those wanting down time are welcome to relax at the resort and
take advantage of its many amenities.
January 12: Today is
our dog sledding day! We get up early to meet our dogs and
guides - sled dogs are some of the funniest, friendliest, most
quirky dogs there are and they love to pull. After learning how
to hook them up, we're off for a full day of sledding. We'll
drive the sled across lakes and through the woods and learn how
to assist the dogs by "poling." We will experiment
with shifting our weight on the runners to help the sled turn
and jump on and off the runners when we're going up hill. After
an active morning we'll all need a break, so we'll stop to make
a fire and have a hot lunch. With two women in every sled, you
have the opportunity to switch between the very vigorous
activity of driving the sled and a more relaxing time of sitting
cozily bundled in the sled and watching the spectacular winter
scenery go by. We guarantee that if you love dogs, you'll adore
sled dogs!
January 13: We plan to
ski at Pincushion Mountain, a cross country ski area with a
variety of trails and a great place on the North Shore for both
traditional and skate skiing. After lunch we'll have time in the
afternoon to explore the shops and galleries of Grand Marais.
Grand Marais is a charming and friendly town and though some of
the stores are closed in winter, it's still well worth a visit.
We'll go out for dinner that night at a local restaurant before
heading back to Bluefin.
January 14: Today
we’ll hike on the frozen Onion River, giving us the chance to
see this beautiful river gorge from the inside up. While it may
sound scary, it's really very safe (if it isn't, we won't go) -
and the sense of solitude and wilderness is greater than any
other place. We’ll plan to share a final lunch and leave Tofte
by 1:00 p.m. We will be back at the Duluth airport not later
than 3 p.m. The Duluth Airport is quite small and you can plan
to fly out anytime after 4 pm. (Once winter flight schedules are
set this may be adjusted).
E-mail Travlgrrl@aol.com
or Call 1-800-842-4753
http://www.GAYTRAVELPROS.com
E-mail: Travlgrrl@aol.com or Call
Toll-Free 1-800-842-4753
