Exploring the North Shore

On this episode of Exploring the North Shore Jaye hopes on the phone with the podcast's original co-host, Joe Friedrichs, to chat about his new book "Her Island". "Her Island" is the story of Janice Matichuk, who for 35 years acted as the interior ranger at Cache Bay in Quetico Park in Ontario. Joe's book tells the life story of this incredible woman of the wilderness. * Buy "Her Island" From Drur...

It's been a minute since we've released a podcast episode. There's a good reason for that! Tune in to hear why we haven't been able to release a new episode since August (sorry!) and how the podcast will look going forward. Then, Jaye and Martha share a few fall adventures they've gone on. Jaye turned downtown Grand Marais into Diagon Alley for her kids' homeschool class. Then, Jaye and Martha rec...

Sorry for being gone so long! Jaye and Martha sit down to discuss their busy summer that kept them from creating more podcast episodes (sorry!). Then, they chat about an activity that has been growing in popularity on the North Shore the last few years: Stand Up Paddleboarding. Learn where and how to rent a SUP or take a SUP tour on the North Shore. Plus, a quick buying guide for picking up a SUP...

Happy Birthday, Exploring the North Shore! We launched the first episode on July 3, 2019. In this episode, Jaye and Martha reflect back on their top 3 highlights of year 1, plus we hear from Joe on his favorite memories from the first half of the year. * Enjoy a look back at the first year of the life of the Exploring the North Shore Podcast, but a look forward into the future. * This episode is s...

You may have noticed that Exploring the North Shore did not have a new episode 2 weeks ago, as scheduled. We decided to observe "Black Out Tuesday" that week and did not release the episode we were working on in observation of the Black Lives Matter movement and everything happening in Minnesota and around the world. We support BLM, we support the protesters, and we support equality for all POC. W...

MARTHA IS BACK! And times have certainly changed! The Stay at Home Orders for the State of Minnesota expired on May 18. So we decided to take a look at how things will be on the North Shore for those coming up for a visit in the Summer of 2020. Then, we went to the mid-Gunflint Trail area to interview Carl Madsen, owner of the Rockwood Lodge on Poplar Lake. Carl has adapted some policy changes in...

On today’s episode of Exploring the North Shore Solo History Lessons, we’re going to be learning about Father Baraga's Cross. * Also known as "The Snowshoe Priest", Bishop Baraga serves the Upper Great Lakes tribes during the mid to late 1800s. This is the story of his harrowing journey across Lake Superior in 1846 to give aid to the Grand Portage tribe during an epidemic.  * This episode is spons...

It's now Stay at Home time, and that means a little change (hopefully very temporarily) to the podcast format. Jaye will be bringing you some North Shore History Lessons, solo for now until it's safe once again to venture out and explore and see other people.  * On April 11th, 2020 a fire swept through a block of downtown Grand Marais, destroying three beloved businesses: Picnic & Pine, Crooked Sp...

It's now Stay at Home time, and that means a little change (hopefully very temporarily) to the podcast format. Jaye will be bringing you some North Shore History Lessons, solo for now until it's safe once again to venture out and explore and see other people.  * Duluth became the proud home to the United States’ first transporter bridge in 1905. Then, the Aerial Bridge, just a ferry bridge at this...

It's Social Distancing time, and that means a little change to the podcast format. Jaye will be bringing you some North Shore History Lessons, solo for now until it's safe once again to venture out and explore and see other people. * If towns were amusement park rides, Silver Bay would be the roller coaster. From a small but booming city in the 60s to a town on the brink in the 70s. A virtual ghos...

What an episode we have for you! We promised a sledding episode, but we didn't say what kind of sledding! Jaye and Martha join Jasmine Poppovich, the head dog musher at the Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters, for a dog sledding adventure on the Gunflint Trail. Jasmine not only takes us for a wild ride to Lonely Lake, but also teaches us more about dog sledding. Martha even goes to work helping to feed...

What an episode we have for you! To kick things off, Martha is back! Jaye and Martha hit the Gunflint Trail and find themselves on a snowshoeing adventure on the Honeymoon Bluff Trail. Listen in as Martha enjoys her very first snowshoe experience. Be sure to check out the video companion to this episode on our YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-_rqJ-kkCLud4NlJljFVQ ) as the audi...

Martha had to be out of town, so this week we bring you another great history episode! Jaye is joined by the owner of The Big Lake , Abby Tofte, to discuss the Statues of the North Shore. They discuss the now-gone King of Neptune that once graced Duluth's Canal Park before being destroyed in 1963. Then, they head up to Silver Bay to discuss their favorite North Shore statue: Rocky Taconite! Learn...

Joe is back for this week's episode all about ice fishing in the BWCA! Joe and Jaye are joined by Matthew Baxley (last heard from in the Haunted House episode), and Chelsea Lloyd. Plus, Chelsea's sister Whitney and friend, Rachel, come along for the adventure. Joe, Matthew, and Chelsea are the hosts of WTIP's Boundary Waters Podcast. In this cross-over episode, the group heads into the BWCA to ice...

Martha and Jaye kick off their "Wintertime Outdoor Adventure" series with one of their favorite childhood pastimes: Ice skating! Learn where you can find outdoor and indoor rinks along Lake Superior's North Shore. Also where NOT to try to ice skate. Then they head up to the Cook County Community Center for the grand opening of the brand new warming house and concession stand at the Grand Marais ic...

Cedar and Stone is Duluth's newest guided sauna experience. The sauna is the brainchild of Justin Juntunen, a Duluth local of Finnish descent who had been raised on the culture of sauna his entire life. He wanted to bring this idea of sauna being a social experience, as it is in the Nordic traditions, to his community here in America. So, Justin set out to create a sauna experience unlike any that...

Bentleyville Tour of Lights was started as a modest walk-through light display on a farm in Esko, MN in 2001. It was moved to Cloquet, MN and eventually to it's home in Bayfront Park, Duluth where it has been hosted for the past ten years. Martha and Jaye made their way to Bentleyville to watch them flip on the lights promptly at 5 PM on Sunday evening and to walk through the light display. Along...

Thanksgiving is coming up! The North Shore is a great place to enjoy a large, family Thanksgiving in a beautiful vacation rental or lakeside resort. But, having Thanksgiving here takes a bit of planning! Especially when it comes to getting some of the area's best pies in time for the holiday. Jaye and new host, Martha, met up with Hana Crosby of Crosby Bakery and Dan and Melodee Riddle of Blue Wat...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! On this special Halloween Minnesode, Jaye is joined by guest host Matthew Baxley and special guest Sarah Stover to go on a tour of Grand Marais' newest (and, only) haunted house! Located in an old funeral home, the new owners, the Riddles, have done an incredible job turning an unwanted space into something really amazing for Halloween. Listen to Matthew yelp, Jaye laugh, and Sara...

Are there haunted places on Lake Superior's North Shore? Of course, there are! Many stories swirl around shadowy figures, disembodies voices, strange smells, and random bursts of cold in an otherwise warm room. There are many well-known haunted places on the North Shore- so many that telling all these stories will likely take many years. So we will kick off our "Haunted North Shore Guide" with a f...

In this episode of "Exploring the North Shore", Joe and Jaye sit down to discuss their favorite stories of mobsters, gangsters, and organized crime on the North Shore. From Al Capone shooting up the Lutsen Resort Fish House to an "unusual friendship" between a gangster and long-time resident of the Gunflint Trail that was the basis for a 2019 display at Chik-Wauk Museum. Finally, find out how the...

Legal gambling in Cook County? A buried treasure? The life of Grand Marais couple in the late-1930s. * Newlyweds Curtis and Adair Erickson moved to Grand Marais in 1937 to begin their new life together. Curtis' job was placing, managing, and maintaining slot machines in any gas station, bar, restaurant, resort, and even car dealerships who were willing to share in gambling profits by having machin...

It's October! This month Joe and Jaye will be doing some "spooky", or rather "really interesting" stories on the history of the North Shore. In this week's episode, they discuss four ghost towns- once-thriving communities that have fallen victim to changing times in Lake and Cook Counties. Join them as they sit on the outskirts of one of these towns to talk about the communities of Forest Center,...

Joe is back and fall has arrived! Take a fall drive on the Honeymoon Trail in Lutsen with Joe and Jaye. Joe interviews Eric Singsaas, the director of Wood Products and Bioeconomy at the Natural Research Institute in Duluth. Eric is the area's leading expert on Leaf Change Season and the science behind why and how the leaves change. The information is both fascinating and also gives great insight a...

Joe takes the week off so Jaye is joined by travel blogger Lizanne Lately ( https://lizannelately.com/ ) as they explore Grand Marais. Come along as they have breakfast at South of the Border, take a timber framing class at North House Folk School, try the Juicy Lucy at My Sister's Place, and check out the best scenic overlook in Grand Marais. Plus, they chat with some local business owners and ma...