Hook and bullet club

I don’t know what kind of tourist town Ely will be five, 10 or 15 years from now but I would bet there will be more things for people to do down the road.We may not ever have a water park or go cart track or even putt-putt golf in town, but there may be some enterprising soul out there who will find a way to entertain people and make a buck.We were looking for something to do on a hot Sunday and decided the North Shore would be the best place to spend the day.The cooler was packed with pop and sandwich supplies as we headed down Highway 1. We stopped at the picnic area on the Temperance River and shared our chips, Oreos and sandwich scraps with the seagulls and a busy chipmunk. (A word to the wise - seagulls love Oreos). Rocks were tossed, skipped and pitched into Lake Superior, which was cloaked in a layer of fog too thick to see more than 100 feet out on to the lake. From there we packed up and headed north on Highway 61. The temperature was 20 degrees colder than what we had in Ely and it was nice to be comfortable instead of overheating.The traffic was busy in the southbound lane, likely filled with people heading home after a weekend on the shore.Our destination was the Alpine Slide at the Lutsen ski hill. The road off of 61 was in the midst of being repaired with Louis Leustek and Sons equipment parked along the roadside.As we climbed toward the ski area, the temperature climbed as well. We paid the $25 each for all-day wristbands and waited in a short line to be taken up the hill on the chair lift. A small doe was bedded down along the chair lift about midway up the hill and wildflowers provided a colorful carpet below our dangling feet. At the top you hop off the lift and grab a blue plastic sled - your transportation back down. These sleds have some mechanical gear underneath, basically some small wheels and plastic runners that also act as a brake when you lift the wheels off the track. The track is two concrete half-pipes side-by-side that wind and drop back down the hillside. Steering is not really an issue, basically you’re just controlling your speed by pushing a lever forward to go faster or pulling it back to slow down. The ride only takes a few minutes to complete but it’s fun for all ages. The day we were there had a mixture of ages with a lot of families participating.The youngest riders would sit in front of mom or dad and enjoy the ride from there. The older kids screamed down the hill, catching a little air on the dips as the flew toward the finish.We rode eight to nine times and left with an enjoyable experience again under our belts. The kids are already asking when we can go back again.So, does Ely have a place for an Alpine Slide? Probably not, but there is definitely room for a family activity that would generate income for someone and provide entertainment for our residents and visitors.Until that time, I would recommend a trip to Lutsen. It’s definitely worth the drive.