If we haven’t had the discussion before, I am a totally water baby. I love anything that has to do with the water. If I could spend my 40-hour workweek splashing, I would. This is one of the many, many reasons I love Israel; there is nothing that compares to being along the shores of the Mediterranean.

Well, there is one other place.

There was a very obvious reason why I chose the University of Minnesota Duluth when it came time to pick a college: Lake Superior. Our bodies are 60-70% water, and I am convinced that half of that is water directly from the freshwater body they call Gitchee Gumee, while the other half is from that Mighty Med. When I am submerged in those oases, I feel at home.

Days like last Thursday, then, are special because I follow along the meandering Highway 61 along the shores of the Great Lake. An impromptu staycation brought my dad and me to Cascade River State Park to see the Cascade River Falls. Now, I mean no disrespect to the North Shore’s other famous falls who are beautiful as well, but there is something about the Cascade Falls that just gets me. My first trip to the grounds was decades ago when the ever-popular Gooseberry Falls campground was booked (a common conundrum of Minnesota camping families). We just kept driving and driving north until we found ourselves roughly 50 miles from the Canadian Border and at this little state park Dad and Mom had never heard of. It only took three minutes of our three days there for me to become hooked. Cascade Falls would forever be my falls, and even twenty-five years later, it is just as awe-inspiring as the first trip.

While I don’t have many, I do have a few of my touristy shots of this sacred spot of my childhood, as well as a few from along the way…but please, do go. You won’t regret it.

Kayla Lee is a Minnesota wedding and elopement photographer who provides services to elegant, authentic, joyful couples who not only choose their own adventures, but also live them to the fullest.