Three Last Stops in Minnesota

Aerial Lift Bridge in fog
Duluth, Minnesota

From Two Harbors we had a short drive of 60 miles to Duluth, the place where we started our North Shore adventure almost a month ago.  On that first visit to Duluth we had a filthy RV full of dirty laundry (not to mention the two people and a dog) and it was pretty much the same picture this time around.  But besides cleaning everything and everybody up a bit, we took a little time to explore Duluth on this trip.

 

Walking in a puddle by the bridge

 

There is so much to see and do in Duluth and on our one day to see and do it we had very foggy conditions.  It drizzled off and on and the fog went from bad to worse and back again all day long; such a surprise after a month of almost perfect weather.  Oh, well, we soldiered on and saw what we could through the banks of fog.  One of Duluth’s most famous sites, the Aerial Lift Bridge, had practically disappeared.  If we hadn’t been standing next to it we wouldn’t have known there was even a bridge there.  Eventually the sides reappeared and then, voila, we saw the whole bridge.  The city skyline was much the same, winking in and out of existence through the fog.

 

The blue drawbridge into Minnesota Slip
with Duluth skyline trying to peak through the fog

 

We strolled around Canal Park, the area encompassing the ship canal, bridge and other waterfront attractions.  A section of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) goes through Canal Park and we ‘hiked’ our last section of this North Shore trail that runs from Jay Cooke State Park just south of Duluth all the way to the Canadian Border. Along Canal Park and this section of the SHT we visited the US Army Corps of Engineers Lake Superior Maritime Museum and crossed Minnesota Slip via the blue drawbridge to see the iron ore ship, William A. Irvin.  Park Point, Duluth’s seven-mile sand peninsula starts right there at Canal Park and if it had been a nicer day we would have walked more and enjoyed the sandy beach.

 

The William A. Irvin in Minnesota Slip

 

After our short time in Duluth we headed for the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.  Our new friends, Tom, Sandi and Nikki (their dog) that we met in Ontonagon, Michigan over the Fourth of July weekend, had invited us to visit them if we came their way.  We needed to get our 50,000 mile service for our RV, and the nearest place that could do it was Rochester, Minnesota.  (Wow, three and a half years and 50,000 miles later David, Maya and I are all still traveling together in Silver, none of us too worse for the wear…)  Anyway, Tom and Sandi live in Maple Plains, a suburb of Minneapolis, so stopping for a night fit right in with our plans to go to Rochester.

 

Walking in the fog on the Superior Hiking Trail in Canal Park

 

What a great time we had!  Nikki heard us walking to the door and she and Maya were greeting each other with excited barks before the front door was opened.  The dogs romped a bit and then settled down to watch dinner being cooked.  Tom and Sandi have a beautiful home on several acres and they know how to put on a spread.  We had grilled steaks with sautéed mushrooms and onions, fresh asparagus, baked potatoes, some of the best sweet corn on the cob I have ever tasted and then grilled pineapple for desert.  It was the best meal we had in Minnesota.  Full and happy, the dogs slept and we all talked for hours.

 

Maya and Nikki 'chillin' after breakfast

 

We ‘plugged’ in to their electric power and stayed in our RV in the driveway.  The weather was warming up so once we headed for bed, the air-conditioner felt good for a few hours until we turned it off and opened windows a little later in the night.  The next morning, Sandi served quiche and fresh berries and melon for breakfast with fresh squeezed orange juice and some most excellent coffee.  It was such a wonderful time with such delicious food; it was hard to make ourselves leave.  If we hadn’t had to be in Rochester the next morning, we might still be there.  We were also tempted to steal Nikki and take her with us, but didn’t have the heart to do that after Tom and Sandi had been so good to us.  (Besides we really only have room for one speed bump in our small RV and Maya has claimed that honor.)

 

The Aerial Lift Bridge has huge counterweights that slowly descend
raising the 900-ton span of the bridge as much as 140 feet in the air
when the big ore boats pass into the harbor

 

Our time in Rochester was short, really only one full day and most of that was spent dealing with the RV service.  But all went well and Silver checked out fine although she will need a little brake work once we get back to Texas.  We did tour the town a little and saw the Mayo Clinic buildings.  The Mayo Clinic is the reason most people visit Rochester and I did talk to several people in our RV park that were patients at the Mayo.  They all had wonderful things to say about the doctors and other health care workers.  One lady and her husband had driven all the way from Florida so she could be treated at the Mayo Clinic.  They drove their RV so that they could have their dog with them while she was receiving her month long care.  David and I were both so very grateful that it was only our RV needing care and not us.  

David’s Stats:

 

Days Hiked:  1  
Total Miles Hiked:   2.0  
Total Elevation Gain:   20