We arrived late afternoon to cloudy skies, and damp 64 degree temperatures. The good news was it was a pretty RV Park in a nice small state park and not many people. We were told about a local restaurant for dinner so we were pretty much settled for the night. Jim couldn’t resist the urge to ‘make fire’ so he bought some wood and sat outside by his fire reading, while I did some laundry. I’ve decided the problem with a campfire is it only warms your front, while your back gets cold.
This morning we got an entirely different perspective on Duluth. The sun was shining and the temperature was projected to go up to 74 degrees so we planned a trip to the downtown area to see all that there was to see. I understood the plan to come to Duluth now. This is the farthest end of Lake Superior, where we spent so much time last Summer while in the UP and it fits in with Jim’s fascination with big ships. Duluth is a MAJOR shipping port for the Great Lakes and we watched two large tankers go through the port back out to sea.
Lift Bridge at Duluth, MN
This is the largest ship on the Great Lakes measuring over 1000 feet
Maritime Visitor Center and Museum, Duluth, MN
Duluth has done a good job of capitalizing on the interest people have in this seaport and has developed its once rundown port town into a destination for families and tourists of all ages. We walked along the lake front walk by the hotels and saw endless numbers of people taking in the sun’s warmth and just enjoying the peace of the water.
Lake Walk along Lake Superior in Duluth, MN
We took the time to track down the Duluth Trading Company Store thinking the ads are so cool, so the store must be cool as well. Unfortunately, while the clothes are definitely what outdoor people would need, the store itself was small and not what we had pictured in our minds it would be.
By now the step count on my Fitbit is close to 10,000 steps so we thought a leisurely ride on the scenic railroad would be fun so off we went to catch a train. I am admitting the ride was so leisurely, I actually fell asleep for a short time and Jim admitted he thought about it, too.
We opted to return to the Duluth Grill for dinner tonight because our experience was so good last night.
Restaurant all the locals go to
This restaurant has been around since 1991, which is long for a restaurant and is very geared to organic, healthy food. The slogan on the back of the staff’s T-shirt says, “Our veggies are fresh out of our parking lot” because they grow all their own vegetables in the parking lot. I had lamb and quinoa with mint pesto and Jim had a veggie omelet last night. Both were great. Tonight Jim had a rabbit and chicken omelet and I had an ALT Wrap (avocado, lettuce, and turkey) with cranberry mayo and homemade sweet potato chips that were as light as feathers.
Vegetables grow in the parking area
Tomorrow is another 400+ drive to Minot, North Dakota. I can’t wait to see what awaits us there.
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