Duluth and Lake Superior

8/12/2019

After an overnight at Banning State Park, it was only an hour and forty minute drive to Duluth. Despite the Tall Ships Festival going on, we found free parking at Canal Park where kids were having fun running through the fish shaped fountains.

C.O.E. campgrounds are some of our favorites, but here the Corps had built a Maritime Museum called The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.

Ship models, a pilot house, and history of lake shipping were well displayed. There was no fee for entrance to the museum.

Located beside the main channel into Duluth’s harbor, the center is a great place for boat watchers. The center displayed real time positions of ships along with estimated times for arrivals and departures.

Stepping outside, we could view the

Aerial Lift Bridge. You can see it on a live web cam.

A sailboat was heading towards the bridge from the inner harbor, so we stayed to watch the bridge lift.

Sounding a klaxon horn, the bridge rumbled up until the span was high above the sailboats masts.

Safely under the bridge, the s/v Abbey Road proceeded to head for the open waters of Lake Superior.

Red roofs top the lighthouse on the south pier as it signals ships approaching the safety of Duluth’s harbor. At only three-hundred feet wide, the ship channel can be dangerous and difficult for large ships to approach, especially in winter.

Leaving the van at Canal Park, we hopped on a trolley that took us into downtown Duluth.

The main street was lined with well preserved brick and sandstone building fronts.

Streets were torn up for a major pipe laying project. We worked our way around the construction to find 310 East Superior Street, the home of Lake Superior Magazine.

There we bought a Lake Superior Travel Guide and a sticker for our van. We found the guide to be great for things to do along the way as it follows the lake and had sections for each town in geographical sequence. We decided to explore the North shore of the big lake since we had enjoyed the Michigan shoreline in 2017. The plan is to follow the shoreline from Duluth to Sault Sainte Marie.

With a plan in hand, we left downtown and drove out to Glensheen Gardens and Mansion. They have reciprocity with Duke Gardens, so were on our list of places to explore.

Vegetable gardens provided some of the fresh food for catered events at the estate.

Beth took an inside tour of the thirty-nine room mansion while I opted to explore the surrounding twelve landscaped acres. The mansion was completed in 1908 for Chester Congdon, a lawyer from Rochester, NY. It has a mysterious past with two murders committed in 1977.

Access to Lake Superior was just steps away from the front door. A private boathouse protected their wooden launch from lake weather. A patio on the boat house roof would be a delightful place to enjoy lake breezes.

This stone arch bridge struck me as the prettiest spot in the gardens.

The impressive carriage house had room for servants, cows, and horses in addition to carriages.

The most luxurious “barn” we’ve ever seen had cork flooring to cushion the animals hooves and tiffany floor tiles for easy cleaning.

An hour was about right for us to see the home and gardens.

Although there is a downtown campground in Duluth, it was full, even on a Monday. Checking with Harvest Hosts, we found Nemadji Golf Course, in Superior Wisconsin had room for us. A series of bridges took us across the harbor, and the state line, into Wisconsin.

If you are interested in joining Harvest Hosts, please click on this referral link to save 15% on your membership. We receive a small incentive.

Today’s travel map where we begin an adventure along the north shore of Lake Superior.

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