On to the Second Great Lake-- Lake Superior

Part of our adventure this year is to swim in all four Great Lakes. We enjoyed Lake Michigan last month and headed north toward Lake Superior. We arrived in Duluth, Minnesota and stayed at the KOA campground in Cloquet. We visited Lake Superior and had lunch at "Grandma's", a beautiful cafe with upstairs outdoor dining overlooking the bay and the lake. We've decided to forego the trip over the top into Canada for several reasons, so when we leave this area, we will be heading east along the southern portion of the Lake into Wisconsin and Michigan.

We settled into our site at the KOA campground in Cloquet. The site was ample and provided 50Amp service with full hookups.

It seems campgrounds and trains are linked somehow and this one was no exception. As many of you know, we love trains so we had no problem with this beast coming through once a day hauling coal ....

As you approach Duluth, the most prominent items on the horizon are two bridges. This one carries traffic on Hwy 2 across Spirit Lake which is a small lake formed off Lake Superior and is a major shipping channel.  The other bridge is a high rise aerial lift bridge which I've profiled below.

The downtown area of Duluth consists of many small touristy shops, restaurants and cafes. Many of the eating establishments have outdoor seating as the area abounds with beauty, blue skies and ships that pass going into port.

The channel seen above and below connects the shipping ports of Duluth with Lake Superior, seen here. We found the beach to be clean and inviting.

This is the centerpiece of Duluth's shipping channel. This bridge was originally built in 1905 but was remodeled in 1930 due to demand for larger vessels passing under and more automotive traffic passing over it. The bridge spans the Duluth Shipping Channel and is 397' long and can raise up to 228' ! From 1930-2008 the bridge has lifted 421,874 times.

Here is a view of Point Park, directly across the channel from the lighthouse and just east of the aerial lift bridge.

We were fortunate enough to witness the bridge raising for a passenger vessel to pass underneath. There are only two of these aerial lift bridges constructed in the United States. This one was the first. Originally built in 1905, the bridge was upgraded in 1929–30 to the current lifting design and continues to operate today. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Another view of the passing vessel taken from our dining spot on the veranda at "Grandma's" restaurant.

Remember your old high school building? This one sits in downtown Duluth. It is the old Central High School, now no longer in use. Originally built in 1892 it housed educators until 1972 when the school board voted to discontinue it's use as a high school, partly because of it's heating system which used over 8 tons of coal per winter day! It overlooks Lake Superior. I think I'd have a difficult time concentrating on my studies. Imagine though, the stories it's halls could tell.

Overlooking Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. The grounds were immaculate, well groomed and the roses were in full bloom. We spent several hours here walking through the garden and down to the water's edge to look for agates and do a little wading.

Every trip and every day must come to an end. After our exciting day touring Duluth, we headed back home to our coach. Lake Superior was warm, the water crystal clear and inviting and the day couldn't have been nicer.