Willard Munger State Trail

Monday September 6

Today was a biking day.  We drove up to near Carlton and rode 25 miles, sometimes along the railroad, sometimes along the St. Louis River and through lots of quiet forest .  We were on a popular part of the trail so we met lots of different families and individuals biking and walking.

Beautiful day!

Tomorrow (the day after Labor Day) we’ll head back to MO.  It’s been an interesting and pleasant short get away.

Skyline Parkway

Sunday September 5

Yesterday we loaded the bikes onto the car and drove into Duluth to ark. We then biked over the Aerial Lift Bridge and out to the end of Minnesota Point, the narrow, almost island that protects the Superior Bay.  It was a nice ride. We lunched at the park after riding thru part of the old growth pine forest at the end of the road.

Today we drove north up the North Shore Dr. then jogged over on the Seven Bridges Road to the Skyline Parkway and headed back south. The 25 mile parkway rises 700 feet above the city and offers spectacular views of Duluth, Lake Superior and the St. Louis River.

Once we got to the top of the ridge we drove thru Hawks Ridge Nature Reserve where we ran into a group of people counting migratory birds, specifically raptors.  They had seen several varieties of hawks and about a dozen eagles which the lady said were headed to Missouri!  It was fun visiting with several of the people there.

On down the parkway we came to Enger Tower. This 80 foot tower was built in 1939 as a tribute to Bert Enger, a Norwegian philanthropist who bequeathed his enormous estate to the city. 

Towards the end of our drive we came to the ski area on Spirit Mountain.  And then back to the RV..

Railroads Haul It All

Friday September  3 

It was a dreary day so we headed indoors to explore the Lake Superior Railroad Museum located in the basement and outdoors of the Duluth Union Depot.  The Depot was built in 1892.  The train shed was built over the original wooden depot and that is where the old engines and cars were located, sitting on some of the old rails.

The first locomotive in Minnesota was built in 1861 and ran between St. Paul and Minneapolis and was named William Crooks engine.  The second oldest was built in 1870 and named the Minnetonka and was the first for the Northern Pacific RR.

The largest engine, the DM&IR #227 (1941), was the most powerful steam locomotive ever built, weighing over 1 million pounds.  The have installed lights, motion and sound on it so one can get a feel for it’s power.

We saw ore cars, refrigerator cars, logging cars, a log loader and a huge snow blower/plow.  Of course they had a caboose and some luxury passenger /business cars.

Around the train display was a miniature Duluth with stores containing antiques of that era that might have been found in those stores.  

The upper levels of the Union Depot housed art galleries and was connected to a Performing Arts wing.

Willard Munger State Trail.

Thursday September 2

We had to hang around the RV this morning because we had to change sites but once that was done we had lunch, took naps and then got on our bikes.  The Willard Munger State Trail starts right outside of our campground.  It’s a rails to trail route that goes all the way to the Thompson Reservoir.  We only rode for 10 miles out and turned around 4 miles short of Carlton.  At one point we were riding next to a huge long train so John tried pacing it.  It was traveling 20 mph.

I enjoyed the parts of the ride where they had blasted thru black rock which towered over us, almost like a tunnel. 

Lighthouse, Waterfalls, Two Harbors, and the Lift Bridge

Wednesday September 1

The first place our neighbor said we had to visit was The Split Rock Lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse in the Great Lakes area. 

It was completed in 1910 and sits168 feet above Lake Superior.  Because of its height it’s beacon can reach 22 miles.  The whole complex has 3 homes and 2 barns for the three light keepers who resided there plus an oil house.  Before the road was built in 1934 the keepers and their supplies used boats to reach the lighthouse and a system of hoists and derricks to lift them to the top. When a tramway was built in 1916, they had a safer way to get to the lighthouse complex.  Until the road was built, the lighthouse only operated from April to December or when the lake was frozen.  Once it was easier to get to the complex, the keepers stayed there year round.  The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1969.  In 2011 it was listed as a National Historic Landmark.

As we headed back to Duluth, we passed Goose Falls so we decided to check them out knowing that it has been fairly dry so there wouldn’t be a lot of water falling.  We enjoyed walking around the river and viewing the Upper, Middle and Lower falls, imagining what  it might look like in the spring runoff.

We also stopped in Two Harbors and drove down to their harbor, which was once almost as large as Duluth.  The huge ore distribution system is still in place but we aren’t sure if it’s used or not.  The town looks interesting but not much open on this day.

As we approached Duluth we realized we could stop and watch ships go under the Lift Bridge.  This unique bridge raises and lowers so that ships and barges can enter the harbor. 

And, what the heck, we may as well find a good place for dinner before going back to the RV.  Long day!