I was probably in first grade, maybe second, the last time I visited Duluth. Since I'm becoming sentimental in my advancing years, I wanted to go there on our summer vacation. It was a chance to see if yet another childhood memory failed to stand the test of time. Luckily this one lived up to expectations. We've had a very busy summer with Rose going to cheerleading practice three times a week in addition to trying to fit in all the summer-type things we like to do. So our vacation ended up taking place only a couple weeks before school started, but better late than never.
When we arrived in Duluth, our first stop was the Lake Superior Maritime Museum. Like most of the attractions in Duluth it was free and a lot of fun.
The museum sits right next to the canal by the Duluth Harbor Aerial Lift Bridge. The canal is very narrow, so instead of a bridge that hinges at both ends to raise up when a ship comes through, the entire bridge lifts straight up to allow the 600 – 1,000 foot long cargo ships to pass through.
There is a pedestrian walkway across the bridge connecting to the rest of the peninsula:
A light house sits on either side of the canal and you can walk out to both of them:
The sky looked surreal with low-hanging clouds. It was picturesque every day that we were there:
Don't take Rose's phone away:
We're not good at having our pictures taken:
Along the beach the water was chilly, but crystal clear. We collected rocks and relaxed:
A sightseeing boat passing under the partially-raised lift bridge:
And a research boat from the university coming back the other way:
We had supper at Grandma's Saloon & Grill:
Hanging out in the hotel:
There's a website that tracks the arrivals and departures of cargo ships in Duluth Harbor and since there was a large ship leaving that evening we went back down to Canal Park to check it out. I took some pictures while waiting for the ship to arrive:
The lift bridge is especially impressive when illuminated at night:
The first large ship that we got to see up close was from Poland and was hauling wheat across the Great Lakes:
These ships are built at various ports all over the world, but once they are brought into the Great Lakes they seldom leave freshwater:
There are lots of nifty shops and restaurants along Canal Park. One morning we bought some shirts and a board game and Emily posed with a moose:
We took an antique train ride along the scenic north shore. The prerecorded tour pointed out all kinds of historical sites and interesting facts about Lake Superior. Did you know that if you put the Empire State building at the bottom of the deepest part of the lake there would still be 100 feet of water above its spire? Also, Bob Dylan lived in Duluth in the 60s, holy cow. He was also known as Robert Zimmerman, but he's really Bob Dylan, don't ya know. The Duluth board of tourism likes to drive home the fact that Bob Dylan lived there at one time. Bob Dylan. BOB DYLAN.
Enjoying our scenic ride while hearing more about Bob Dylan:
They pretend like they're not having fun, but don't let them fool you:
The passenger car that we rode in was from the 50s and felt sleek in an old timey sorta way:
The Duluth Grill is a busy, busy place and we stopped there after the train ride. The food was superior (see what I did there?). Fist bump the old timer out front:
Next, we checked out Glensheen Mansion, home of a wealthy and eccentric lawyer named Chester Congdon who built it in 1908. It's a massive, sprawling house with something different going on in every room. It was also the site of a double homicide in 1977 and has had books written and documentaries filmed about it. It sits high above the shore of Lake Superior surrounded by forest, just to the north of Duluth. The building pictured here is not even the main house; this was just for their prize horses and the people who cared for them:
Climbing the hill to the mansion:
That's what the front door looks like:
Inside, the house is full of detailed woodwork and some of the rooms have fabric on the walls instead of wallpaper:
Here's an example of a room with textured fabric covering the walls:
This room had a gold-coated ceiling:
The hallways in the house looked like something out of a movie:
There were stained glass windows throughout:
I don't remember the significance of this bedroom, but here it is:
Look closely at this thermostat... nobody had thermostats to control the heating in their homes, except this guy. Glensheen mansion was designed with a hybrid system that combined forced air with piped heating from the boiler. They could actually control the temperature in the house, to some degree (haha):
The lighting throughout was surreal and even spooky:
One of the bodies was found in this room:
Throughout the house there were call buttons that were used to summon the servants. The arrow indicates which room is requesting service:
The dining room and the stairway going into the basement:
In the basement was a large library which was also a place where the kids could roller skate during the winter and there was the game room as well:
There was a lot more to see at the mansion, but I quit taking pictures. In the evening we went to check out the view from Enger Tower, which is another free spot at the highest point in town:
The stairway going to the top is longer than you might expect, but the view makes it worth the effort:
The next day we drove up to Gooseberry Falls and hiked the trails. It's hard to take a bad picture there:
When we walked into a clearing alongside a stream we saw this:
See? Can't take any bad pictures here:
We had an awesome vacation:
Our last night there we went down to the canal to watch another cargo ship depart. It seemed like most of the ships were moving at night, for some reason. This one was about 800 ft. long and glided past almost silently, except when it let out a blast of its horn which nearly made us all deaf:
That was a fun vacation and I'm ready to go back and do it again.
