Lake Superior and Duluth, MN

The rest of the plains went by, not much more description needed there. They were beautiful and we were lucky that they have had above normal rainfall, because they were very green, with many small lakes, interesting birds, and nice little towns. Thayer was eager to get into Duluth to pick up his mail consisting of the batteries and chargers for his camera that he left behind.  Thanks Sarah!

Duluth is a cargo loading town! A huge part of their waterfront on Lake Superior is devoted to gigantic silos for loading grain from the plains, and amazing coal and ore loading areas. The harbor has a long spit (5 miles?) called Minnesota Point, that protects the inner harbor from the huge lake and the northers. The huge cargo ships come into the inner harbor around the end or through a arial bridge build over a hundred years ago by the Army Corps of Engineers.  

On Minnesota Point are lovely and funky homes and a large park with bike trails, beaches, picnicking, volleyball and, best of all, a small community sailing center! The Duluth-Superior Sailing Association has a tiny toe hold on the edge of the park. They have about 8 Optis, 10 Lasers, and an assortment of small keel boats. Tim, the program director, was happy to chat with us about their program. They have two small sheds and a wire cage to keep their gear in. There were not a lot of people going out for such a beautiful day so he took us out in a Yingling (20ft keelboat.)  We had a lovely evening sail learning about the various features of the city, their little sailing program, and the lake. We were delighted to get out on the water away from the heat!

Duluth industrial from Minn. Pt.

Duluth Superior Sailing Assn.

The next morning we did a quick bike ride down the path and then headed into Duluth. We visited the Army Corps of Engineers Visitors Center where we learned about the history of trade and shipping in the Great Lakes, the arial bridge that controls traffic going to the loading docks, shipwrecks, engines, and all the cool boats used on the lakes. We were able to see a big freighter come through the canal, under the bridge and on to its docks. Nowadays, it takes only two workers to load a giant ship with ore, one on the boat to watch the loading and one above the ship controlling the conveyor belts that deliver the ore to the various hatches.  Two people can load 60,000 TONS of ore in 6-8 hours.

bike path on Minnesota Pt.