Duluth, MN

June 2012 will long be remembered in Minnesota. The 24 hours immediately following our arrival saw at least 10 inches of rain from a storm that included thunder, lightening, wind and hail. There has been sporatic rain since then and many repercussions; road closures, raging rivers, cool temps, and a very red hued Lake Superior.

Yesterday we left a rainy Duluth on MN61 northeast up the North Shore to the touristy village of Grand Marais. This town is much larger than the others we passed along the way and it sits right on the shores of Lake Superior. Most towns sit back off the shore. On the 100m trip we drove through 2 tunnels whose mountain cliffs drop straight into the lake. We stopped at the Split Rock Lighthouse and after the docent led tour browed through the fog horn house, lighthouse and one of the three homes built for the families who made this rock their home for a number of years begining in 1910. It was Kid Day which was really fun to watch. There was more staff, all costumed in 1920's attire, and they had games from the period going on. the lighthouse sits atop a huge cliff, which didn't have road access at the time. All goods and people arrived by ship.

We crossed numerous rivers. As we moved north and gained elevation, the rivers got wilder. We stopped several times to watch the water tumble down moutains, crash onto rock shores and foam muddy red. One such place was perfect for a picnic.

We arrived in Grand Marais on a clear crisp afternoon. We shopped and walked around a bit. We poked through the most upscale Ben Franklin's I have ever seen, a far cry from the sleepy shop I worked in San Marcos. We walked on a rocky shore and picked up a souveigner rock. Kids were trying, with mixed results, to skip them across the water.

We headed back to the car when the rain caught up with us. We had escaped it just north of Two Harbors managing to stay just ahead of the front for most of the day. But here it was, so it was time to head back south.The rain had continued north and east, so we had a nice drive home with only one stop at Two Harbors for dinner. We found an Irish pub for fish, chips, and beer. Perfect. We then walked the pier at the lighthouse that we had seen several days before, but rain, wind and fog had stopped any idea of walking on a long pier.

On the Road: St. Louis to Duluth

We left Missouri on Sunday, heading east through Illinois, stopping somewhere north of Springfield. We don't remember the name of the town or park, but it was nice enough and we met a couple walking their dog. They had just left Wisconsin headed to St. Louis as we were doing the opposite. We told them we were headed to Duluth, what should we do along the way? He said he didn't have any idea, however, "if you're going to Duluth, you have to go to Two Harbors just up the road!" He had spent summers there growing up and remembered it fondly.

We drove through miles of corn fields, through Rockford, IL, Madison, WI and the Wisconsin Dells. It is all beautiful country, lush and rolling farms with amazing rivers. It is one picture post card after another. We stopped Monday at Osseo, WI at Stone Creek RV Resort, an amazing place. The sites are huge with large concrete picnic pads and picnic tables, beautiful trees that don't interfere with your ability to park and function. It really was a gem to discover. The Wisconsin chapter of Escapees was having a rally there starting today, but the early birds were there yesterday afternoon. That was a nice coincidence and we met some of those folks.

Today we continued north to see the state become more wooded and roughed. We crossed into Minnesota and Duluth in time for lunch. Our location is absolutely perfect. We are at a marina on an island, connected by a short bridge, that is within walking distance of the harbor and an area called Historic Canal Park. It is an old warehouse district that has become shopping and restaurants to the tourists. We got lucky arriving and setting up between cloud bursts and began looking at what to do in the rain in an area well suited to walking. We'll drive to TWO HARBORS!

We headed north on I-35 which emptied onto MN-61. Now this is a major thing to a girl who has spent a large amount of time traveling the state of Texas on I-35. I have been on that road through original construction, and various re-construction projects. I've been to Laredo and Gainesville and all points in between. I've driven 80 and hopelessly mired in standstill traffic. The worst is driving near 80 just trying not to be run down on the stretch between Austin and Dallas after a UT game. And now I have been to its most northern point in Duluth, MN. I have been to the headwaters of I-35! Amazing!

MN-61 is one of  "THE AMERICAN HIGHWAYS" you read about in Life Magazine and the tour books. It hugs the north shore of Lake Superior all the way to Canada. The portion in Duluth is in a neighborhood and therefore 30mph. But with the houses on that strip(called London Rd), 30 is too fast to take it all in. I really want to go back to the Congdon Estate, Glensheen. I saw a program about it in a series, America's Castles. All the houses are beautiful, several are mansions, and this one is open to the public.

We drove on out of the city through hamlets but mostly just lush vegetation that breaks out to show glimpses of the lake. At one point, we could see the lake with a fog layer just on top that grew and climbed over the trees to completely engulf the road ahead of us. It was really eerie, like this cloud bringing water out of the lake onto the shore.

Our first stop at Two Harbors was a visitor center. A very vivacious lady gave us the full scoop on MN-61. We have to go back for a full day to take in all of the cliffs, waterfalls and towns that are further north of today's destination.

We did go to the Two Harbors lighthouse and enjoyed the only continuously working lighthouse on the North Coast. We watched a ship pull up to the docks for off loading. It was just across a small channel and we could see it in full detail just before it completely disappeared into a fog. One second, it was gone! It takes more time to tell about it than it did to happen. It was time to head back.
The drive south was complete with rain, lightening, fog and hail.

The afternoon ended with fish and chips in Canal Park and a walk through the Corps of Engineer museum next door. We are back home for basketball finals and more rain. It is suppose to clear by the morning. We certainly hope so.

40 Miles Southwest of St. Louis

I just read an earlier blog about arriving in St. Louis. I said southeast of the city. Wrong. We are southwest, which means we are in Missouri, not Illinois.

The park is great, proven by the many campers who came here for Memorial Day weekend. Since I was here by myself, there was no need or motivation to venture out. I enjoyed movies, basketball and sewing. Russell was driving across the Northwest Territory to Niagara Falls and then to Montreal with Kyle. He had never been there before and really did enjoy the trip.

The area is beautiful; rolling hills, trees, rivers. I can understand why the earliest pioneers would leave this area and be put off by the flat plains of the midwest. We are far enough out of the city that we are beyond the suburbs, in the farmlands of Missouri.We are in the area where Louis and Clark planned and provisioned their historic trip. This is where Jesse James hung out before he was so well known. Every hamlet is "historic."

We have ventured into various parts of St. Louis and it's suburbs. I really enjoyed the genealogy libraries and was able to find an address for my great-great-great-great grand parents, 7th at Hickory. I drove there looking for a building that could have been there at the time, 1860. I did find one built in 1818 but further research showed that it was built at that time, but not in that location. I'm sure the founders of The Old Rock House never envisioned a move. Seems the original location flooded in 1840, was stored, block by block, and then rebuilt some decades later at its present spot.

Just like any home, our RV has been in need of some maintenance. I don't know how we always seem to find so much work to do, but we do. Since we are here for a month, it seems like a good time before we start hopping across the plains.

We leave here June 18 and will stay for a night in Rockford, IL, just south of the Wisconsin border. Then we head for Duluth, MN to see Lake Superior. We will be staying right on the Lake at a marina. From there we will swing through North Dakota to South Dakota for Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. There is no time frame yet. We are anxious to see a part of the country we have never been to.

THE ARCH

It is the focus of all things in St. Louis, and for good reason. There it is just off the banks of the Mississippi, on a bluff that the city is built on. It is a simple design, used by the ancients, an arch. There is a park all around the base that stretches to each side and through downtown in the form of an esplanade. This boulevard has sculpture, gardens, fountains, playgrounds and walking paths with old business buildings and modern skyscrapers on each side.

The people watching at the Arch is great. Everyone has a camera. Just like us, folks from all nations are standing, sitting, lying on their backs to get the right angle, trying to get the whole thing in a single picture, adjusting the sun's angle. I really liked capturing the sleek stainless steel structure framing St. Louis Cathedral, built centuries before. Also am proud of the reflection in a nearby glass skyscraper. Watching the sun reflect in various angles could create a whole book of photos, as I'm sure someone has done.