After a short 2 nights in Minnesota we have entered Wisconsin until Thursday morning when we head to Chicago. Well, while technically in Wisconsin, it is not possible to be closer to Minnesota than we are without actually being in Minnesota. The hotel we are staying at in Superior, Wisconsin is literally the first building you come across after crossing the John A. Blatnik Bridge from Duluth, Minnesota.
We arrived in Duluth late morning today after a short drive down from Tower, where we had stayed for the last 2 days. Yesterday was the first relaxing rest day we have had in ages. We spent the morning relaxing at the campsite, going for a dip in the lake and taking a walk around the forested end of the point. After lunch and a nap for Zaid we headed out to do some sightseeing just as the sun was reaching its maximum power, in hindsight this was probably not the best choice.
Our first stop was the Soudan Iron mine, the first, richest, and deepest Iron Mine in Minnesota. It is no longer operational and now serves as Minnesota State Historic Site. The main attraction is an hour and half journey 150 underground into the old mine itself. The trip promised to be a cool 50 Farenheit (which must be cooler than the 92 that it was above ground), but we decided to give it a pass. We were all very skeptical about Zaid's ability to remain focused for a 90 minute guided tour. If it had been a 5 minute trip then he may have handled it well. The decision to remain above ground proved to not be a large loss as we had a tonne of fun exploring the surface buildings and equipment. Although, our favourite part was probably standing in front of the elevator shaft into the mine, with the cool temperature from the depths of the mountain pouring out into our faces. We stayed there for close to an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the whole time. One of the joys of this trip is these unexpected stops at hidden gems.
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| Ben on a Mine structure overlooking Northern Minnesota |
We nearly stopped at another potential hidden gem this morning as we passed by the town of Evelth, which lured us with signs promising the "US Hockey Hall of Fame." Unfortunately, being the only one even remotely interested in stopping, I was outvoted and we kept on the road. In short order we were required to stop though as the low oil light came on. We stopped at a gas station in the hamlet of Independence, purchased motor oil, popped the hood and stared dumbfounded at all the components underneath. Which lid did we need to unscrew? and where was the dipstick? Haifa and I were crouched in front of the car, me with motor oil and Haifa with the Car's manual, neither of us doing much of anything. Luckily, a local saw our confusion and came over to lend a hand. Within minutes he had helped us fill the oil and we were back on the road. Many thanks go out to the Independence native for helping a couple of stranded tourists.
Everything I had read about Duluth promised a beautiful city nestled between the shores of Lake Superior and a steep hill. However, upon first entering Duluth we saw nothing but the usual stretch of strip malls, big box stores, and fast food joints that seem to mark the entrance to every town large enough to call itself a city. It seemed, however, that this part of Duluth was stretching on for a fair bit longer than other, larger, cities we had visited. Where was this promised beauty? Just as we were getting a bit disappointed we took a curve along the highway and had this amazing sight of Duluth before us. Downtown was off the right, the port and the bridge to Wisconsin was centre, industry to the right, Lake Superior dominated the skyline, with the faint shoreline of Northern Wisconsin providing a dividing line between water and sky.
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| Our first glimpse of Duluth |
After driving through the city we stopped at Subway and drove to Leif Erickson Park, nestled along the Northern shore of Lake Superior. The view of city and lake was amazing, and for a special touch for Zaid, a passenger train passed right by our picnic site.
We, rather easily, found our way without help of a map, to our next destination - The Great Lakes Aquarium. I guess when you are looking for a building on Harbor Street, the first place to go would be the Harbor. This proved to be a huge hit with all of us, complete with a live Otter feeding, a huge water-table room set up as the great lakes, and the petting of live Sturgeon and Sting-Rays.
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| Ben, having worked up enough courage to touch the Sting Ray |
We finished our day off with a swim at the hotel's swimming pool, but not before we had dinner at Hammond's Steakhouse. This proved to be a retro 70s era classic American Steakhouse and served up good food that was exactly as you expected. Haifa and I had the Steak and Shrimp special, while Zaid had his usual "Chicken Fries" (Chicken Strips and Fries). All of our meals came with a salad starter and to our surprise Zaid finished up every last piece of lettuce from his salad. All that remained on his plate were the remnants of the Ranch dressing. Happily for us, the salad had made him too full to have much of his deep fried Chicken and Potatoes. Finally he has a healthy meal out.
We have a few LONG days of driving ahead of us. Our plan is to drive to the area around Eau Claire, Wisconsin tomorrow and then east to Lake Michigan the next day. After a rest day we head down the Lake to the big city of Chicago where we will be staying for 3 days. We are getting close to that long awaited Cubs game.
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