Out and about in Duluth

Duluth

Until very recently, all we knew about Duluth was that it is located on Lake Superior, and it has Duluth Trading Company. So naturally, when we started exploring Duluth, we decided to start with Duluth Trading Company.

Arriving at the address, we were pleased to see the familiar logo (Duluth Trading Company) on the front of the building. It does exist ! Noticing us taking photos of the logo and the signs in the window, a manager came out, asked where we were from, and invited us to come in and take as many pictures as we wanted.

Inside, as expected, we found the irreverent, overly descriptive, and always somewhat humorous clothing style names. 

 From Buck Naked Boxer Briefs, to Fire Hose Work Pants that are tougher than any beaver, to Armachilla Shirts; it's all there just like the commercials. 

 After taking a lot of photos and spending too much money on clothes, we went on to explore the city of Duluth.

Historic old buildings are everywhere. The old Railroad Depot, for example is amazing. Overhead covered walkways that crisscross the downtown streets, connecting hotels, banks, and the like, make moving about easier, especially during the harsh winters .

Canal Park is all about entertainment. Lots of great sounding restaurants, plenty of bars, an abundance of small boutiques, numerous great hotels, and a great lakes aquarium, all call Canal Park home. 

We managed to catch the Aerial Lift Bridge, just as it was lifting for a large ship to pass under. 

We then drove across the bridge and along Minnesota Ave to Point park, took a short walk to the beach, then returned to Canal Park.

A drive along the lake front, a walk through Leif Erickson Park and Rose Garden, and another drive through the quaint streets of Duluth finished our day.

Duluth is a delightful city. We enjoyed a great "Retirement Day" within it's bounds.

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Lake Superior Life

Lake Superior Life

We often make short drives around the places we are staying, imagining what life must be like living here. What's it like driving to and from work. Will the drawbridge be open or closed? Are the days often sunny? Are winters harsh?

Superior, Wisconsin, one of the towns situated along the southern border of Lake Superior would seem to be a fine place to spend a summer. 

 Views of the bays with their harbors are abundant. Shops, some for tourists, some for locals are varied and interesting. 

Small villages surround the area, each with it's own history and special interests, just begging to be explored.

The natural beauty of the Apostle Islands is a feast for the eyes during this time of year. The islands sometimes come into view suddenly, with grand glimpses of Lake Superior opening far into the distance.

Historic old buildings, some which have been restored, many that have been converted to retail spaces, dot the shorelines and the small towns. 

Outfitters will set you up with all your fishing needs, including guides if you like, kayak rentals, or boat rentals. 

 Wildflowers provide great fields of color.

                                                         Photo courtesy SuperiorTrails.com

Winter time, according to the locals, transforms the area into a much different scene. The outfitters switch to providing snowmobiles, cross country skis or snowshoes. Deep snows with thick ice on the bay encourages winter activities. Ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoe hikes, cross country skiing and the like, are popular. Ice caves along the coast demand exploration when conditions allow. 

                                                        Photo courtesy SuperiorTrails.com

There is even a popular sled dog race (the longest in the lower 48) along the Apostle Islands.

When ice begins to form on the lake, the wind sleds appear, transporting people to and from Madeline Island, the southernmost island in the Apostle Islands chain. These air boat type vehicles will float so they can keep going even when the ice is thin. As the ice thickens, the ice roads opens to traffic of all sorts. Passenger vehicles, pickup trucks, buses etc., travel the road across the bay daily to transport winter enthusiasts to their winter activities. Average winter highs for Dec, Jan, Feb and March is the low 20's with the average lows in the single digits.

For us, on June 25^th, the high is to be about 69° and the skies are sunny. Today we are planning a short trip and short hike to a nearby waterfalls. Tomorrow we are planning a longer side trip to Minnesota and up the coast for a ways. Locals tell us the views along Lake Superior, north of Duluth, are spectacular. We are having a great visit, and are enjoying the "Superior Life".

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Where the Road Leads...

Where the Road Leads...

Sometimes when we find an open road, we just have to see what's down it.

Today, this highway leading south from our campground seemed a likely place to start.  The Wisconsin wildflowers are showing their stuff, the partly cloudy sky is giving good light. We have our cameras, and it's a Father's Day Sunday afternoon. What could be better?

Jo pulled the stop cord numerous times for wildflower pictures. Hers are always better than mine. Orange, yellow and white seem to be the colors of the day.

And speaking of stop cords.....our first find was a little railroad stop at Trego, where you can ride an old train, have a pizza on board with the family, or just look at the river and the beautiful Wisconsin countryside going by.

 They were closed today, but our imaginations were open to the possibilities.

Hayward

At a little town, Hayward, we found the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame !.... You can view giant freshwater fish from Bluegills to Muskies. In fact you can even get your picture taken from a platform inside the mouth of the world's largest Muskie...

 Hayward sits right in the middle of an extremely popular fishing area. Lakes and rivers are everywhere, all of which are famous for the fishing.

 This interesting little town seems to be dedicated to the sport, (art...obsession) of fishing.  Angling restaurants and bars, bait and tackle shops, fishing guides offering fishing trips, art galleries with fish themes, angler"s clothing...you name it. It's all about fishing !

                                                             Cable

Further along our highway, the little town of Cable has a pretty little library made from logs. Several galleries give the town an art feel. The Brick House Cafe is inviting. Today it was popular with the bikers who were riding through.

Ashland

Ashland sits on a bay off of Lake Superior. Brownstone architecture is prevalent in the older part of town.

The most impressive Best Western Hotel we have ever seen dominates the lake front.

Artist murals can be seen all over town. Construction and reconstruction of Victorian houses were all about. 

A small park offers a splendid view of the bay. We sat at a bench having a snack while watching some kids dive from a board on the pier.

On the way back home, my son called to wish me a happy Father's Day, and to tell me he is sending me a new course on Photoshop! He is dedicated to helping me improve my photography. We can't always be with loved ones on special days, but it is so nice to have cell phones that can find you so easily. It was a great Father's Day and a great retirement day.....!

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House on the Rock

House on the Rock

During college breaks we would sometimes try to get out of town for a few days to clear our minds for the next round. Dodgeville, WI and House on the Rock became one of our favorite get away destinations. 

Almost 40 years later, we were interested in seeing how much things had changed.

With friends Sharon and Jerry, we turned into the complex of House on the Rock. Interesting gargoyle sculptures stood along the tree lined entrance.

Following the drive into the parking area we began to notice a number of buildings that seemed new to us. 

Covered paths connected the buildings and the main house.








Entering the large visitor's center where we purchased tickets to our tour we couldn't even identify the main entrance to the House on the Rock. After some directions we followed the path to the house and upon entering, we found a few familiar scenes.

Actually, the house itself is much as it was years ago. Built first, the house was completed and furnished many years ago. Having said that, the project has been never ending, with furnishings added all the time. 

In fact new rooms have been added, and new buildings constructed to house the new rooms that house the new furnishings.

Finishing our circuit through the house we returned to a central area to began our next phase. This took us through the Streets of Yesterday that we remembered from our earlier visits. 

Huge collections of mechanical musical inventions await you.

 Drop in a token and watch and listen to animated musical instruments play complete songs in perfect harmony....( well, many need tuning right now.....) Complete mechanical band players with their instruments go through their paces. 

Player pianos, calliopes, and mechanical disc gramophones do their things. Elaborate mechanical pipe organs play classical music.  Musical inventions that will delight you, surprise you, and amaze you are in every nook and corner of the street. 

Top it off with the world's largest, grandest, most colorful carousel estimated to be worth $5,000,000 with 20,000 lights, and you really have something.

Phase 3 is collections. Almost anything you can think of has a collection exhibited. Miniature circus displays, 

doll houses infinitum, and even crowns of royalty from countries around the world are represented. 

Swords, knives, guns, dueling sets...they are all there. In fact there are so many collections it gets mind boggling and downright overwhelming....!

We spent the better part of a day walking through these gigantic displays. In retrospect, two or three days would have made the trip much less stressful and tiresome. We literally felt as if we were walking our legs off....! House on the Rock is truly amazing, ever changing, and growing.

Jo and I estimate that it is 3 to 5 times as large as it was when we were in college.

This was a good day trip. And as always, it's much better with friends along....

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