Duluth, Minnesota

This is probably a first for us, parking our home on a wharf! We are now located on a 7-mile peninsula called Minnesota Point. From our windows we can see the Aerial Lift Bridge which connects the peninsula with the mainland. The bridge spans the entire canal entrance to Duluth Harbor. Duluth is an major inland port and important grain center. We have enjoyed watching the bridge go up as ships, big and small, have passed under it. From our home we often hear the alarm sound which warns drivers and pedestrians that the bridge is going up.

From where we are parked we can walk to many of the sights of the harbor. On our first night here we walked around Canal Park. The area encompasses the ship canal, bridge, waterfront, shops, lodging and restaurants. Near the harbor there is even a Lake Superior Maritime Museum, which John took some time to walk through. Yesterday morning we walked over to Holiday Center via the skywalk. Duluth has 3.5 miles of enclosed skywalks which connect some 135 shops and businesses. After taking a short break back home we then headed out on our bikes along the Duluth Lakewalk to the Leif Erickson Park. The side-by-side boardwalk and paved biking path run from the ship canal to 60th Avenue East. The sun felt quite hot, but the lake breeze kept us feeling comfortably cool. Many people were out along the lake front, including some swimmers who were brave enough to be in the cold water.  We took a short detour off the Lakewalk to see the rose gardens at the park.

Returning home on the trail we could look up from the harbor and get a good view of the skyline of Duluth.