Gitchee Gumee

 Sadly, our visit with family in Stillwater, Minnesota, has come to an end and we find ourselves just north of Duluth, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. With apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Gordon Lightfoot, the lake they call Gitchee Gumee is a wonder. Often referred to as an inland sea, the immense lake provides a livelihood for tens of thousands of people and hundreds of businesses. Fishing boats ply the endless waters, huge ore carrying ships pick up Taconite, and pleasure boats sail the currents with happy passengers.

We are situated in the Penmaraliter Campground, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, about 20 miles north of Duluth along the North Shore, in site 10. This park is older, and a bit rustic, a little hard to navigate, but the owners are very accommodating and the setting is in a beautiful wooded area near the rocky shore of Lake Superior.

Just after we set up camp we cruised into the town of Two Harbors. This small town is aptly named, having two adjacent protected anchorages that were at one time both busy shipping ports. Now, only the largest docking area is used, and huge metal structures are used to transfer taconite ore to large ships for transport to steel mills around the Great Lakes like the huge facilities in Gary, Indiana.

Two Harbors has one of the light houses that dot the shores of the Great Lakes, but it is now a museum and Bed and Breakfast.

Lake Superior was relatively calm on the day we visited.

Minnesota Highway 61 runs from Duluth to the Canadian border, but for several miles just north of Duluth, the “Old Road”, now known as Scenic 61, provides a slower, and more interesting way to enjoy the Northwoods.

Highwy 61 merges with Interstate 35 in Duluth, where, a few miles south US highway 2 heads east into Wisconsin. Moccasin Mike road bails off of what is then US 53 and leads to The Superior Entry.

This 500 foot wide, 35 foot deep channel leads to the western terminus of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and is the only natural opening through the longest freshwater sand bar in the world which protects Duluth Harbor and the docks at Superior, Wisconsin.

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The entry handles cargoes of iron ore, coal, petroleum and grain, destined for ports all over the world.

This day, a brave little sailboat made the passage.

On the north end of this seemingly endless sandbar, another entrance to Duluth Harbor has been created. We had to see it, so we drove into the Canal Park district and found a parking spot near the Duluth Shipping Pier. As luck would have it, a “Laker” was about to enter the harbor, so the lift bridge was raised.

A walk to the end of the pier led us to a close look at Duluth.

Our nephew-in-law recommended a great place to have lunch, so we made our way to the Northern Waters Smokehouse. Specializing in smoked meats of all kinds, but particularly in fish, their reputation for excellence bought us two fish baskets. Donna had traditionally smoked Atlantic Salmon, and I ordered black pepper encrusted smoked salmon. Each box included a half pound of fish, crackers, a portion of wasabi cream cheese and a knife and fork! Complete lunch in a box!

Ice cream at Loves down the street finished our outing, one cup of dark chocolate and lemon chiffon, and another of vanilla lavender!

Our next outing was on a rainy, foggy day, with predictions of heavy storms and possible tornadoes. We elected to drive a bit north to Split Rock Lighthouse Historical Site. This lighthouse was built in 1910, encouraged by US Steel, who had a fleet of 112 ships on the lakes, and needed navigation aids to prevent shipwrecks along the Northern Shore. In November, 1905, a winter storm damaged 29 ships, a third of them uninsured property of US Steel.

This most photographed lighthouse on the Northern Shore has been restored to its 1920’s condition, and is open to the public.

A climb to the top revealed the clockwork mechanism that is hand wound every two and a half hours, and still operates as smoothly as it did when new! 

The large green disc is the base of the Fresnel Lens structure and rides on a cushioned layer of mercury to combat friction.

A look out of the lighthouse window was unproductive due to the fog, so a short walk to the Visitors Center gave us a look at the Keepers houses.

Three keepers shared duties during shipping season, but left when the lake froze over.

A good wind picked up and the fog rolled in. The temp was 45 deg F.

In spite of the cold weather, and the rain, thunderstorms, and hail that persisted all night, this beautiful coastline holds hope for a better tomorrow.

Here’s to a better tomorrow!