Along the Shores of Lake Superior

We took a short walk this morning along the waterfront in Ashland, where we stayed the night.  A pleasant morning for a pleasant walk along Lake Superior but the haze is still very much present and the air quality index keeps rising. This morning it was at 153 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups).

Since we decided to bypass the Apostle Islands, we took the more expedient route: US highway 2 straight across the tip of Wisconsin rather than the scenic route along the lakeshore.  Sorry, Wisconsin, didn’t spend much time exploring the state.  Maybe next time.

We spent some time in downtown Duluth, parking at a small access parking lot along the Lakewalk Bike Trail and biking the three miles to Canal Park, a busy touristy section right along the waterfront.  We’ve biked this trail before but never have stopped anywhere for any length of time.  This time we spent some time in the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, which explores many things nautical, including boat engines, types of cargo ships, and the wreck of the ​Edmund Fitzgerald​.

We walked across the lift bridge and to the end of the pier on the other side.

We also drove to Enger Park to view the city from the tower, a rather scary proposition when driving a motorhome since the roads to get up there are extremely steep.  The view from the top of the tower is amazing however.  Situated on a bluff above the city, it offers 360-degree views of the city and surrounding areas.  Worth the drive up, even it was a little scary.

We then headed north along the shore of Lake Superior, stopping at a wayside rest area just north of Two Harbors to make dinner.  This appeared to be a favorite swimming spot for some as there were quite a few people on the beach, but very few in the water.  We soon found out why.  We decided to go for a swim after dinner but I made it only to my knees as the water was so cold.  Others with stronger constitutions would probably have gone completely in, I was satisfied to numb just my lower legs, thank you very much.

There appeared to be some caves across the bay from the rest area so we took down the kayaks and paddled across to investigate.  Not big caves but we can say we paddled to some caves.  Kind of a consolation for missing the Apostle Islands.  The water was smooth as glass and it made for a delightful paddle.

Being a Saturday night, we are finding it rather difficult to find a place to park for the night.  We stopped at several places but all of them have no overnight parking signs or limited parking times.  All the regular state parks and campgrounds are booked up solid.  We finally pulled into a wayside where there were no signs and parked there.  A guy in a pickup camper came in behind us, saying he saw us at the last two parking areas.  He was looking for a place to park also.  He is now parked right behind us.

This wayside has a great view of the Split Rock Lighthouse, which is just up the road from us.

134 miles covered today