Northern Exposure--Day 48

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday the sun was shining and it was 80 degrees while we took our walk down the Point to the old lighthouse ruins. Today it is overcast and rainy and it is in the low 60's. That is what I have come to expect way up north here in Duluth. Lake Superior is very choppy with the wind coming in out of the north.

We decided to walk over to Canal Park for lunch. Canal Park is just east of old downtown Duluth and was a warehouse area originally. This area has now been turned into the local entertainment district and is next to the shipping channel between Lake Superior and the bay and harbor. While over there we took some time to give in to our passion for lighthouses. The channel has three lights and a huge lift bridge to allow the ships and boats through. On the south side of the channel are two lights, the South Outer Harbor Light and the South Inner Harbor Light. The inner light is more a tower with the light at the top than a traditional looking lighthouse. The north side only has one light, the North Outer Harbor Light.

We also had to cross the Duluth Lift Bridge to get to Canal Park. By this time the fog was starting to set in and obscured part of the top of the bridge. Each time we go anywhere in the car we must cross this bridge and in many cases it is up to allow a boat or ship to enter or leave the harbor and we wind up sitting and waiting. The lift bridge was built early in the century and originally carried traffic across the channel in a basket like contraption. It has been in the current configuration since about 1926 where the roadway goes up and down as needed.

On our walk back we moved off the main road, Lake Avenue, and came down to the street along the bay. There are some really nice houses there that face the bay. We met a lady checking out her flower garden that she and a neighbor had put in between the street and the bay. This is just across the street from their houses and they got tired of looking out at the weeds that grew on this small strip of land. They have done a wonderful job of turning their view into something nice. She was very proud of her gardens and invited us over to see her gardens she has put in all around her house, including her vegetable garden in her back yard. Soon after returning to the coach the skies really opened up and it rained the rest of the afternoon.