Trentham Stormchasers 2010 USA Roadtrip

 

Day 5: 26th April, 2010: Lake Superior's water temperature is around 5C - as you drop down onto the lake shore, the temperature can fall 5 or 10C.....nevertheless, when you see Lake Superior, it doesn't look like a like, it looks like a large ocean, with waves and seagulls! The onlky thing missing is that salty smell.

Duluth is a former heavily industrialised location but now its emphasis is on tourism, although its harbour is still a location for loading iron ore and grain with a busy rail yard. There are some magnificent touristy spots on the North Shore..the only problem with Duluth are its fierce winters, and many locals migrate south to Arizona for the winter. These people are known as snowbirds. Duluthians are remarkably polite, and they have a great accent which is quite distinctive. They also have an underlying dry sense of humour, occasionally verging on black.

In the evening, we tour the harbour area and have dinner, under a moose.....!! A jet streaks across Duluth and leaves a once in a lifetime image of a moonlit contrail (see photo). We set our cameras working on the harbour lights and the famous lift bridge, still operational, not to mention the Blatnik Bridge, which joins Wisconsin and Minnesota and the other town across the water called Superior. For the railway buffs, there is a magnificent railway museum which covers 5 floors, not to mention the railway station. Regular trains operate between May and September along the North Shore utilising 1st - 2nd generation American diesels.

 

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Duluth - Superior Harbour

2604ch051t.jpg (100058 bytes)Duluth foreshore has a fine selection of skipping stones - millions of them, will keep the kids busy for hours!!!!!
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Yours truly & Rich Koivisto, rugged up against the lake cold

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Dinner under a moose at Grandmas Restaurant, Duluth

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Duluth lift bridge

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The lights of Duluth foreshore

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Spot the inversion....

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The moon being sliced by a contrail....

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The Blatnik Bridge and the geese...spot the geese....! Temperature at this time 37F / 3C

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Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode...

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