Gitche Gumee

Hard as it was to leave the lovely Bemidji area, we moved along to park at Superior, Wisconsin. The Duluth-Superior area held tremendous surprise for us. Our first outing was to the harbor area where the boys loved climbing on the huge boulders at the entry to the port. The clear, blue expanse of the lake was as beautiful as the ocean views we've seen along our journeys. Again, two former transportation engineers couldn't be more delighted to see the lift bridge that provides Duluth with their trademark emblem.

During our visit to the harbor, we saw four or five 700-1000 ft. long vessels make their passage in or out with the accompanying lifting of the bridge.

Each vessel greeted the bridge operator with a loud sounding of the ship's horn, with the bridge operator returning the greeting. This was a large American cargo ship coming into the harbor.

Once the ship passes, the bridge is lowered for vehicle traffic.

Now it's up again for an outgoing Canadian vessel full of coal.

Inside the visitor's center at the Army Corps of Engineers office, we visited many displays about the harbor's history. the Great Lakes shipping industry, construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and many stories of ships lost over the years. One of the most famous tragedies was the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Craig and Linda couldn't get the Gordon Lightfoot song out of their heads for the whole day!

The boys are operating a model of the lock system. Video presentations and exhibits were very enlightening for the types of raw materials shipped and how the ships are loaded. Full of information and beautiful sights, we returned to the camper to rest up for another view of Lake Superior the next day.