Day Trippin

I recently tagged along on a day business trip with Jim to Duluth which is about 2 1/2 hours north of Minneapolis. A pleasant drive on a beautiful morning, even if it was 0 darkhundred. 

Sunrise and ground fog over the MN countryside.

Duluth from the Skyline Pkwy

Duluth sits along the shoreline of Lake Superior whose largesse and beauty astound. The largest freshwater lake in the world it could contain all of the Great Lakes plus three additional lakes the size of Lake Erie.

Lake Superior from the harbor.

The craggy lake shoreline.

The landmark  aerial lift bridge built in 1905 spanning the harbor is only one of two in the world (the other is in France).

Aerial Lift Bridge

Driving along the 36 mile Skyline Parkway highlights included the Chester Bowls park and ski area including two very cool wooden ski jumps.

Ski jump complete with stairs!

I came across birders looking for eagles, hawks and other migratory birds that fly along the parkway on their way south for the winter because they won't fly across large bodies of water. Winter arrives early in northern MN, it was 32* with a hard frost when we arrived and the tourist attractions I wanted to visit were already on their winter weekend schedule for the season. A return visit is a must!

What it Takes

Here's what it takes to spend 35+ hours traveling from Martha's Vineyard to Minneapolis:

2 books: Silver Girl, World Without End
4 magazines: People, More, Elle, and Vogue
4 movies: Bridesmaids, Something Borrowed, Mother, Company Men
1 comfy pillow
earplugs
fuzzy socks
Advil PM
Pandora Radio

Interesting adventure, not sure of a repeat performance though.