Minnesota!

Duluth proved to be very charming.

My favorite things were the wonderful accents of the locals (“oowh yah”), hilly streets, and picturesque views.

There was Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Construction started on this lighthouse in 1909, after a storm in 1905 wrecked six ships within a dozen miles of this area. The lighthouse was operated from 1910 to 1969, when new technology ceased its necessity. The spot where this photo was taken is called Little Two Harbors – in the early 1900s Norwegian fisherman lived and worked here.





Down the road there was Gooseberry Falls State Park. We can’t seem to get enough waterfalls! These waterfalls are also due to long ago glaciers advancing into the region and changing the landscape. About 10,000 years ago, the last glacier melted back and filled the baby Lake Superior and started the process of erosion that created these waterfalls. People seem to have always lived near these falls – the earliest recorded history shows that the Cree, Dakotah, and Ojibwe people lived here at a various times.



Leif Erikson Park, named after a Viking, was so pretty. There’s a rose garden there too! It reminded me of my mom’s dad, who carefully tended the most beautiful roses for years, even receiving awards for them.. He would love this place.



There were several spots where we could see a view of this spectacular bridge. The Aerial Lift Bridge is raised up whenever a boat needs to pass underneath.  Pedestrians and cars cross it otherwise. They had a printed-out shipping news for the week that you could pick up – so you’d know when boats were planning on coming through. The above photo is the bridge being lifted up for a boat. The photo below  is when we got to walk across it a bit.







Enger Tower provided great views of the city – this tower was built and dedicated to Bert Enger by the Prince and Princess of Norway in 1939. Enger was a native of Norway who moved to Duluth and became very successful in furniture sales. When he died in 1931, he donated two-thirds of his estate to Duluth, which then was turned into a beautiful golf course and park.. There’s a Japanese Garden (including a peace bell to commemorate Duluth’s long friendship with its sister city Isumi-O’Hara) and other spots to get a panoramic view of the city.

It’s a beautiful place!