Lake Superior. North Shoreline.

14^th July 2014 – Travel to Temperance River SP

We set off in the rain to drive a short distance back down Lake Superior’s shoreline.  Cascade River SP did not have any suitable camp sites for our RV so we carried on down to Temperance River SP.  This was actually nicer and we were camped very close to the Lake. 

When the weather finally cleared in the late afternoon we took a stroll up the gorge to see the waterfalls and rapids of Temperance River.  This is the only river feeding directly into Lake Superior without a rock or sand bar at the river's mouth.

15^th July – Lutsen Mountains

We drove a few miles up to the Lutsen Mountains just 10 miles up the shoreline.  The village had numerous ski lifts and was obviously a place for skiing and winter sports.  We took the gondola lift up Moose Mountain and were treated to a gorgeous view over the Lake.

Then we tried the Mountain Slide which involved a ski lift up another mountain and then grabbing a toboggan-style tray and sliding back down the mountain on a concrete course.  Great fun!

On our way home we called into an Outfitter and booked an afternoon to kayak on the Lake.

Later Paul went fishing and caught a White Sucker fish – which tasted very nice.

 

16^th July – Superior Kayakers

With a surface area of 31,700 sq miles Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake and holds 10% of the world’s fresh water.  However that water is only 4C and wearing wetsuits is recommended.  The Lake ‘behaves’ more like the sea and we did not feel our inflatable kayak a suitable vessel so we went out with an outfitting company who provided the correct gear. 

Two ladies (Rita and Rosanne) joined us, our guide Dave took us along the shoreline to the mouth of Temperance River, where the water was considerably warmer and people bathe in it. 

We stopped on the beach and Dave pointed out Agate stones which Superior is renowned for.  Had we known we were coming down to this state park we would have brought our front door key and we could all have had afternoon tea as we were only 100 yards from the RV.

The water was a little choppy at times and the journey back was quicker as we were travelling with the wind, which was pretty cool.  From the water we could see the houses that were hidden

from the road by trees.

Now that we have been out on the biggest lake we can call ourselves ‘Superior Kayakers’.

17^th July – Travel to Duluth

 

Travelling further south the next day, we stopped at Gooseberry Falls SP for coffee and to see the waterfalls.  All along this shoreline the rivers have some form of ‘drop’ down into the Lake with either rapids or waterfalls. (Alison has a "thing" about waterfalls).

We eventually found our campsite, on the south of Duluth, around lunch time.  We got a spot right on the St Louis River.  This river marks the state line between Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

It was  quiet and peaceful and Paul wasted no time getting his fishing rod out. In the evening we went into town and found a place advertised as ‘English pub atmosphere, Italian chef, Celtic music and several different beers’.  With Guinness and Strongbow on tap what more could you want.

18^th July – Canal Park Duluth

We first drove into the town of Superior for some shopping and to find a branch of Bank of America.  In order to apply for an extension to our visa we need to obtain a Bankers Draft (or similar) and hence need a branch of our US bank.  Having consulted the Internet we thought this would be straight forward – wrong!  We spent 2 hours driving around Superior and Duluth trying to find a branch of Bank of America without success.  Minneapolis and St Paul have the only branches in Minnesota and Wisconsin has no branches at all.

So we gave up and went for lunch at the Canal Park in Duluth; part of the Downtown on the harbour front.  It was very busy with shops and eating places and was right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge.  We saw the bridge raised a couple of times to let ships pass in and out of the harbour.

At the mouth of the St Louis River is a spit of land which created a natural harbour; however the natural entrance was 5 miles further along the shoreline in the town of Superior so another man-made entrance was created back in the late 1800s at the Duluth end, for which the aerial lift bridge was necessary.  The Maritime Visitors Centre Museum was very interesting and explained how the harbours were built and also of tragic shipping accidents in the Lake.  The Ships main cargo is coal, grain and iron ore.

The Blue Heron is a Large Lakes Research Vessel owned by the University of Minnesota and was in the docks for an Open Day, so we hoped on board and had a guided tour by 3 of the personnel

including the Captain.
Some of their data collection included water temperature at different depths and the plankton type food at those depths.  It all fitted in with the depth that Paul had been fishing on lake superior, as the temperature affects where the food for the fish is and hence where to find the fish.

When we got back to our campsite we discovered there had been an invasion – the place was packed for the weekend with little children running here there and everywhere. (Hundreds of the little blighters, they had no respect for other campers and ran everywhere).

19^th & 20^th July – St Louis River

We spend the next two days by the river fishing and kayaking.  Our neighbours Griffin and Helen, a couple of University students took the kayak out for a while too. I think they need a bit more practice.