Duluth

Today was all about relaxing, taking some time away from the road, and exploring the Superior shore in Duluth.  I had really wanted to explore the Minnesota North Shore past Two Harbors and into Grand Marais and even Grand Portage, but it is over a two hour drive from our hotel in Superior to Grand Marais and I did not want to be on the road for that long today, so I made a change of plans.  Boy am I glad that I did!

We took our time getting ready to leave this morning and did a little research on possible options of things to do. While I was researching, I discovered that the North Country Trail runs right through the city of Duluth, so it was decided that we would head over the bridge to the Bay Front Park and start our exploring from there. 

We arrived to find road construction and construction along the lakefront.  At first I had a challenge finding a parking spot, but finally we found some public parking right along the Lake Walk, which is part of the Superior Trail and the North Country Trail in Minnesota.  And we were off.

We had to cross a cute little lift foot bridge to really start our walk.  It happened to be up, allowing a boat through, when we arrived, and we patiently waited for the bridge to open so that we could cross. 

 And there were beautiful views of Superior Wisconsin once we were across.

After a few stops for some pictures, we continued our walk which brought us to the Duluth lift bridge.  It is a pretty structure and practical as well.  The trail goes right under the bridge.

Picture fail!  I was trying to get a picture of the girls with the bridge, but they weren't patient enough for me to walk back far enough to get a picture that encompassed the entire bridge.  The daily challenges of life with a GSP!

We continued our walk toward the lighthouse at the end of the walk.  While we were there, we were lucky enough to see the bridge at work.

Peaches was having the best time.  She could see the lake and there were so many seagulls!  It was hard to keep her focused on walking.  And she spent a lot of time looking over the wall.

We continued on our way and were excited to find access to the beach.  Imke, Maddie and Peaches all got right into the water.  Maddie was off making friends while I took these pictures of the other two.

We were now about a mile into our walk, although it felt a lot longer with all of Peaches extra excitement!  I decided it was the perfect time to grab some lunch and enjoy the view of the lake while I ate.  The Potato Chip Crusted Chicken Tenders were really good!

After finishing lunch, we were on our way to continue along the boardwalk.  It was pretty crowded here along the lakeshore and I was hoping we'd get a little farther from this area so we could have a quiet walk.

As we reached the end of the beach area, the crowds thinned and the walk became a little quieter for us. 

I find this part of the trail very interesting because you have views of both the city and the lake.  It is definitely the largest town that we've ever hiked on the trail.  I really enjoyed it.

At this point, we had walked about three miles and I was ready for a break.  The timing was perfect because I found a nice quiet place to access the lake so that the girls could spend some time in the water and we could sit down and relax for a bit before turning around and heading back toward the car.

The weather had threatened rain and the skies were beginning to look like they were going to deliver on that promise as we got up to leave the beach to head the three miles back to the car.  It did sprinkle a bit, but for the most part it stayed dry all day.

I was sure the walk back would be easier because we were all tired from our walk, but the stop at the beach re-energized Peaches for our return.  

We reached the the foot bridge and then we were back at the Jeep, but the girls seemed like they were still ready to go further so we walked a bit further.   Finally, we turned around to head back to the Jeep after completing 7 miles today.

By now, it was time for dinner and I stopped at the Thirsty Pagan to get a pizza and head back to the hotel to feed the girls and relax for the night.

Maddie was happy to be back at the room and snuggled up with Peaches' teddy for the night!

Since we had been so busy all day, I figured we had earned ice cream, so upon the recommendation  of the front desk at the hotel, we headed back to Duluth, right along the trail we had walked earlier, to go to Portland Malt Shoppe.  Then we walked down the stairs to enjoy the ice cream with a view.  

It was a beautiful night on the lake front and I'm so glad that I had decided to head out again.

We had a busy, but relaxing day.  Just what I needed before getting back on the road tomorrow to head back into Michigan.  I think Imke approved, too!