July 25, 2013 Day sixteen

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We wished Patti’s sister and family a fond farewell, having so enjoyed the Wisconsin North woods.  We went out for a final spin around the lake on their pontoon boat.  The loons gave us a farewell when five of them were swimming not far from the boat. The peaceful quiet of this small lake was so refreshing.  Wish we could stay longer, but the road calls.

Next stop was Duluth MN where we were so pleased to be able to see the Parade of The Tall Ships. We saw nine different traditional sailing vessels:  sloops, schooners, and full rigged.  It was breathtaking to be gathered with thousands of others in the canal and harbor area of Duluth and see these amazing ships from many places around the world arrive under full sail.  Some came as far as from Norway. 

The afternoon was great weather and the photo taking opportunities were grand!  Each ship had a story about what brought the owner of the cress to putting their energies into these traditional ships. 

We walked down and saw the three lighthouses that guard the Harbor and canal.  Oh, we love lighthouses and visit as many as we can on our travels.

We also visited the Maritime Museum and learned more of the history of Duluth and lake Superior, especially in relations to shipping.

Then Dick was thrilled to be able to tour an old iron ore carrier that sailed on the Great Lakes.  He saw many of this type of ship sailing on Lake Erie while growing up.  The tour included a “guest quarters” where guests of US Steele were invited to come along for a cruise (and hopefully take interest and invest money in the company.)  It was striking the difference between the barebones crew accommodations and the luxury quarters for these guests.

We made a run for it as a big storm came in and got caught in the rain.  We were thankful our final evening destination was lonely a few miles away and that it wasn't a camping night.  We instead enjoyed a lovely room on Barker Island in Superior WI.  It was wonderful that the rains help off until the ships were in the harbor.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky