August 29, Duluth, Minnesota to Thunder Bay, Ontario

It’s true, looking out at Lake Superior is like gazing at the ocean. There is nothing on the other side but sky.

After a hearty breakfast at the Duluth Grill, where we shared the counter with an ex-Navy man, (20 years of service, 13 years at sea), we opt to take the 19-mile scenic highway along the lake. Soon enough we’ll join highway 61 for the remainder of the trip to Thunder Bay.

In Knife River we stop at the Great Lakes Candy Company. A friend recommended their salted caramels before we left. When we told them we’d driven all the way from Washington State to try their caramels they insisted we take a tour of the kitchen where the candy is hand stirred in copper kettles. A batch of air crunch was rising in an enormous copper bowl. A mixture of baking soda and vinegar gets the process going and the finished product tastes like malted milk balls, (ergo the air). They were delighted to have their picture taken and kindly stuffed my pockets with free samples as I was leaving. We purchased a supply of salted caramels to share with friends, (IF they make it back to Spokane, and the odds are not good).

Gooseberry Falls is known as the Gateway to the North Shore, so we really have to stop even though it has started to rain….actually pour. We whip out the smiley face umbrella and take the ½ mile trail to the falls. We keep the water off our heads, but splash plenty on our clothing. The falls are pretty, but Brez has to buy a cheap windbreaker in the visitor’s center so he can take off his very soaked pullover, (yes, he only packed one).

Gooseberry Falls

As a result of “the storm of the century”, (30 foot waves, 60 mph winds and a temperature of 13 below zero), that sank 9 ships in 1905, Split Rock Lighthouse was built. A crew of workers who were paid $21 a week completed it in 1909. There was no road, (until 1934), so tenders brought supplies (and people) to the base of the rocks and a hoist and derrick system lifted it all up the sheer rock face. People were hoisted in a bucket. The rock base is so substantial that the lighthouse is only 54 feet tall.

Split Rock Light

There was no electricity until 1940. The light was a vaporized kerosene lamp that could be seen for 22 miles. It burned 1 gallon of kerosene a night and the keepers spent much of the daylight hours cleaning the kerosene soot from the glass. In heavy weather the foghorns sounded every 18 seconds and they were so loud the windows of the light station were reinforced with chicken wire to hold them in their frames.

The original lens is still in place. It sits on a base that floats on an encased pool of mercury, (7½ quarts). The lens and pedestal weigh ¾ of a ton. A weight dropped with the pull of gravity turning the lens (silently) using perpetual motion. The weight needed to be cranked up every two hours so it could drop again.

The light station housed 3 keepers in 3 identical houses.

In 1969 it was replaced by radar. In 1971 it became a historic site.

Shovel Point is supposed to afford a stunning view of the lake. The rain has left behind a foggy atmosphere and the .6 of a mile trail is damp and slippery. BUT, we won’t be back this way any time soon so off we set. The trail follows a boardwalk and we count 250 stair steps before we arrive at the finish line. The fog adds an unexpected dimension to the view, giving the tree line a softened edge and the peninsulas an indistinct smudgy silhouette. Beautiful.

View From Shovel Point

250 Steps (Both Ways)

We buzz through Grand Marais and then on to Grand Portage National Monument.

This is a living monument. Volunteers are dressed in period costume throughout the recreated rendezvous. They staff the display areas and share historical information with visitors. This is the place where the Ojibwa came with their furs to meet the men of the North West Company from Montreal to trade for goods and supplies.

In the canoe warehouse we learned how birch bark canoes were constructed. This was the means of transportation used by both Indian and French-Canadian trader.

Canoe Warehouse

Canoes in the Rafters

The birch bark was peeled from the tree by a vertical cut that allowed the bark to be “unwrapped” from the trunk but did not kill the tree. The best bark was cut in July when it was full of sap. The canoes are built on a frame, sewn with spruce root and sealed with sap. They lasted two years. The gunnels are ash and the planking and ribs are cedar. A 40-foot canoe, weighs 450 pounds and carries 8100 pounds of cargo and crew. The men paddled in sync at 45 to 60 reps per minute.

Between Montreal and Grand Portage there were 36 portages. On the overland treks ach man carried two ninety-pound bales plus their own provisions. Four men carried the canoe. The portages totaled 1300 miles and took two months at around 20 miles a day.

Stockade at Grand Portage

Outdoor Oven

The Lake from Grand Portage

Indian Encampment

We cross the border into Ontario at Pigeon River and lose another hour. We’re now on Eastern Time. It’ll feel good to get those hours back!

Dinner at Bistro One. A 5 star experience in what looks like a commercial zone. An entire head of roasted garlic comes with the fresh bread and butter. Lobster mac and cheese and roasted pork on noodles with fresh veggies send us to bed content.