Duluth, MN

FRI., JULY 21 thru THUR., JULY 27, 2023

We left Medora, ND on Friday, July 21st (2003) and traveled 140 miles east to Bismark, ND passing brilliant fields of canola and lots of wind turbines and oil derricks. We spent one night in Bismark before leaving the Dakotas behind and traveling 209 miles due east to arrive at Buffalo River State Park in Glyndon, Minnesota. We had a back-in site and since the campground was full, we had an audience as we were backing in. Always fun. Thankfully we did a good job and actually got complimented on it by a few folks. That’ll make up for the next time we do a sucky job backing in. We were at the state park for 2 nights. We got errands done and enjoyed a walk around the river.

On Monday, July 24th (2023) we moved 240 miles further east to arrive in Saginaw, MN at Red Pine Campground. It’s very reminiscent of New Hampshire campgrounds with a pond, lots of trees, and gravel/grassy sites. Our site is tucked away and feels like we’re in a state park. There’s also lots of geese which means there’s also lots of goose poo!

The following day we drove part of the North Shore Scenic Drive with gorgeous views of Lake Superior. First stop was at the Duluth Waterfront where we saw the Duluth Lakewalk, which goes for 8 miles and also has a bike path adjacent to it. While at the waterfront, we saw the Aerial Lift Bridge built in 1930. It’s an iconic symbol of the port city of Duluth. The bridge averages 5,000 lifts each season. That’s a lot of up-and-down! It reminded us of the two lift bridges in Portsmouth NH. Before leaving the waterfront, we visited the Duluth Maritime Museum. Lots of interesting information there. 

Next we visited the city of Two Harbors, which is home to Two Harbors Light built in 1892. It’s the oldest operating lighthouse in Minnesota. Two Harbors is also home to Iron Ore Docks. Iron ore and coal have been the two most important cargoes on the Great Lakes since the industrialization of mid-America. The largest of the Iron Ore Dock structures is 300 ft long and 7 stories tall and is still in use today. Over 10,000,000 tons of taconite or iron ore are shipped annually. A ship was just coming into port as we were leaving.

After Two Harbors we visited Silver Cliff Overlook,the tallest cliff on the scenic drive, and we saw a very foggy Lake Superior. The fog came and went while we were at Silver Cliff. There were also climbers at Silver Creek Cliff. One young woman was climbing with no harness. She said she prefers to rely on herself! Wow… such confidence! 

Lastly we visited Gooseberry Falls State Park with it’s three waterfalls… upper, middle and lower falls. The park is made up of basalt rock which was formed by lava over a billion years ago.

Hard to fathom the scale of Lake Superior… views as far as the eye can see when it wasn’t foggy. And we were shocked at the difference in temperature. Temps by the lake were 68 degrees and inland at our campground it was 92. We walked about 4 miles today so got our exercise.

Two take aways from today… Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world in terms of surface area. Big wow. And we couldn’t believe how hilly the city of Duluth is! It’s like San Francisco. Wild. Who knew?! 

Wed., July 26th (2023), we visited Glensheen Mansion, perched on the shore of Lake Superior in Duluth. This 12-acre estate is the most visited historic home in Minnesota. The 39-room mansion was completed in 1908 by the Congdons who raised 7 children on the estate. The Congdons were well-traveled visiting the Middle East, including the pyramids in Egypt, and a month’s long trip to Europe. They even shipped their car and chauffeur to Europe to drive them around. Must be nice.

You begin your tour of their mansion by knocking on the front door (for good etiquette) to gain entry. 

Some interesting features of the home: 

• Beautiful stained glass throughout the home and many fireplaces. 
• The library was one of the most used rooms in the house. 
• There was an Infirmary in the house on an upper floor. Those early 1900 diseases could be deadly. A bookcase on wheels could act as a room divider, and having the sick on an upper floor isolated them from other family members. 
• The bathroom sported an early version of a rain head shower and there was “original” subway tile. What’s old is new! 
• The intricate dining room chandelier was nicknamed “The Maid’s Nightmare.” Even today it takes staff 2 days to polish it using a toothbrush on a step ladder. Oh my. 
• The laundry was rather ingenious with the damp laundry hung over bars and pushed back into the wall to dry. Heat from the jets dried the clothes. 
• Their boathouse is one of the few remaining from this era on Lake Superior. Unfortunately, it was not open to the public. 

The Gardener’s Cottage is now used for bridal functions and office space. The son of the original head gardener from 1921 assumed the role from his father. He was on the property regaling museum guests with stories until 2004!

The Carriage House has Tiffany tiles on the interior walls. The animals were on the first floor back in the day. Second floor had apartments for chauffeur, coachman, and stableman. The building even had a vehicle repair shop, which was quite something since automobiles were just being built when the mansion was constructed.

The vegetable garden, which was started during the Congdon’s time, now is maintained by the head gardener and Univ. of Minnesota Duluth student gardeners. The harvest is used locally to support Glensheen and the University.

One horrific piece of history… Elisabeth, the youngest daughter, lived there until 1977 when, at the age of 83, she was suffocated to death by her son-in-law. Her night nurse was beaten to death with a candlestick. Reason? Inheritance money. Nothing about the murder was mentioned at the house. I found that out later doing online reading. Soooo sad. 

Glensheen was ultimately donated by the family to the University of Minnesota and opened as a museum in 1979 with the original furnishings intact. Beautifully preserved estate. Thanks to C&J for the suggestion of visiting this amazing home!

Just to hammer home again how large Lake Superior is… it’s the largest of the Great Lakes – by a lot. Lake Superior could hold all the water in Lakes Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Erie, plus three additional Lake Eries. Wow.

Minnesota is our 44th state visited with our tiny home. The “rule” is we have to spend at least one night in the state before we can add the state to the map! Missing? Alaska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Delaware.