Saying Hello to the Roger Blough

Since I haven't seen her yet this year because it seems like all of her trips have been to Gary this year, I decided to head up north to catch her.  I was thinking about catching her at the Mackinac Bridge but I didn't think I could get up early enough.  I figured that I would have enough time to make it to Mission Point though.

 I was a little worried that I wouldn't make it in time to catch her but it turns out that I had another hour before I would catch.  It was still a good thing I arrived when I did because I caught the Frontenac.  Unfortunately, it was a pretty warm day, so there was a bit of heat haze.

 The heat haze wasn't as bad when she got closer but you can still see it.

 Anyway, she was heading back from Gary and that is about a 36 hour trip.  She would have delivered taconite to the steel mill there.

 She was heading back to Two Harbors, Minnesota.  Two Harbors is about 60 miles to the northeast of Duluth.  It is one of several ports where you can pick up taconite.

 From this point, it is about 36 hours for her to get to Two Harbors.

 So this is about a 6 day round trip for the ships.  They make it many times a year.

 She gets closer.  Normally, I wouldn't post this many pictures but it has been a long time since I've seen her and she is my favorite boat.

 It was a pretty nice day on Tuesday.

 The clouds looked pretty nice but as I said, it was a bit on the warm side.

 I love getting ship pictures up here.

 she cuts another angle.

 Closer to a beam shot.

 This is as close to a beam shot that I can get up here.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 She starts to move away.

 she moves away.

 A shot of her deckhouse.

 This is her self unloader.  It gives her the look of a straight decker.

 Stars and Stripes flying in the breeze.

 She passes by.

One more.