On the Way Home

So it was time to make the trek back to Michigan.  I really enjoyed my stay in Duluth but like all vacations, it had to come to an end.  These are my pictures from on the way home.

 I wish I had discovered this road sooner.  When I came into town, I took a different road from the airport and didn't see this spot.  I tried to do a panoramic shot but it didn't turn out.  This gives a good view of the ore docks and the Blatnik Bridge.

 I also passed by a train staging area.  This must have been where I kept hearing the train whistles.

 Duluth Airport started in 1929 when the city of Duluth bought the land from Saint Louis County.  It was built with two 2,650 sod runways.  Originally it was known as the Willamson-Johnson Airport.  Regular air service started in 1940 with a Northwest Airlines link.  In 1942, the runways were paved.  The airport also serves as an Air National Guard Base.

 A shot of the front terminal.  This was built in 2012.

 This is a statue of a Tuskegee Airman.  I didn't read the plaque though.

 My plane to Minneapolis coming in.

 I ended up going through a different part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport.  This tunnel kind of reminds me of a tunnel in Detroit Metro Airport.  There was fairly pleasing music being played.

 In the middle of the airport is a little mall.  It kind of takes care of all of your travelling needs.

 I kind of liked some of the mosaics on the floor.  This one looks like a map of the airports in the area.

 A few of the shops.

 Looking at the arrivals board.  This is a pretty busy airport.

 Another of the mosaics.

 One of my favorite parts of the airport...the Snoopy statues.

 Another one of the mosaic.

 I really like this one.

 A view of the mall from the other direction.

 A Frontier Airways Airbus 320.  I really like the tail art on these planes.

 I wanted a shot of downtown Minneapolis.  I kind of like the landed and landing planes.

 The MSP airport is also shared with the Minnesota Air National Guard.  This is a pair of C-130's.

 I think this is an Embrear.

 I think this is an Airbus 320.

 A Delta Boeing 757 taxiing to its sport for takeoff.

 I kind of liked the livery of this plane.  It reminded me of a throwback plane.

 A Sun Country 737 landing.

 An American Airlines 737 taxiing.

 The MD-88 that would take me back to Detroit.

 A closeup of the plane.

 A Delta plane landing.

 The control tower.

 The closeup of the cockpit of my plane.

 An Airbus 320 taxiing.

I took this picture because I figured it would be a good book end to my trip pictures.  I started with this picture and I might as well end with this picture.

The American Century Pays a Visit to Two Harbors

So there had to be a ship that would cause me to go to Two Harbors.  That ship was the thousand footer, American Century.

 I ended up taking a nap and that lasted longer than I hoped, so I wasn't able to get as many shots of her as I wanted.

 She starts to make the turn into the ore dock.

 It's hard to think of a structure that would dwarf a thousand footer, but the ore docks do.

 She eases her way next to the dock.

 Closer.

 Well, I guess she's not quite dwarfed, but pretty close.

 Safely nestled against the dock.

One more shot before moving on.

Two Harbors, Minnesota

Two Harbors is about 30 miles North-east of Duluth by way of Highway 61.  Highway 61 was the one that was made famous by Bob Dylan.   It has a small ore dock.

 The breakwater light.

 A closeup of that light.

 Closer yet.

 Another lighthouse.

As I was leaving the parking lot, there were some deer grabbing dinner.

I hope to make it back here because I might have an outside chance of catching the Roger Blough enter.

The Duluth Shipping Canal

Construction of the Duluth Ship Canal began in 1871 with private funds but the Corps of Engineers took over in 1887.  The idea started when the Soo Locks were built in 1855.  The people of Duluth were not happy with this because the shipping had to leave through Superior, Wisconsin.   The bay between the sand bar and the city wasn't bad because it was sheltered but it didn't go deep enough.  A harbor was created near this location but was destroyed.   The piers were built in 1901.

 The Aerial Lift Bridge is one of the more distinctive landmarks in Duluth.  Construction was completed in 1905 but it was originally a transport bridge (the center span would move between the two sides).  It was upgraded to it's current configuration in 1929.

 Construction of the North Pier Light was completed in 1910.  It has a 5th Order Fresnel Lens.

 It has a height of 36 feet.

 The first lighthouse was lit at this point in 1874.  The current lighthouse was built in 1901 and is equipped with a fourth order Fresnel lens.

 The Apollon has been joined by the Federal Mattawa.

 The Apollon.

 And the Federal Mattawa.

 the Aerial Lift Bridge rising for one of the ships that I saw today.

 Looking up at the tower again.

 The South Pier light bracketed by the two salties.

 Another shot of the lighthouse.

 The Inner Tower serves as a range light and was first lit in 1901.

 A couple of ships coming in.

Today was rainy and miserable but still fun.