Duluth!

Last week, I had the chance to take a couple of days off work to go on vacation with my family. We went to Duluth, on Lake Superior. It was great to get away from the usual grind and get a change of scenery. I had chances to take lots of pictures, which I will be sharing with you on the blog here this week.

My dad was the one who really pushed to make Duluth the destination for our trip this summer. We've been there before and have had lots of fun. Although it's only a couple of hours away, it feels like a different world. Earlier this spring, Duluth experienced some very serious flooding that washed out certain roads and caused tons of other damage. Interestingly, the flooding doesn't seem to have affected the areas closest to the shore - probably because Lake Superior is so huge that it can easily accommodate some extra water. But, Duluth expects a pretty substantial tourist business each summer and has been running a TV and print advertising campaign here in the Twin Cities for the last several weeks. I saw this billboard a couple of blocks from my apartment the day before we left!

 During out trip, we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Canal Park. It was awesome! For those of you who haven't been to Duluth, Canal Park is a small flat neighborhood in Duluth that is right along the ship canal where boats enter the harbor from Lake Superior. The area is very tourist friendly - there are tons of hotels, restaurants and shops, and you can easily cover the whole area on foot. In my view, that's one of its best qualities because then all of the traveling companions have a little bit of independence. The photo above is a view of the back of the hotel, with the aerial lift bridge in the background.

And this is the view from the hotel of the rocky beach and a ship entering the canal. That's right - the hotel was right on the shore! Yes!

Here's a shot of the pink rocky beach and the lapping waters of the best of the Great Lakes!

So, I decided to go wading. The water was pleasantly cool. I enjoyed walking on the rosy colored rocks, though it's a little more challenging than a soft sand beach. Though this picture isn't awesome, just a second after I took it, I nearly fell into the water. I had my bag with me, and I didn't want to find myself, my phone, my camera, and my Nook floating in the waters of Lake Superior, so I gave up and went for a walk.

This is a shot from the hotel of downtown Duluth.

This is Fitger's brewery, with the war memorial and the water in the foreground.

Look at those waves!