Duluth Breakwater Lights, Minnesota

Being lovers of Lighthouses, we were thrilled that these two could be seen from our hotel window on the Lake Superior waterfront. Built just after the turn of the twentieth century, they mark the breakwaters that define the channel connecting the Duluth Inner Harbor with Lake Superior.

The Duluth North Breakwater Lighthouse, left, entered service during the spring of 1910. Its metal frame is enclosed by riveted steel plates. It stands 37-feet-tall at the end of the North Pier. The lantern room contains a fifth-order Fresnel lens.

The South Breakwater Outer Lighthouse, right, is the older of the two, being erected in 1901. It consists of a 35-foot tower rising from the corner of a squat brick fog-signal building. Its original fourth-order Fresnel lens remains in service.

One can see these lights from Canal Park in the Duluth waterfront area.

The S.S. William A. Irvin

One of the more interesting things we did during our visit to Duluth, Minnesota, was tour the legendary S.S. William A. Irvin. This immense freighter was once the flagship of U.S. Steel's "Silver Stack Fleet." It is now permenantly docked in the shadows of the Aerial Lift Bridge and serves as a floating ore boat museum. At 610 feet it is longer than 2 football fields and held 14,000 tons of cargo - enough to fill 200 rail cars. It carried iron ore from ports in the Great Lakes.

The tour took us from bow to stern, with stops in the pilot house, engine room, aft crew quarters, lounges, staterooms, guest gallery, dining room and the cavernous cargo holds.The one hour guided tour of the William A. Irvin is offered seven days a week, May - October. It is said to be the most visited ship on the Great Lakes.

Tickets are Adults $7.00, Seniors $6.00 and children $5.00. The ticket price includes a self-guided tour to the tugboat Lake Superior, docked beside the freighter.

Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth, Minnesota

No doubt Duluth, Minnesota's most famous landmark is the unique Aerial Lift Bridge, first raised to ship traffic on March 29, 1930. The bridge's center span crosses the channel of Duluth's shipping canal. It weighs 1,000 tons and is raised and lowered with concrete counterweights at 5,000 tons apiece. The span is raised to a height of 138 feet to accomodate large freighters.

We watched as this smaller coast guard vessel (pictured)passed under. An average of 5,500 lifts are made each shipping season. The Aerial Lift Bridge has never been struck or severely damaged in its entire history.

Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul

"When its white dome first swims into view there is a shock of surprise, then a rapidly growing delight in its pure beauty, and as one studies the building, inside and out, the surprise and delight increase. One leaves it with regret and with the hope of return." -Kenyon Cox, Architectural Record, August 1905

The Minnesota State Capitol Building in Saint Paul celebrated its centennial in 2005 It is without doubt one of the most beautiful and impressive structures in all of Minnesota. The capitol is a "must see" for it's historic and acrhitectural interest as well as being the seat of government for the state.

Guided tours are available on the hour. The last tour begins one hour before closing. Those who prefer may take their own self guided tour. We took our own tour, accidently got lost, and saw parts of the Capitol that are normally off limits to visitors.

Ogilvie, Minnesota, Water Tower

Ogilvie Minnesota's main claim to fame it its unusual water tower.

The tower, constructed in 1918, was one of the first reinforced concrete towers to be built in Minnesota. It is designed after the turrented castles of northern Europe. Seven window sets are located along the bottom portion of the tower, adding to its picturesque appearance.

The Ogilvie Tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is located near the center of Ogilvie and is hard to miss in such a small town.

Ogilvie is a small town with a little less than 500 population in in Kanabec County, Minnesota, about 82 miles north of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. The area is known for its sparkling lakes, clean rivers, wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Mora Clocka, Mora, Minnesota

The brightly colored Mora Klocka stands 20-feet high in the center of downtown Mora as a symbol of the town's Swedish heritage and the relationship between the sister cities of Mora, Minnesota and Mora, Sweden. It has a 48-inch clock face and decorative painting, a design called Dala malning.

The first Swedish Mora clock appeared in Stockholm during the Rococo Period in the mid-eighteenth century. The "Mora Klocka" in Minnesota was placed by the Dala Heritage Society.

Mora, a very small town in central Minnesota, established in 1858. It is one of four small towns in Kanabec County, of which Mora serves as the county seat. The total county population of 15,346. The area was first settled largely by Swedish immigrants and named after the town of Mora, Sweden, with which it maintains a relationship as "sister city."

The Kanabec area is especially appealing to outdoors enthusiasts because of the many lakes and rivers. Hunting and hiking are favorite activities in the Rum River State Forest, Snake River State Forest, Mille Lacs Wildlife Management Area and Ann Lake Management Area. There are also several city and state parks in the area.

Fort Snelling Veterans Memorial Chapel, Fort Snelling, Minnesota

The Fort Snelling Veterans Memorial Chapel, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, was built in 1927 after Sunday School children requested a post chapel. Permission to build was granted by the War Department.

The chapel is primarily a house of worship. It is also designed to be a monument to the patriotism, the moral earnestness and the convictions of the people of Minnesota. It provides a shrine where the "family of those who have died for America may come, as on a holy pilgrimage, and offer up their thanks to Almighty God for the precious gift of friends who have been so fondly loved, and are now lost awhile."

Fort Snelling was deactivated as a military post in 1947. AFter sitting unused until the mid 1960's, it is once again alive and well. It is open for tourists to Fort Snelling on weekends. Weekly Sunday non-denominational services are conducted by the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel Foundation. It is also used for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.

The Chapel houses more than 80 memorials such as: a stained glass window that bears the coat of arms of the Third Infantry Regiment, oldest in the U.S. Army, which was once stationed at Fort Snelling.

Historic Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Historic Fort Snelling is an 1820's military outpost around which the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have developed. When the fort was built it was a lonely outpost in the wilderness, on the far northwestern edge of United States Territory. Today it is bordered by freeways full of rushing traffic in the center of of a bustling urban area.

In this restored stone fortress the history of frontier life is celebrated. A full living history program is presented by costumed guides, daily during the summer, and on weekends in May, September and October. The first European settlers to this area came up the Mississippi River by steamboat. Today the fort is reached by modern highways and is approximately half way between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Outside of the walls of the fort there are other interesting things to see, including a museum, a chapel, monuments and beautiful views of the river, with the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.

Fort Snelling is at the junction of Highways 5 and 55, near the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.

Grand Army of the Republic Monument, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Standing in a park between the State Capitol building and the Cathedral of Saint Paul is this soaring Monument to the War of 1861-1865.

The monument was erected in 1903 through the efforts of the Grand Army of the Republic. Atop it is a statue of "Josias R. King, the first man to volunteer in the first Minnesota Infantry, the first regiment, tendered the government for the repression of the rebellion."

This monument, erected 38 years after the War, referred to the conflict simply as the "War of 1861-1865," along with a reference to the "repression of the rebellion."

The term "Civil War" came into popular usage a little later during the 20th century. While the War was raging it was most commonly called, by the North, the "War of the Rebellion." In the South it was the "War for Southern Independence," or "The War Between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America."

The term "Civil War" is a misnomer. A civil war is one in which two factions within a single country fight for control of the government. The War Between the States - another popular term, used mainly in the South - was waged between two sovereign nations. The North did seek to subjugate the South. That's because tariffs from the South, with less than one third of the national population, paid 87% of the federal budget - which was spent almost entirely in the North.

The Confederacy had no more desire to overthrow Washington than the American Colonies desired to overthrow London during the American Revolution. The Confederate States seceded peacefully and legally, believing they were the true adherents to the original intent of the United States Constitution, which provided for only a limited federal union between sovereign states.

President Lincoln used the term "civil war" occasionally during the time of the conflict, but most of the public did not. "Civil War" was his political spin in an effort to justify an illegal and unnecessary war which turned the United States into a Federal empire.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Standing on the east bank of the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, St. Paul is the elder, albeit smaller, brother to it's famous "twin city," Minneapolis, which is on the west bank of the river.

Saint Paul, the State Capital, is ethnically diverse with strong Scandanavian roots. The city center is surrounded by many smaller neighborhoods, each justly proud of its own unique heritage and culture. There are numerous interesting historical and architectural landmarks, parks and entertainment venues which beckon the the visitor to linger a while and enjoy the city of St. Paul.

Big Stone Lake, Minnesota & South Dakota

Big Stone Lake is a long, narrow freshwater reservoir covering 12,610 acres of surface area. It stretches 26 miles from end to end and averaging around 1 mile wide. The lake is the source of the Minnesota River, which flows 332 miles to the Mississippi River. The lake is fed by the Little Minnesota River at its north end.

Big Stone Lake is very popular with anglers who may catch more than 30 different species of freshwater fish. The most popular are walleye, northern pike and bluegills. The lake is stocked once every two years with 7,000,000 walleye fry. There are 12 public accesses along the length of the lake for fishing use.

The lake boasts two state parks: Hartford Beach State Park in South Dakota and Big Stone Lake State Park in Minnesota. These offer boat launch areas, beaches, campgrounds, hiking trails and other amenities.

www.bigstonelake.com

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

In May of 2007, Karen and I enjoyed a very pleasant hour or more strolling through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It is an 11 acre park with a beautiful view of the Minneapolis skyline. Exhibited in the Garden there are numerous pieces of sculpture, most of which are of a modern genre for which I have not developed a taste. I did find a few of the pieces interesting, such as the Stonebridge Spoon and Cherry, pictured here.

This is a great urban green space for stretching your legs and enjoying the outdoors, although there is a bit of noise pollution from a busy freeway that runs beside the garden.There is a good sized parking lot which is hourly and metered.

Admission to the Sculpture Garden is free.

Mary Tyler Moore Statue, Minneapolis, Minnesota

If you're an old timer like me, or even if you're of the younger set but watch old re-runs on television, you have seen the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her show was a situation comedy based in Minneapolis. It was one of my favorites back in the 1970s.

Mary Tyler Moore, with bright smile, upbeat attitude and cheery disposition was truly one of America's sweethearts. She is honored and remembered fondly by the people of Minneapolis with this statue which stands on a downtown sidewalk, in front of the building where her fictional character (Mary Richards) worked.

A plaque beneath the statue reads: MARY TYLER MOORE: Who can turn the world on with her smile? Don't leave Minneapolis without stopping by to pay your respects and have your photo taken here.

Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota

The Mall of America, in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington is the largest shopping mall in the United States and the number one tourist attraction in the state of Minnesota. People literally travel from all over the world to shop and play in this unique place. I list it here as a "Things to Do" tip because the Mall of America is a "Must See" whether or not you go shopping.

The Mall has over 500 shops, numerous restaurants, a wedding chapel, an aquarium an indoor amusement park complete with roller coasters and much more. It is on three very large levels and you should plan 2 or 3 hours just to walk through the place. Some people spend an entire weekend here.Karen and I enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon and evening at the Mall. We had a nice dinner, did a little shopping, and a LOT of walking and looking. You can find everything here you can imagine - and then some.

World's Largest Twine Ball, Darwin, Minnesota

Across from the Post Office, in the heart of Darwin, Minnesota, you will see this enclosed display of the World's Largest Twine Ball.

Before coming to Darwin I had already taken my grandchildren to see the "World's Largest Ball of Twine" in Cawker City, Kansas. Frankly the two twine balls look approximately the same size to me. I understand that each has alternately held title to being the "World's Largest." However, I learned that this one is undisputedly the world's largest ball of twine made by ONE MAN. Many people have helped to build the competing ball of twine in Kansas. The Darwin twine ball was created by Francis A. Johnson between 1950 and 1979. It weighs 17,400 pounds and is about 40 feet around.

Such odd ball roadside attractions are one of the things that makes road tripping in America so much fun. Movie goers may remember that actor Chevy Chase in the movie "Family Vacation" stopped on a cross country road trip to show his kids the "World's Largest Ball of Twine." It's all in fun, and you'll have a "ball" here in Darwin, Minnesota.

Pickwick Mill, Minnesota

Pickwick Mill is in southeastern Minnesota in the tiny village of Pickwick, about 15 minutes south of Winona. It can be found by following the signs off Highways 14 & 61, for about two miles on County Road 7.

The operating stone mill is situated beside the very picturesque Lake LaBelle which offers trout fishing and a picnic site. For a small fee you can tour the mill where you will find 6 floors of original machinery, a 4' by 20' waterwheel, and operating millstones. There is also a gift shop.

Just below the mill is a small waterfall which is worth seeing while you are there.

Crossing the Mississippi River at it's Source

Lake Itasca, a small glacial lake with a surface area of 1.8 square miles, is the centerpiece of Lake Itasca State Park. From this beautiful serene northwoods lake, 1,475 feet above sea level, the Mighty Mississippi River begins to flow on its winding way, 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. At the spot where the river flows from the lake one can walk across the stream (very carefully) on stepping stones, as seen in the picture.

Itasca was established in 1891, as Minnesota's first state park. Within its 32,000 acres are more than 100 smaller lakes. The park also provides a multitude oh other recreational opportunities: camping, fishing, hiking, etc. But to us none of them could compare to stepping across North America's grandest river.

Itasca is in southwestern Clearwater County in Northern Minnesota. It is 30 miles southwest of Bemidji.

Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior

Certainly one of the most photographed lighthouses anywhere, Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota was at the top of our itinerary when we made a circle trip around Lake Superior. Shipwrecks from a mighty gale in November, 1905, prompted the construction of this rugged landmark, atop a 130-foot cliff. Today the breathtaking site is preserved as a State Park. There is a modern Visitor Center, and tours are available for both the lighthouse and the restored home of the lighthouse keeper and his family. These offer a glimpse of life in a remote and beautiful setting among some of the world's most dangerous waters.

The State Park is open mid-May through mid-October. Admission is $6 adults and $3 children. Admission also allows entrance into other state parks on the same day (like nearby Gooseberry Falls), or for a few dollars more you can get an annual pass to all Minnesota State Parks.

Teapot Water Tower, Lindstrom, Minnesota

Towering over downtown Lindstrom. Minnesota, is a giant Swedish coffee pot (some say teapot.) This is a water tower that was in use for 88 years, from 1902 to 1990, when it was replaced by a larger and more modern water tower. The old teapot tower continues to serve as a cultural landmark.

I photographed this unique water tower in late April, and missed seeing the steam which is said to rise from the spout during the cool evenings during summer months. The side of the coffee pot reads in Swedish: Välkommen till Lindström (Welcome to Lindstrom).

Cathedral of Saint Paul, Saint Paul, Minnesota

On the highest point in the city of St. Paul and dominating the skyline is the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The old world Classical Renaissance architecture of this magnificent structure lends a European air to Minnesota's capital city.

This is actually the fourth Cathedral of Saint Paul, and was the dream of Archbishop John Ireland, who secured the site in 1904. The Archdiocese was growing and Ireland saw the need for a "great Cathedral" to replace the third Cathedral, which was 46 years old at the time and too small for the growing congregation.

Construction on the cathedral began in 1907, two years after the building of the Minnesota State Capitol. The first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. Work continued on the interior for decades and the building was finally consecrated on October 14, 1958. Since 1974 it has been on the National Register of Historical Buildings.

The cathedral is home to a very large and active congregation. On the Saturday morning of our visit, between 11 a.m. and noon, a special mass was being held. We slipped in to the back and discreetly (I hope) took a few photos. Tours are available daily and multiple masses are also held every day.