This was the beginning of our second day, and what an awesome way to start the day! We enjoyed our coffee on the deck watching the sun come up over the lake and listening to the waves crash on the rocky shoreline just below the deck. We got cleaned up and dressed and spent some time exploring the shoreline. I finally, finally, finally got a picture of a wave actually crashing on the rocks! Been trying for that for five years.
After exploring the shoreline by the cabin, we headed out for a day of being tourists. First stop was Betty's Pies for breakfast (no pie, though). The original cafe had to move when the highway was rerouted/reconstructed, but they kept the original design and layout. There was a history written on the back of the menu, and in high summer season, they go through 350 to 400 handmade pies per DAY!
From Betty's Pies we headed back into Duluth to take a harbor cruise on the Vista Fleet...also something we have never ever done in all the years we have been going to the North Shore. We just did the narrated tour (versus a pizza cruise or a dinner cruise) which lasted a little over an hour. We went out into the lake for a bit, got some history about the lake front area, and then cruised back under the lift bridge and around to where the boats load and unload. We saw taconite being loaded, limestone, and we saw the CHS terminal which is huge. They can load 35,000 bushels of corn per hour into a boat, and it takes about 11 hours to load a boat full. Do the math...that's a lot of stinking corn! We stayed on the top (open) deck and ended up standing next to another couple and got to chatting. Turns out they were from Lake City and on their first trip to the North Shore. We dispensed some sage advice on places to go, things to see of do, and places to eat. Like we are experts or something?!?!
After deboarding the boat, we headed south on 35 just a little bit to Jay Cooke State Park. I really can't believe we never did any of this stuff on our other trips. What an amazing place! JCSP was one of President Roosevelt's CCC projects, including a suspension bridge across the St. Louis River. Due to severe flooding over the years, they have had to rebuild the bridge now four different times, but have stayed true to the original CCC construction with stone and logs. The rock formations were what got to me the way these massive pieces of slate or granite or whatever they were just got stacked up like playing cards or something. Awesome! We stopped at the park's information center and ended up having the nicest conversation with a couple from Minneapolis. We chatted with them about camping, kids, farming, and life in general for about a half an hour. I love meeting new people!
Jumped back in the car and headed back to Duluth to drive the Scenic Byway way up above Duluth. There were incredible scenic overlooks and one park with a 5-story tower that was donated by royalty from Sweden, I believe. Seriously cool stuff.
By now our breakfast at Betty's Pie's was worn off and we were hungry and getting tired, so we headed north out of Duluth to Two Harbors. We found the pizza place our friendly neighborhood barkeep had recommended the night before--Do North Pizza. Just a little hole in the wall place, but amazing pizza! There was a kids' birthday party going on so we didn't hang out longer than we needed to.
Back at the cabin, we were enjoying a beverage on the deck, and I saw lights out on the lake. The boat we had seen departing Duluth when were in that 5-story tower was cruising past! I can't take a decent night time picture to save my soul, so I can't share that, but trust me, it was cool.
I was pretty much wiped out by 8:30 and went to bed. Again, the window was open to the crash of waves and I drifted off to dreamland for the night.
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