May 17th Superior, Wisconsin

Superior is across the St. Louis River from Duluth. We took the long way cross country on a two-lane road along the river instead of the interstate. Here's a picture of the river. Don't know if you can see the yellow water-caused from iron ore.

We drove southeast of Superior to check out a possible campsite for when we come back down from the north shore. It was a wasted trip. Back in Superior we stopped for lunch at a spot overlooking the harbor. There are ship-building docks, ore docks, coal docks, grain docks, and trains hauling materials everywhere. We stopped at a mansion that was built in 1889 for $150,ooo. First floor was restored a few years ago and that cost over $1.2 million. Ev toured the inside and I took pictures outside.

The owner started out in the newspaper and lumber business and ended up in the ore business-which was like the price of gold. Ev here: my sisters would love it. 42 rooms, original stained glass windows. Interesting downdraft system from roof, down through the 3 floors which helped circulate air when windows were opened. Bryan would have found it interesting. They repainted all the ceilings on the first floor and so beautiful. Each had different designs. Our dad would have loved all the exotic woods used for the woodwork and the various tiles for the 8 fireplaces. After he died she moved to Calif. and left the mansion as a children's home. She had been involved with neglected and abandoned children and it was constant. It served that purpose for 42 yrs. There is a board where adults have visited and written short memories. One girl was there from birth till 18. One guy said they ate oatmeal 6 days a week and, if they did, they could have cornflakes on Sunday. He said "I never had cornflakes and it took me 15 yrs after leaving here to look at oatmeal."

In a parking lot today a man in late 30's, probably, noticed Tom's Vietnam Veteran window sticker and said, "You fought a war for me? Thank you and God bless you."

Tom toured the Richard Bong WWII museum. Mr. Enclopedia already knew Bong was a fighter ace in the Pacific. He also earned the Medal of Honor.

May 16th pictures

train pictures came out too dark

May 16-Heading to northern Minnesota

High was 77-yay! We took off this morning, traveling as we really love to, but seldom have the time for: off the interstate, along small highways, where you see farmland, old barns, old cars and tractors for sale, marshland filled with cattails, mama with her dozen teeny ducklings at the edge of the highway-yikes! Tree-lined on both sides for miles, lakes, small towns, boat trailers behind pickups lined up for a block or two on both sides of the highway by a lake. And a bluegrass or rock and roll cd playing what Tom calls "travelin' music".

We saw lots of resort signs and one jumped out to me when it said Brindley's. We had a Campbell reunion there in '86 or '87. By the time it registered we were past the sign and who knows what driving our long rig in there would have been like. We have gotten a kick out of how many Lutheran churches we see in Minnesota-though not a surprise. Guess seeing a Methodist one was, though.

We are camped 16 miles out of Duluth in Cloquet, MN. After getting settled we drove into the big city (86,000) and went down to the waterfront - Lake Superior. Tom toured a 3 floor museum in the old train depot downtown. John Cozad, he wished you'd been there to see the Mallet engine and hear the sound tape they played talking about its power, pulling the ore trains etc. Said it was phenomenal.

The bridge picture is of the aerial bridge which they raise when a boat or a large ship that is sailing to the other lakes needs to go under it. We saw an iron ore train waiting by the docks. The cars are smaller than coal cars because of the weight they carry. We walked along the path to a lighthouse. We saw a boy carrying a 2 mo old Pomeranian that was adorable-black head and white body-small like a small cat. Mother said their male has black head, white tail and from back of head to tail it is zebra striped in black and white.

As we pulled out of the parking lot we saw a double motorcycle pulling a trailer that looked like an old Chevy. Its passengers were 2 beagles!

The State highways are sometimes bumpy and we wonder if some cupboard door will be open inside the camper, but no bad things have happened yet. I-35 between here and Duluth is much bumpier!

Another great day of retirement. Tom can't keep track of what day it is - what a shame! I think it's great for him.

May 15, 2010 Straight Lake and Itasca St Pk, Mn

Today we found the area on Straight Lake where Tom and I met 46 yrs ago! His family stayed at a resort and mine stayed at a private cabin next door. The cabin looks the same. We were both from Iowa-350 miles apart-and ready to begin our senior year in high school! It is about 36 miles from there to Itasca St Pk, where the headwaters of the Mississippi are. The water that looks like a creek is the river, too!

Pictures from Jamestown ND and Fargo Air Museum

Basillica of St. James and P-51 Mustang from WWII

May 14, 2010 N.D and on to Minn.

For our Catholic friends: we stopped to take a picture of Basillica of St. James in Jamestown, N.D. It was built in 1910 and is one of only 60 minor basillicas in America.
Flags Across America. A veteran's memorial to N.D. soldiers killed between the Phillipines and now. The 30 x 60' flag had not been hung for the summer.
Fargo Air Museum (air museum #1 we have stopped at! That's been a joke -how many will he view?) I fixed lunch while he toured it. Very interesting planes and nice WWII memorabilia.
That's all we did in Fargo. By early afternoon it was sunny and 73 degrees. About 30 degrees warmer than we've had for more than a week and the first sun in almost 2 weeks!
Detroit Lakes Minn. Had reservations made on Long Lake, so got settled and walked down to the lake. Went into town and had Tom's birthday dinner on Detroit Lake. Woman next to us had a birthday and we heard how they treat someone, so we told them it was Tom's. His dinner was $11 and they took $10 off, gave him his Coke free and brought a free huge chunk of cake for us to share. I had walleye almondine and could only eat half of it - it must have been 8" by 4". Not much flavor.
Trains-We were near no./so. and east/west lines and one went by on one or the other every few minutes. The one actually went across the highway, a few miles out of town. Weird.

Dickinson, N.D.- daytime-46 degrees, Bismarck

Ukranian cultural center-small. Beautiful costumes, altar, eggs and nesting doll just like Tom brought me from Moscow in early 70's. A museum had 50,000#of petrified wood. On was 12000#. ND was covered with rivers and marshlands, with cypress and redwoods around wtr. 60 million yrs ago. A volcano erupted, petrifying the wood. These were found over 20 yrs, 70' below the surface, near a coal mine.
Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park-near Bismarck
Fort from which Gen. Custer left for his final battle. He was made General at age 23. Govt built nice house for he and Libby, which we toured. Tom walked all over the grounds. I went to the truck several times as I still get tired very easily and my toe hurts. I can only wear sandals and socks-I look like those Oregonians!
We went for pizza and then a mall for haircuts. Their last 2 winters here have been miserable, so since it was 41 degrees, people were walking around in shorts and flip flops! Like Fairbanks.
Oddest food seen so far - in a mall candy store: choc covered and vanilla covered Ruffles chips and fortune cookies She said they sell lots of them.
N.D. Heritage Center - large bldg with no admission fee that was filled with very interesting displays. Then on to a Lewis and Clark intrpretative center and a small fort. Rained all day and since late afternoon yesterday. 46 degrees again for high.
Economy in ND is excellent, we are told. We've seen houses of all sizes being built and commercial construction. Coal mining, oil refining etc are keeping people employed. This Walmart had a help wanted sign up for almost every dept and guy said many businesses need help. Minot - where AFB is- can't build houses fast enough, they say. We think this is all great, doncha know?
Rain has stopped since I have sat down, but this campground is what Midwesterners call a loblolly (very muddy) now, so no walks tonite. Read or watch a DVD. Head east tomorrow.