Day 3 July 5

 We were awake shortly after 5 due to the time change and the fact we were parked under a light and it was bright in the motorhome. We got up and showered and headed into Cloquet to the Family Tradition Restaurant where Lawrie would often have breakfast when working at Sappi. I finally got to see the plant he has been going to for 18 years. 

We then headed north to Duluth. The downtown has several beautiful old buildings. The historic Central High School dates to 1892 and has a 210 foot clock tower. An impressive multilevel fountain and gardens leads up to the St Louis County Court House which is flanked by the City Hall and the Federal Court and Customs building.

The dock area on the shore of Lake Superior has been turned into upscale shops and restaurants. We crossed a lift bridge that obligingly lifted right after we crossed it so we stopped and to see how the mechanisms work. It only lifts as far as required for the vessel sailing through. 

We checked google maps and realized we were on a long sand spit. We drove along it for around 5 miles, admiring the houses built on both sides of the road. The road ended at Sky Harbour Airfield. 

After a quick shopping trip to buy produce that we couldn’t bring into the States, we returned to the trailer and had lunch and a nap. At 1 pm we were on the road again. Road work is our nemesis, causing a little longer route than planned but the drive through another national forest was worthwhile.

We are parked in a Walmart lot in Grand Forks tonight. We are having some electrical issues with the inverter that we need to sort out. The generator did a good job of cooling the motorhome down while we had supper.