Take it all in

The trip to Duluth was more out of neccessity than just curiousity. Without going into the details too much, we were looking for a place to stay outside of the Twin Cities for a couple of weeks. For me, anything in Minnesota is new to me. From the east coast to the midwest this past year has been quite the journey. I greatly enjoy the area, all the different surrounding cities, the lakes, the art; Minnesota has been a treat. We can get into the difficulty of zipper merging but we’ll leave that for another day.

If I was to make a list of things I knew about Duluth just a year ago the list would be non-existent. Duluth? That company that makes silly commercials? Yet, here I am, just another transplant trying to find his way into this new world. From a small town of only 200 people, everything is a bit overwhelming. I will say that I didn’t have any expectations of Minnesota. To be clear, before I made the decision to move to Minnesota I don’t think it even crossed my mind! Sorry folks.

Now that I am here I am slowly starting to feel a little bit more like a local. I eat cheese curds often, I dislike the Packers, I laugh a little less at how everyone says milk and about, and I’ve fallen in love with the nature that is simply everywhere. Growing up near Pittsburgh the lake was Lake Erie. That’s about three hours away. Here? Which lake do you want to go to today? Maybe more than one. It’s a hell of a change for me.

To Duluth

Driving around the Twin Cities I would often see a sign on the highway for Duluth. I knew it was up north, as yins say, I did not know how far away it was. Ok, so two hours isn’t that far. Especially not to me, I have driven back and forth from Pittsburgh about five times now. At the time of the decision to head north we were staying at the Extended Stay in Fridley. It’s an interesting place, that’s all I’ll say, so we were looking at our other options.

“Have you ever stayed in a hostel?”

My partner had a suggestion for us. She could call Bob up in Duluth and see about staying at his hostel, Hostel Du Nord. I was a little apprehensive about this. A hostel? The kind of place random weirdos crash at night because they don’t want to pay the high prices of hotels? Luckily, it ended up being the right kind of weirdos. My kind of weirdos. Now, you might expect a certain kind of person to stay here and you would be both correct and wrong at the same times.

During the stay, we stayed in the Annex, a new addition with private rooms. I saw all types of people come and go. Local workers, older folks going to a Bob Dylan event, tokers, roamers, and people just looking for a safe place to crash. In the Annex you have plenty of room for you stuff, fridges, a microwave, a stove, three or four bathrooms to share, showers, and a TV room.

For those wondering, yes, they are green friendly and even offer “The Grasshoper”, a camper to keep you nice and dry while you do your thing.

The Beauty of Superior Never Gets Old

While there are so many things to do, which I will covery in a part 2, this part is all about THE lake, Lake superior. Come down that hill into downtown Duluth it is difficult to not get disctracted the first dozen times you travese it. It’s simple amazing. I have been to the ocean and many other lakes in Minnesota and there’s simply nothing that compares to it.

I can easily see now why so many folks that live in the Twin Cities area make it a habit to take the trip up to Duluth as often as possible. I could have stayed for much longer, unfortunately, normal life must resume. While there is so much more to talk about I wanted to keep the tourist bits in the next post. Until next time Duluth, stay beautiful.

My Favorite Hike

If you’re up for a brief hike, occasionally through sand, then I’ve got the perfect spot for you to hunt for agates and other stunning stones. In the process, you can also visit Minnesota’s oldest lighthouse. The place I’m referring to is Park Point Beach.

You can discover these rocks at many of Lake Superior’s beaches, but this location is exceptional. Journey through the forest for as long as necessary, then veer left towards the beach. The additional steps are worth it, guaranteed!