24 Hours in Duluth

 Duluth, MN

Duluth is still a little cold in early April

Travel Season Starts Soon

A couple of weeks ago we went to Duluth for 24 hours.  1 because we wanted to go there and 2, because we wanted to try out a new dog sitter and didn't want to be gone for long or be too far away.  It all went well and Francis seemed to enjoy his time at the sitters.

Duluth

Duluth is about a 2 hour drive north.  It's right at the southern most tip of Lake Superior, and it's economy built around shipping. It's the farthest inland shipping port connected to the ocean (having to travel 2300 miles to get to open ocean waters, and it the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes.  (Thanks Wikipedia)

Our trip started out on a Tuesday morning.  It was an easy drive up I-35W North to I-35 North.  I-35 starts in Texas and goes all the way to Duluth, MN.  It splits into two segments in The Twin Cities, I-35W going through Minneapolis, and I-35E going through St. Paul.  Interestingly it also splits into W and E in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area so you need to be careful if you ever just tell someone to meet you on I-35W.  

We arrived in Duluth just after noon and headed lunch at Northern Waters Smokehaus.  NWS is known for it's delicious sandwiches and it didn't disappoint.

On the way out we bought some meat sticks because we were on vacation!

After lunch we drove over to Superior, WI to visit that county and play some pinball at Average Joe's Pub.  

After about an hour of splitting a beer and playing pinball we headed back to Minnesota to visit a cheese shop and then check into our hotel and abandon our car in exchange for exploring Duluth by foot.  Our hotel was right in the heart of the that has built up around The Ariel Lift Bridge, a vertical lift bridge that lifts a few times a day to let taller ships pass under it.  

We bought some old sharp cheddar cheese.  It's delicious.

This is the lift bridge in its down position.

That lower section raises straight up when it is in its lift position.

A lighthouse on Lake Superior.

We do offer paid tours that feature us pointing at obvious landmarks.

We stopped by Vikre Distillery for a craft cocktail.  We even bought a bottle of their aquavit.

Their menu looks like a Fanzine.

This wasn't at the distillery, but at a brewery we stopped at to play some pinball.

Ice is never 100% safe unless it's in a glass of water.

The area that built up around the lift bridge is called Canal Park so we visited Canal Park Brewing Co. for dinner.

The desserts were really great.

The next morning we walked to a coffee shop and then headed home.  We stopped for lunch halfway home and then picked up Francis.  He was excited to see us.

We were intrigued by the Family Sauna but have decided to skip it based on conversations with someone that lives in Duluth.

Tobies is a restaurant about halfway between Minneapolis and Duluth.  They offer up diner style meals.  It was a good stop and a great way to end a fun 24 hour getaway.

The Dark Purple is new this year.  By the end of the year, we should have Minnesota completed.

It was a fun trip with good sights, food, and drinks.  We are already talking about going back.  

That's it for this post.  If you missed, Pinball Potluck, check it out.  I went to a pinball potluck tournament at a friends house.

Successful Eye Surgery

 Minneapolis, MN

Daft Punk, here I come!

Pterygium Eye Surgery

When you grow up in Southern California, you get exposed to the power of the sun and the sun's UV rays.  When you surf you get exposed to the power of salt water in your eye and the sun.  When you think sunglasses are anti-social, this compounds the issue.  All of this can add up to a pterygium lesion on your eye or eyes.

Pre operation

I noticed the pterygium way back in 2009 or so.  I had it monitored whenever I got my eyes checked.  They always said it was cosmetic and wouldn't be an issue unless it made its way to my pupil.  I started wearing sunglasses and protecting my eye but over the years it made its way towards the center of my eye, squishing my eye and giving me an astigmatism along the way.  The astigmatism distorted my eye and changed my vision rapidly.  I wanted to get it all taken care of before it caused permanent eye damage so when we moved to Minneapolis I got a referral to see a specialist. Dr. Volker agreed it wasn't cosmetic anymore and we scheduled an operation about 6 months later.  

That operation is done!  It was a success and after about a month of healing, everything is fantastic.  

The first thing I said after recovering from the anesthesia was, "Take my picture!" so Donna took a great photo.

Francis helped me recover that day and also helped me cosplay a Bond Villain.

The following day I went back for a checkup and they removed the bandage and said it looked fantastic.  It was scratchy and painful and I couldn't rub it.  A contact lens helped keep the skin graft in place.

Since the surgery in late January, I have returned to the Dr. for multiple follow-ups.  It's pretty much all healed now, but my vision is still settling in so I won't have new glasses for another few weeks.  The vision in my left eye has gone from terrible to great with the surgery and I am wearing glasses with the lens popped out.

Post op about a month.

It's hard to tell unless I do this.  Also I need to shave.

We chose Minnesota as our current home because they have a state run healthcare exchange.  We will need to continue to stay in states that run their own just incase The Affordable Care Act gets gutted.  If that happens we all go back to the chance of getting denied coverage because of a preexisting condition so that healthcare profits can increase annually by 20%.

That's it for today.  If you missed, 5 Days of Competitive Pinball in a Row, check it out.  It was the 5 days leading up to my eye surgery.

5 Days of Competitive Pinball in a Row

 Twin Cities, MN

Pinball doesn't get old...

Making the Tournament Rounds

Last week I played competitive pinball for 5 days straight, well 6 if you count the recreational but still somewhat competitive league.  

It started at LITT for our Tuesday night league.  I used the evening to brush up on my rules and practice shots.  I wasn't gunning for a win that night, because the league I am in is just for fun.  

I even had time for a beer and we had some happy hour food at LITT, which is fantastic.

My friend Brendon was in my group on Tuesday so that was fun.  Here he is putting up a good score on John Wick.

On Wednesday I headed out to Blaine, MN to play at Blainbrook Bowl.  This tournament is packed with talent and I am still learning all of the tables there so my expectations where tempered.  I still did well.  I came in 6th out of 20.  I played really well but then it kind of fell apart on my last game.  If I had done better in my last round I would have come in 4th, which would have exceeded my expectations.  I will keep playing this one and eventually I won't be dead money.

Blainbrook is HUGE.  They have a ton of bowling lanes, a giant bar in back that people hang out in, pool tables, ticket redemption games, and a good number of well maintained pinball tables.

The carpet is also legit!

They have a cool wooden sign in the pinball area too.

Here I am waiting for my turn on Dr. Who.

On Thursday Donna and I drove out to Beautiful Savage, MN.  On the way we stopped by a Replay Sports store so she could trade in her old ice skates for new, better fitting ice skates.  She found what she was looking for and then we continued on to Northstar Pinball Collective.  NPC is at least partially owned by Luke Nahorniak, #1 in the state and #9 in the world.  It's full of great players and I am still learning the tables here too.  I ended up 13th out of 21.  It isn't a great showing, but I have nothing but future potential here so that is good.  I will continue to get out there a couple times a month and will eventually know the tables better and feel more comfortable there.  Being comfortable at a place and on a specific table is so important in my opinion. 

Donna bought figure states but the used hockey skate rack was impressive, so I took a photo of that.

We got to NPC at opening and had the place to ourselves for a bit.  I got to play 3 or so tables I have never played before.  I also got to get used to specific copies of these tables here.

They stream their tournaments on Twitch.  They only streamed 2 of my rounds and I ended up getting strikes in both of those.  You can what them here if you want.  My first round was terrible and is at about the 11 minute mark and my 2nd round shown was better and starts at around the 1h 35m mark.

I got this great shot of Donna using her cool sweater to blend into the table she was playing.  

On Friday I headed back to Bad Penny in St. Paul.  I am very comfortable here.  I came in 1st in early January and 3rd just last week so my confidence was high.

But before the tournament, Donna and I went to Lake of the Isles skate rink and Donna tried out her new skates.

Early on Donna was pretty cautious due to the fact that she was on new skates and had never skated here.  Shortly after this photo she was skating around like a natural.

Bad penny was hopping with 27 players.  I played great throughout the evening.

I was tied for 1st going into the last round.  If I won my round I would win it and if I finished 2nd, I would be 2nd overall.  I didn't do the math for 3rd or 4th place.  It would have been more complex.

I ended up taking 1st for the 2nd time this year (you can read about the 1st here if you want).  A fantastic result.  The round on Elvira was exciting.  I had 2 really bad balls and did it all on my 3rd ball.  I was player 4 so as soon as I was in the lead I could stop playing.  Winning is fun!

On Saturday I headed to 56  Brewing for their monthly tournament.  44 players showed up and 16 players would advance to the finals.  I played great and made the finals but then it all kind of fell apart.  I was on modern tables and about 1/3 of the field were all top of state qualifiers.  I ended up coming in 13th, which is okay, but I could have done better.  I just need to continue to make finals, put myself in a good spot and then play well in that spot.  

This is Ember waiting for Elizabeth to finish her long ball on Jurassic Park.

On Sunday I played in the LITT monthly tournament.  I didn't play well and didn't make the finals but a few of my friends made the finals and one of my friends won it all.  I hope to play better next month.  It's a huge tournament and is a lot of fun.  I guess I didn't take any photos.

That's it for today.  It was a great week of Pinball.  If you missed, Embracing the Cold Embrace of Winter, check it out.  We are enjoying winter here.