Pinball in London

London is home to 9.1 million people and around 57 pinball machines. That's one machine for every 178,431 people. That isn't a very good ratio. There is a pinball club with 76 machines just outside of London but still, that isn't very many for the size of this city.

Today we went to Chief Coffee, a coffee shop with 9 pinball machines in their basement. 

Their coffee was great and they even gave us a cash back option so we got pound coins without needing to go to am ATM. Games were 1 for a pound or 3 for two pounds. We went with the 3 for 2 option and spent the morning drinking coffee and playing pinball. 

They had a great selection of machines available;

King Kong Premium 

Godzilla Pro

James Bond 007 Premium 

Elvira House of Horrors Premium 

Theater of Magic 

Cactus Canyon OG

Monster Bash OG

Medieval Madness OG

Ghostbusters Pro

It was a great place to play and if you are in the area,. you should check it out. Also, London, step up your Pinball game!  

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.

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, MT

 

Camping in a National Park

Yesterday we drove from Calgary to Glacier National Park for some camping and nature.  The border crossing from Alberta to Montana was easy.  The Border Agent was the nicest agent I have met.  He greeted us and even gave Francis a milk bone.

The drive was pretty easy except for the lack of rest stops.  We ended up stopping at a casino in Montana for a "rest".  

It rained lightly most of the night but we made due.  Dinner was quick to cook and then we were in the van for the rest of the night.  At 7pm we booked our Going to the Sun driving pass.  They only allow 300 cars during the day so we wanted to book early.  Booking opens at 7pm.

There is nothing like National Park Pour Over

Part of this nutritious breakfast!

They were still working on the road so there were a few construction stops.

We only made it about 1/3rd the way on the road until it closed.  We were not aware of the closure because when we entered the park we told them we were camping so they didn't let us know the road isn't fully open yet.  Now we know the road typically opens at the end of June or early July.  It's a lot of work.  It still a beautiful drive and we are glad we went.

Tomorrow we continue on with our final stop ultimately being in Minneapolis, MN, but there will be adventures along the way. 

That's it for today.  If you missed, The Call of Having a Home is Loud, check it out.  We lay out what we have planned for the next year.