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.

Another Pinball Pick Up Road Trip

 Chicago, IL

Illinois State Line

Getting Cash

I found the table we wanted to buy on Pinside.  I contacted the seller and worked out a deal.  Many of these deals are "cash on the glass" to prevent scams.  We bank with Capital One and there aren't any real banks, only tons of ATMs so we had to get $7500 at ATMs.  The first ATM we went to only gave 20s so we ended up with $2000 in 20s and realized this wasn't going to work. I decided the best bet would be to go to The Mall of America and visit the Capital One Cafe.  Their ATM gave out 100s and I was able to bump up the daily limit to $3000 so 2 trips did the trick.

So many old brands survive at The Mall of America

A Swatch shop!

Donna found one she liked.

The mall has a compact amusement park in the middle of it.

On the 2nd trip I pulled my old Swatches out a box and bought new watch bands and got free batteries for them.

Chicago!

The drive to Chicago is about 6 hours from here.  I decided to do the trip in 2 days with a drive there on Tuesday, a pinball pickup on Wednesday morning, and then a drive home Wednesday.  I also got to squeeze in dinner and drinks with friends on Tuesday night.

A trip through Wisconsin usually includes a stop at Culver's.  I even stopped at The World's Largest Culver's in Edgerton, WI on the way back.

Kevin and Vicki planned a great evening of food, drinks and fun very close to my hotel.

We spent some time at Hala Kahiki, a Tiki Bar that opened in 1964.

And then we enjoyed a late night dog, fries, and a tamale.

This is the pinball machine I picked up sitting in its former home.  

The move was pretty easy as I got help from the former owner after the cash exchange.

About 7.5 hours later we were playing it at home!

We bought an Avengers: Infinity Quest Limited Edition by Stern Pinball.  The family we bought it from purchased it new and took great care of it and added some awesome mods.  It has 3900 plays, which is pretty low, and was a fantastic deal.  Now I will start trouble shooting 1 of the known issues with this machine, but it's a small issue that can easily be worked around but it's fun getting machines playing exactly how they should play.

That's it for today.  If you missed, Successful Eye Surgery, check it out!