June 21 2019 Day 33
We left the Depot Museum about 2:30. It was easy to get out of the city via I-535, then I-35 which took us over the long suspension bridge which spans the harbor out of Duluth, Minnesota and into Superior Wisconsin. Superior looks very little like Duluth. It appears to have no commercial downtown nor seemingly any concentration of high rise buildings. It has the natural harbor, but was long ago surpassed by Duluth's harbor which was enhanced by digging a canal (which is spanned by the Aerial Lift Bridge), much dredging and a more vigorous civic leadership. It also might have helped Duluth's harbor to become dominant because most of the traffic leaving the area originated in or passed through Minnesota.
As we were heading east the GPS Navigation on the phone and the car provided different directions to our next residence. I stopped and consulted the map and set my own directions.
We drove for about 70 minutes through a forested region and passed through a few very small towns until we were outside Ashland WI when we saw a large NPS Visitors Center for the Northern Great Lakes. I turned around to go in. It had a large welcoming staff. They showered us with information about the area and directed us to a third floor viewing area. We climbed up there and it offered a 360 degree view of that region. We spent about an hour at the center looking at the exhibits and talking with the staff.
We resumed our drive and quickly passed through Washburn before arriving at our Airbnb, the Garden Cottage at about 5. It is just off the banks of Cheququamegon Bay, which connects to Lake Superior. Our host was preparing to leave because she had not received our texts as apparently the communications through Airbnb were not getting through. We have a large cottage which has a functioning, but limited equipped, kitchen. It is very 1950s in furnishings and style. After showing us around our host departed for a Chamber of Commerce meeting. She had graciously connected an extension cord to facilitate the car charging.
About 7 we departed for the Big Top Chautaugua for a concert. The sign for it was very small, so we missed the turnoff for the venue and drove all the way into Bayfield, a local vacation village. We turned around and got to the music venue under a big blue stripped canvuas tent at the base of Mt. Ashwabay Ski Hill. $54 entrance fee, but no charge for parking. No senior price, but after viewing the audience, we probably brought the average age down, I could see why they do not offer a senior discount. We arrived a little late and missed most of the opening musical prayer by a local Indian. There are a lot of reservations in northern WI.
This was the opening performance for the season. A State Senator introduced the performance. She emphasized inclusion in her talk and the fact that she had performed on the same stage 34 years ago when the performances started. The Opening Act was a local house band, The Blue Canvas Orchestra, an 8 piece band whose members were largely old white males. A few of them had appeared 34 years ago too. They were pretty good. Bill Miller was the Special Guest performer. He is an American Indian who between songs told his extended tales of woe from his life. Alcoholic and abusive dad, divorce, estranged from his children, one dead child, but he was a wonderful musician and he claims to have performed with many musical giants, including Richie Havens and Arlo Guthrie. He performed for almost 2 hours until 11.
The big tent seats 900, although it was not filled that night, and they claimed that on summer nights they roll up the sides of the tent and the audience sits outside and spills up the ski slope where one, if lucky, can see the Northern Lights. It attracts some headline talent, this year Judy Collins, Lyle Lovett and Rosanna Cash will appear.
The ski area is a non-profit largely run by volunteers. It has two lifts and appeared to have about 150 ft. in vertical elevation. The season runs from late November until early April.
It was very dark as we returned back to the Airbnb and I missed the turn. Charged up the car.
We left the Depot Museum about 2:30. It was easy to get out of the city via I-535, then I-35 which took us over the long suspension bridge which spans the harbor out of Duluth, Minnesota and into Superior Wisconsin. Superior looks very little like Duluth. It appears to have no commercial downtown nor seemingly any concentration of high rise buildings. It has the natural harbor, but was long ago surpassed by Duluth's harbor which was enhanced by digging a canal (which is spanned by the Aerial Lift Bridge), much dredging and a more vigorous civic leadership. It also might have helped Duluth's harbor to become dominant because most of the traffic leaving the area originated in or passed through Minnesota.
As we were heading east the GPS Navigation on the phone and the car provided different directions to our next residence. I stopped and consulted the map and set my own directions.
We drove for about 70 minutes through a forested region and passed through a few very small towns until we were outside Ashland WI when we saw a large NPS Visitors Center for the Northern Great Lakes. I turned around to go in. It had a large welcoming staff. They showered us with information about the area and directed us to a third floor viewing area. We climbed up there and it offered a 360 degree view of that region. We spent about an hour at the center looking at the exhibits and talking with the staff.
We resumed our drive and quickly passed through Washburn before arriving at our Airbnb, the Garden Cottage at about 5. It is just off the banks of Cheququamegon Bay, which connects to Lake Superior. Our host was preparing to leave because she had not received our texts as apparently the communications through Airbnb were not getting through. We have a large cottage which has a functioning, but limited equipped, kitchen. It is very 1950s in furnishings and style. After showing us around our host departed for a Chamber of Commerce meeting. She had graciously connected an extension cord to facilitate the car charging.
About 7 we departed for the Big Top Chautaugua for a concert. The sign for it was very small, so we missed the turnoff for the venue and drove all the way into Bayfield, a local vacation village. We turned around and got to the music venue under a big blue stripped canvuas tent at the base of Mt. Ashwabay Ski Hill. $54 entrance fee, but no charge for parking. No senior price, but after viewing the audience, we probably brought the average age down, I could see why they do not offer a senior discount. We arrived a little late and missed most of the opening musical prayer by a local Indian. There are a lot of reservations in northern WI.
This was the opening performance for the season. A State Senator introduced the performance. She emphasized inclusion in her talk and the fact that she had performed on the same stage 34 years ago when the performances started. The Opening Act was a local house band, The Blue Canvas Orchestra, an 8 piece band whose members were largely old white males. A few of them had appeared 34 years ago too. They were pretty good. Bill Miller was the Special Guest performer. He is an American Indian who between songs told his extended tales of woe from his life. Alcoholic and abusive dad, divorce, estranged from his children, one dead child, but he was a wonderful musician and he claims to have performed with many musical giants, including Richie Havens and Arlo Guthrie. He performed for almost 2 hours until 11.
The big tent seats 900, although it was not filled that night, and they claimed that on summer nights they roll up the sides of the tent and the audience sits outside and spills up the ski slope where one, if lucky, can see the Northern Lights. It attracts some headline talent, this year Judy Collins, Lyle Lovett and Rosanna Cash will appear.
The ski area is a non-profit largely run by volunteers. It has two lifts and appeared to have about 150 ft. in vertical elevation. The season runs from late November until early April.
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| One of the ski lifts |
It was very dark as we returned back to the Airbnb and I missed the turn. Charged up the car.
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