Minnesota (Again) in September

This post will chronicle my recent road trip to Minnesota. I arrived from Bloomington, IN.  My sister, Nancy, traveled from Washington state, Cousin Susan from Iowa and her daughter, Casey, from Austin, Texas. We converged on Aunt June at the Hambly "cabin" on Sand Lake. There was lots of fun getting to know one another and seeing the sights out of Susan's big Suburban. It was a rolling family adventure!

But first, on my way I made a stop at the International Crane Foundation near Baraboo, Wisconsin. The ICF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of the 15 species of cranes. Founded in 1973, the Foundation moved to its current 225-acre headquarters in 1984.

The Foundation works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds and flyways on which they depend. Below are some I was able to photograph.

Above and below: Black Crowned Crane

Whooping Crane

  

Blue Crane

Above and below: Wattled Crane

And on to Minnesota.

Tuesday September 13th: 

Our first stop was Jay Cooke State Park through which the St. Louis River flows on its way to Duluth. The park was established in 1915 on land donated by the St. Louis River Power Company. 

This "Swinging" Bridge has been destroyed by floods and rebuilt numerous times. Most recently it was damaged during the flood of 2012 and rebuilt in 2013. 

Water eroded river beds, steep valleys and rock formations of slate, graywacke  and red clay are seen throughout the park.

Front to back: Aunt June, Susan and Nancy

Casey and Susan rock scrambled for a good view (and a selfie).

 Cannot resist another great picture of Aunt June! And Nancy.

Next stop was Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth to check on the Hambly ancestors, especially Grandpa and Grandma Hambly. 

And before lunch we stopped by the boyhood homes of two very special men who come from different generations but hail from Minnesota and lived in Duluth.

First is Ross Oliver Hambly, our Father, Uncle and Brother in Law.

The house of my Father's youth is hardly recognizable today from the pictures we have but his address was 1862 Wallace Ave, Duluth.

Second is the one and only Bob Dylan! Thanks to Casey for taking us there. 

The duplex is at 519 N 3rd Ave East. He lived on the right side of the residence.

There is a plaque on the house (left) and one in the sidewalk. It says:

In Bob We Trust.

Wednesday, September 14th
We began our day on the Scenic North Shore Highway along Lake Superior, traveling to Splitrock Lighthouse State Park.

Splitrock Lighthouse Station was put into service on July 31, 1910. It was built in response to a punishing 1905 storm that sank or damaged 29 ships on western Lake Superior. The lighthouse station served freighters hauling iron ore mined in northern Minnesota and shipped out from Two Harbors and Duluth.

Until 1924 the station was accessible only by boat so the lighthouse keepers and their families lived on site but left during the winter months, the off season for shipping. 

 Left to right: Mary, our friend the Lighthouse Keeper, Nancy and Susan

Three lighthouse keepers lived on site at any given time, taking 4 hour shifts during the night to keep the beacon lit. More than 35 keepers and their families called Split Rock their home during the 59 years the station was in service.

The lighthouse lens assembly weighs nearly 6 and a half tons. It was built in Paris and assembled in the lighthouse lantern room. The lens made one revolution every 20 seconds when operating, Light for the beacon was provided by a kerosene vapor lamp until 1940 when the beacon was converted and powered by a 1000W light bulb. The beacon could be seen from a distance of 22 miles. 

The height of the lighthouse itself is 54 feet. But the beacon height above Lake Superior is 168 feet. 

(Photo Credit goes to either Nancy or Casey)

In 1969 the lighthouse was decommissioned. In 2011 it was listed as a National Historic Landmark. The Minnesota Historical Society maintains the site much as it appeared during the 1920's.

Our next stop was a ramble over the 17 acre estate of the Glensheen Mansion, also located on the shore of Lake Superior. The mansion is a Guilded Age showpiece built by Chester and Clara Congdon between 1905 and 1908.

This is the front entry to the Mansion. It has much less architectural impact. Probably due to it facing away from the spectacular views of Lake Superior. 

The mansion is an English Tudor design by Clarence H. Johnson. Inside there are four floors, 39 rooms, 15 bathrooms, 15 fireplaces.

The English Tudor style includes a feature known as "a three-tier formal garden". The top terrace provides for an elevated view of Lake Superior. Stairs lead to a second terrace and then to the lowest level where there is a flower garden including a hand carved marble fountain. 

 And a boathouse and pier. The roof of the boathouse was designed for entertaining and was the site of many social events hosted by the Congdons. The pier was home to their 53 foot yacht, Hesperia. This boathouse is significant because it is the last remaining structural boathouse on Lake Superior. 

Enjoying a perfect blue sky afternoon on Lake Superior: Left to right: Susan's friend Donna, Susan, Nancy and Casey.

Thursday, September 15th

On Thursday Nancy and I took a road trip with Aunt June to Mille Lacs Lake, the second largest inland lake in Minnesota. 

Mille Lacs Lake at Father Hennepin State Park. This park is named after Father Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan priest who was the first recorded Eurpoean explorer to visit the region now known as Minnesota.

We continued on a road that took us right along the lake shore, driving between some raindrops.

And our final fun shot...

Minnesota Muskie and Nancy. 

If you look up Muskie on Wikipedia they say Muskie is the largest member of the Pike family of fish. And the Ojibwa Indians call the Muskie "Ugly Pike". That's about right!

On Friday I began the drive back to Indiana. This September trip to Minnesota was as unique in its own way as last year, meeting some family for the first time and seeing Aunt June again. Plus seeing my sister for the second time this summer! Thanks to everyone for the good company and enjoyable adventuring to new places. It was wonderful that we were all able to make it and spend some time together.

Be safe, be well, be kind and be happy!

 

Part 2 - Washington Travels

During recent travels to Washington I took a couple of day trips and I plan to share those with you here.  We'll start with a trip to the North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake National Recreation Area. 

Access to the Park is by driving Washington SR 20, the North Cascades Highway. This is considered the most scenic mountain drive in the state. The National Park contains dynamic mountain scenery and the day I traveled was a cloudless, brilliant sunny day. Within the Park is an area called the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Highway 20 travels through this designated area on its way over to Eastern Washington. 

The first calls to preserve this scenic wilderness came in 1892 and in 1897 parts of the area were designated a Forest Preserve (an early name for a National Forest). Again in 1916 and 1921 the U.S. Congress was approached about preservation. During the 1930's environmentalists argued for a "Wilderness" designation rather than the creation of a National Park. This continued into the 1960's. Congress voted on October 2, 1968 to create the North Cascades National Park.

The highway is closed from mid-November to April. Although there was significant snowfall over the past winter, the 2016 Spring was very warm and melted much of the snow pack.

 

The Picket Range from the Sterling Munro Overlook.

The Seattle City Light Skagit Hydroelectric Project extends 40 miles along the Skagit River from the town of Newhalem (on Highway 20) to the Canadian border. Starting in 1918 hydroelectric power generated on the upper Skagit River was the dream of J.D. Ross, Superintendent of Seattle City Light. It began with the Gorge Powerhouse, completed 1924.

Steep canyons provided ideal locations for a series of 3 dams: Gorge Dam, Diablo Dam and Ross Dam.  Today these dams and the lakes behind them are the source of recreation in addition to the electric power.

Gorge High Dam (lower right) and Gorge Lake

Gorge Lake

Diablo Lake and in furthest background, Colonial Peak (7,771 feet)
 and Pyramid Peak (7,182 feet).

Diablo Lake and Davis Peak (7,051 feet)

Thunder Creek

You can't beat a clear blue sky day in the great Pacific Northwest! And a drive over the North Cascades Highway plus a couple of short hikes on such a day is definitely a life well lived!

Day Trip #2: a ferry ride to Sidney, British Columbia on Vancouver Island and a visit to The Butchart Gardens.

The ferry Chelan docked at Sidney, B.C.

The ferry ride began at Anacortes, Washington and three hours later ended at Sidney. Then I jumped on public transit to my ultimate destination, The Butchart Gardens, a place I have long wanted to visit. 

The Butchart Gardens was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004. The gardens cover more than 55 acres of a 130 acre estate that was the home of Jennie and Robert Butchart during the 1920's. Jennie Butchart determined to beautify a worked-out limestone quarry on the estate, today known as The Sunken Garden.

The Sunken Garden is revealed to visitors as the path rounds a curve to a stunning view. At the bottom of a switchback staircase is a path that winds through beds of annuals, flowering trees and shrubs.

Quarry Lake in the Sunken Garden

At the far end of the Sunken Garden is the Ross Fountain.

The fountain was installed in 1964 for the Gardens 60th Anniversary. The water rises 70 feet in a constantly changing display. 

Each garden is uniquely different and the pathways transition from one to the next.   

The Rose Garden

Flower laden baskets abound amid climbing and rambling roses.

Next: The Japanese Garden

This non-traditional garden was developed by Jennie Butchart in 1906 with assistance from Japanese landscaper, Isaburo Kishida . 

The path through the Japanese Garden leads to Butchart Cove. 
 

 A flight of stairs leads from the Japanese Garden to the Star Pond.  Between the points of the star are beds of bright contrasting annuals.

From Star Pond two arched entrances lead into The Italian Garden.

And some favorites that are special for their simplicity.

The Butcharts named their estate "Benvenuto", Italian for "Welcome".  Today The Gardens are still owned and operated by the family and continue the standard of horticultural excellence set by Jennie Butchart.  Each of the gardens make a unique visual impression with carefully chosen color, texture and arrangement. It was quite dazzling and an experience well worth the effort of getting there.

During the day there I was impressed by the international scope of the visitors. I rubbed shoulders with Brits, Italians, Germans, Swedes, Aussies, Asians, Middle Eastern visitors, the handful of Canadians and Americans and more. I can't remember being in one place where I heard as many different languages and accents, all unified in their appreciation of the gardens. 

And finally there was a 3 hour ferry ride back from Sidney to Anacortes. Here are a few pictures from the evening ride through the San Juans. 

A truly enjoyable Pacific Northwest experience. 
Thanks for sharing it with me.