I'm in Duluth, Minnesota this week with my lovely wife Christine. Rather than do our traditional Pacific Northwest bike tour, this year we rode Amtrak from Seattle to Minneapolis and then took the bus up to Duluth. My parents and sisters live in the area and it is the part of the world where I grew up. It's also where Christine and I first met.
We are spending the week at the Willard Munger Inn. It's a lovely, rustic sort of place where the rooms all have pine walls and furniture and you have waffles for breakfast. Our place has a deck overlooking the parklike back yard.
The big draw of the Willard Munger Inn is its location. It is right on the Willard Munger Bike Trail and is also next to the Western Waterfront trail. Guests at the Inn get use of the Inn's bikes.
The Willard Munger Trail is a 72 mile long rail trail that runs from Duluth to Hinckley.
I got out a bit on Saturday to explore the trail.
The trail climbs gently as you roll south out of Duluth.
My first trip was a short one, much of the weekend involved Christine and I catching up with various relatives and eating a whole bunch of food. Lots of fun, but of little interest to readers of this blog so I'll skip a lot of the family stuff.
Christine and I did get out for a nice little hike on the Western Waterfront Trail on Sunday morning.
My sister Laura knew right where my old typewriter was when I asked about it. Before anybody starts thinking that I'm really old, I should point out that this machine was ancient when I first had it.
This old Corona was one of the smallest typewriters ever made. The top portion folds and it can literally fit in a shoebox. I know this because Laura also found a Birkenstock shoebox that I'm packing the typewriter in for its shipment back to Issaquah.
The latest patent on the typewriter is from July 10th, 1917.
Today is the rainy, hunker down day of our vacation where I do things like read novels on my Kindle and update my blogs. Tomorrow, the weather will be better and Christine and I will get out and explore more.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Spending the week in Duluth, Minnesota.
Cool trip Kent! The possibilities for the train/bike trip are virtually endless in our great country and like to see that people are out there doing them.
ReplyDeleteI am dreaming up a trip to the Boundary Waters with inflatable boats via the Amtrak and bikes in the future.
Thanks for the post!
Matt
I love the Willard Munger trail! My husband and I live in Hinckley, so we explore the lower end of the trail a few days every week. Our goal is to someday be able to bike from Hinckley to Duluth. Enjoy your vacation!
ReplyDeleteNice, I also use to ride in a bicycle during vacation time. It is such a good experience. Glad that you shared it to us.
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