Vacation, part 4

Vacation did not prevent Brent from working.  :-(

But he enjoyed his "office" that morning.  He'd love that view all the time!

Other's had a relaxing morning. 

We explored Splitrock Light House in Two Harbors.  

The lighthouse lens.  

Then we ventured to Gooseberry Falls State Park to check out the waterfalls.  

Does this look like a good idea?  Lucas wanted to know if the water was cold.  

More rock skippin'.

As we were driving south along the shore we spotted a few of the "tall ships" headed home. 

A great way to end our trip.

We had plenty of fun moments, some oohs and aahs of discovering new things.  Lots of hotel swimming pools and checking out local restaurants.  It certainly wasn't all grand and happy times, though. There were temper tantrums, meltdowns and bad sleeping habits.  It was all totally worth it for the memories.  Lucas and Hannah both said their favorite part of the whole summer was vacation (and going to the swimming pool).  As our family of five was walking the trail at Gooseberry Falls to leave the park there was a family in front of us.  A boy and girl, about 10 and 8 years old, were pestering each other.  The girl slugged her brother and their mother, clearly frustrated at her children's behavior, said "Can't you two get along?"  Brent and I looked at each other and thought the exact same thing -- that's us in five years.  But it will still be totally worth it.  :)  

Vacation, part 3

We toured the S.S. William Irvin, an iron ore ship that was built in 1938.  

This ship is 610 feet long and 60 feet wide.  It was retired in 1978 because it was too small!  When it was in use it had 9 officers and 32 crew members.  That is about twice the size of a ship's crew nowadays.  

It has 18 hatches; each hatch cover weighs five and a half tons!  

Those rings are to a chain for the anchor - they are huge! 

It was one of the first ships to have a coal conveying system - carried coal from the bunker to the firebox.  It burned 2,400 pounds of coal per hour.  

The stairs were steep and narrow, hard for two and five year old little legs.  

This was a survival suit - it floated in the water and was insulated to keep from suffering from hypothermia.  

Very simple living conditions.

The formal dining room for the Captain and guests.  The crew ate in a school lunch room type setting.  

Steering the boat.

It is not a requirement to be able to see over the wheel to steer.  :)

We watched as ships came into port.  The weather was gorgeous and it was a beautiful day just to sit and watch.

Majestic.

We checked out the Duluth Children's Museum, too.

Everyone was pooped!

We hit the road to drive the north shore of Lake Superior.

We stayed at a log cabin hotel.

This was the view from our room.

Calm, quiet and serene.

Sunset on Lake Superior.

A perfectly peaceful evening -- we dined on the deck and enjoyed the scenery. 

Vacation, part 2

We started the next day with a trip to the Great Lakes Aquarium.  

The lake view from the upper balcony at the aquarium. 

Outdoor viewing area.  

Life-size Moose! 

Lucas had not fear to pet the Boa Constrictor. 

Next up was a train ride on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.  

Hannah and Dad.

Lucas, Mom and Ryan.

A sleepy four week old. 

The dimple smile proves he loved it.

A view of the ships from the train.

Inside the train museum, they had dozens of models set up.  

The models depicted everything from real life --people on the streets, construction work, vehicle traffic. So real and so many details -- could stare at these for hours.  

A beautiful evening for a stroll on the boardwalk.  

Skipping rocks into Lake Superior.