I took my wife out for lunch - It was a 464 mile trip
LoriAnn and I jumped on the motorcycle for a ride yesterday.
We headed north towards Duluth. That was the only destination that I specifically had in mind. Waking up to the sound of rain, we were delayed about a hour in getting out of the house. To make up some time, I blasted up Interstate 35 for about an hour. Getting bored of interstate I jumped off and rode on two lane for a half hour until we got to Hinckley MN. Then it was a blast up the freeway to Sandstone, MN.
At Sandstone, I jumped off onto Hwy 23. This was once one of the main highways into Duluth. Now it is just a two lane road that takes you quietly into the back side of Duluth. It usually is very empty as people tend to take the Interstate. It is a very nice scenic road with a couple of state parks for you to pass through.
Just south of Duluth I cut east over the state line and drove the rail and auto bridge into Superior Wisconsin. In Superior, I asked LoriAnn if she wanted to play in Northern Wisconsin or Northern Minnesota. She choose Minnesota. After a quick gas break, we were again off riding.
We crossed over from Wisconsin to Minnesota and jumped onto the I35 route through Duluth. North of the city we drove up the Hwy 61 coastal road. This road into the city of Two Harbors takes you along the route most of the famous Grandma's Marathon is run. It take you past such places as Kitchi Gammi park, Betty's Pie shop, McQuades Harbor, Larsmont Cottages, and Breezy Point resort.
Most of our trips up the north shore includes a stop at the Black Bear restaurant in Two Harbors. Not today. Today we drove right through Two Harbors. We stopped at the overlook to get a customary photo of Split Rock Lighthouse. From there we headed to the Lemon Wolf restaurant in Beaver Bay.
The Lemon Wolf is decorated in a 'up north' motif. Carved wooden bears stare at patrons through the windows from outside. We took one of the two outside tables and had a very good lunch. LoriAnn had fresh lake trout and I had a Reuben. The food was great and the portion size was excellent for lunch. LoriAnn loved the salt and pepper shakers on the table and was very happy they had some of them available for sale. I am glad we have a big enough bike to carry souvenirs.
As we left Lemon Wolf I was nervous about the time. We had 7PM dinner reservations so we needed to get home and clean up by 6PM. It was now 2PM. I new that we had 3 hours of riding from where we were at to get home. But I wanted to head up to Hwy 1 and take it over to Hwy 2 back into Two Harbors. I knew this would add over an hour to the ride. How much more than an hour I didn't know.
Hwy 1 is a fun route. It is the most northern road in Eastern Minnesota that you can take to get you any where West. Well, we did ride it over to Hwy 2 and back into Two Harbors. I enjoyed the curves and the scenery while watching for wildlife. I found out while riding it that LoriAnn had never been on it before. She enjoyed it a lot and wants to head back up there when we have more time.
Stopping for gas in Cloquet, MN, I checked the time. The GPS said we would be home at 6:46PM. I didn't waste any time, but bolted down the interstate to home. We made it home at 6:40, did a quick clean up and changed our clothes and were out the door to the restaurant by 6:51. Yes we were late. But luckily so were our friends. It was a busy day with 464 miles on the bike, a good dinner with friends. At the close of the day, we collapsed into bed exhausted.
We headed north towards Duluth. That was the only destination that I specifically had in mind. Waking up to the sound of rain, we were delayed about a hour in getting out of the house. To make up some time, I blasted up Interstate 35 for about an hour. Getting bored of interstate I jumped off and rode on two lane for a half hour until we got to Hinckley MN. Then it was a blast up the freeway to Sandstone, MN.
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| Route Map |
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| Vista on Hwy 23 |
We crossed over from Wisconsin to Minnesota and jumped onto the I35 route through Duluth. North of the city we drove up the Hwy 61 coastal road. This road into the city of Two Harbors takes you along the route most of the famous Grandma's Marathon is run. It take you past such places as Kitchi Gammi park, Betty's Pie shop, McQuades Harbor, Larsmont Cottages, and Breezy Point resort.
Most of our trips up the north shore includes a stop at the Black Bear restaurant in Two Harbors. Not today. Today we drove right through Two Harbors. We stopped at the overlook to get a customary photo of Split Rock Lighthouse. From there we headed to the Lemon Wolf restaurant in Beaver Bay.
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| Split Rock Light House |
The Lemon Wolf is decorated in a 'up north' motif. Carved wooden bears stare at patrons through the windows from outside. We took one of the two outside tables and had a very good lunch. LoriAnn had fresh lake trout and I had a Reuben. The food was great and the portion size was excellent for lunch. LoriAnn loved the salt and pepper shakers on the table and was very happy they had some of them available for sale. I am glad we have a big enough bike to carry souvenirs.
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| Driver |
As we left Lemon Wolf I was nervous about the time. We had 7PM dinner reservations so we needed to get home and clean up by 6PM. It was now 2PM. I new that we had 3 hours of riding from where we were at to get home. But I wanted to head up to Hwy 1 and take it over to Hwy 2 back into Two Harbors. I knew this would add over an hour to the ride. How much more than an hour I didn't know.
Hwy 1 is a fun route. It is the most northern road in Eastern Minnesota that you can take to get you any where West. Well, we did ride it over to Hwy 2 and back into Two Harbors. I enjoyed the curves and the scenery while watching for wildlife. I found out while riding it that LoriAnn had never been on it before. She enjoyed it a lot and wants to head back up there when we have more time.
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| LoriAnn and Todd |
Stopping for gas in Cloquet, MN, I checked the time. The GPS said we would be home at 6:46PM. I didn't waste any time, but bolted down the interstate to home. We made it home at 6:40, did a quick clean up and changed our clothes and were out the door to the restaurant by 6:51. Yes we were late. But luckily so were our friends. It was a busy day with 464 miles on the bike, a good dinner with friends. At the close of the day, we collapsed into bed exhausted.
Comments
It looks like you went right past my family cabin- another sure sign of summer! There are plenty of wheelers and kayaks there if you ever feel like a 3 mile detour off Hwy 2!