7 Sep - Vista Fleet Boat Ride Around Duluth Harbor

7 Sep
This morning we drove back down to the Duluth Canal Park area.  We made reservations on the Vista Cruise tour boat for a cruise around the Duluth Harbor.  It is a rainy, cool and overcast day so not the best for a sightseeing boat ride, but it is what it is!

We arrived and found surface parking, so no problems finding a spot for the big ol' Ram.  A short walk and we were at the Vista Fleet office getting our pre-paid tickets.  I overhead the lady say the 11:55 boat today was sold out, but there sure was not that many folks hanging around, so not sure what is up with that, but I suggested to Doreen we make our way over to the boat and get in line.  The rain had subsided by then with only a periodic sprinkle, so 15 minutes or so in line might pay dividends.  Sure enough,  There we were in line and a tour bus pulls up full of oriental folks from Appleton WI.  That explains the "sold out".  Soon it was time to board and because we were towards the front of the line we were able to pick out some good seats inside near the window for picture.

The boat was a double-decker.  You could sit downstairs, inside out of the weather, or you could sit topside uncovered.  Downstairs had a bar with a bartender and he was obviously open for business, but not once during the whole trip was any mention made of it.  Strange.  At departure time I was a bit surprised we just headed out with no safety briefing, or anything...

Here is the route we took on the tour:

The Captain radioed the bridge attendant and the Minnesota Slip Drawbridge raised to let us out of the harbor, and away we go!  This bridge was built in 1991 and connects Harbor Drive with the Duluth canal park area.

The entire trip was narrated but the narrator was apparently new as he read from a script nearly the entire time.  He would ad lib from time to time, but for the most part it was scripted and monotone.  We headed under the slip bridge and out into the Duluth Harbor Basic North Section.

The bar and narrator

 To the right we could see a huge freighter steaming our way, and to the left we could see the Aerial Lift Bridge rising.

We travel faster than the big ol' freighter, so we slipped out in front of her and headed out the Duluth Entry Canal, the same canal that we visited the other day and saw a freighter coming in.

The Aerial Lift Bridge all the way up for the freighter.

As we headed out we had a really good perspective on the lighthouses!

Duluth Inner Range Light

Duluth Outter Range Light

Duluth North Pier Light

We turned to out port side coming out of the canal and cruised around the shoreline.  The guide pointed out the Canal Lakewalk which follows the shoreline and then the maritime mural made of mosaic tiles.

There is also a dome-shaped Northland Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Memorials, commemorating those who lost their lives in those wars.

By that time the freighter was out of the canal sound we doubled back around and headed towards the canal.  We passed the freighter as she headed out into Lake Superior and then we turned back into the canal.

Massive freighter!

There she goes!

As we headed back down the canal towards the harbor, the Aerial Lift Bridge went up to accommodate us, but only raised as high as it needed to for us to clear.  There is no cost to the boat for them to raise the bridge.  The cost of operation is born by a tax paid by the freighters.

This is the Aerial Lift bridge before they raised it.  Passenger cars travel across the bottom portion, then they shut it down to raise it

The museum we visited a few days ago.  The tug boat display out in front.

The Aerial Lift Bridge attendant is in here.

A Corps of Engineers survey launch boat, surveying the harbor.

Grain bins

The loading system from the bins

Some very old grain bins

Wind generator blades and hubs ready to be shipped somewhere, possibly overseas.

The wind generator hubs visible here with the blades 

A salvage yard full of scrap metal likely destined for a smelting furnace somewhere

 

Shipping containers are starting to gain momentum here

A dredge working 24X7 to maintain the 30 ft depth on the harbor

A ship hauling Portland cement powder

A working barge.  Notice the safety gear worn by the worker

The interstate 535 bridge.  

As we passed under the interstate bridge there was a massive coal facility on the left.  The guide quoted some nearly unbelievable figures on how much coal they transition through here.

Huge low sulfer coal operation.  

Most of this coal comes from Montana areas west and arrives by train car

The train cars are completely inverted to dump yet remain attached together  There is some sort of swivel mechanism that connects the cars yet allows them to dump

This transfer mechanism is made in Germany and can load 3 tons of coal per second 

A freighter being loaded with ore

The docks are massive

The chutes used to load ore into the freighters

Another freighter being loaded

The freighters are so huge they use bicycles to get around on their deck.

Doreen on topside as we passed under the interstate bridge

As we headed back in after the tour, a view through the raised Aerial Lift Bridge

After the boat tour we walked across the Minnesota Slip Draw Bridge and headed into the canal park area to have lunch.

We found a Cantina and ordered some Mexican food, with a margarita to start with!

On the way back to the campground we passed by the namesake clothing store, the Duluth Trading Company!  There were no parking places available, so we may make that a trip tomorrow.

Doreen has also talked about heading towards Ashland WI.  We will be wrapping things up here in the next couple days as we depart Sunday morning for Ontonagon MI, our next campground.