North Country Trail in Wisconsin: Town of Summit

Paul Lundgren Sep 12, 2020 1 Comment

One nice thing about hiking on county roads is that if a deer fly is pestering you and you happen to walk by a freshly killed skunk, the fly will transfer to the skunk and leave you to hike in peace.

There are also fewer ticks on roads than on trails, and you are less likely to get lost. But the benefits of a trail instead of a highway are obvious and substantial. In particular: the natural beauty of the land is a bit less interfered with on a trail, there are no motorized vehicles to watch out for, and on hot days there is usually some protection from the blistering sun.

Those are the basic pros and cons as I hike through the town of Summit in my quest to follow the North Country Trail through Wisconsin. As I’ve explained in previous essays, the trail isn’t built yet in the area near the Minnesota border, with the exception of the Nemadji River Valley, so there is a road route connecting sections of the trail.

Last summer I hiked county roads W and B to Pattison State Park. So far in 2020 I’ve hiked from Pattison to the border between the towns of Summit and Gordon. All of this has happened without any overnight camping or serious day of dedicated hiking. It’s just casual car trips to walk the road in there-and-back stretches.

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Outdoors , ,

Lake Superior Aquaman: Trench Lyfe

Jim Richardson (aka Lake Superior Aquaman) Sep 11, 2020 No Comments

Things the camera saw looking out of a Lake Superior trench.


Outdoors, Videos , ,

Selective Focus: #perfectduluthday

Brian Barber Sep 11, 2020 No Comments

The weather has been spectacular, we just had a long weekend, it’s time to check in on what people considered a #perfectduluthday

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Outdoors, Photos

Richard G. Hofacre – “City Lights of Duluth”

PDDTV Sep 10, 2020 No Comments

This song by Richard Gary Hofacre, which hit YouTube in 2012, has roots going back about 60 years.

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Music, Videos

Raina Costello: Tick and Mosquito Researcher

PDDTV Sep 09, 2020 No Comments

In this video Raina Costello talks about her work researching ticks and mosquitos at the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center, about 15 miles north of Duluth.


Videos , , ,

Postcard from Enger Memorial Tower in 1950

Paul Lundgren Sep 09, 2020 No Comments

This postcard was mailed 70 years ago. The date on the postmark is not clear, but it looks like July 8, 1950. The signature of the sender is also not entirely clear, but it appears to be Helen Lold. The recipient is Henry Maursey of Midland, Mich.

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Random , ,

Phallus Impudicus

Jim Richardson (aka Lake Superior Aquaman) Sep 07, 2020 No Comments


 

The “impudent phallus.” Like many mushrooms, they have both uh masculine and feminine qualities; in their egg stage they are called “witch eggs.” They also have qualities of both life and death: although uh generative in appearance, they have the strong stench of carrion — which attracts the flies which spread their spores. Wikipedia entry.


Outdoors, Photos , , ,

Mark Sertich Mini-Documentary

PDDTV Sep 07, 2020 No Comments

Director Max Haben was one day into a shooting a documentary about the world’s oldest hockey player when COVID-19 put a stop to the project. Duluth’s Mark Sertich was still skating when he turned 99 in July. He died on Aug. 24 from complications of a stroke.

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Sports, Videos

Duluth You & Me: Weather

Paul Lundgren Sep 07, 2020 No Comments

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Weather

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.


Art , ,

Stewart Shoe Company of West Duluth

Paul Lundgren Sep 06, 2020 No Comments

One hundred years ago the Stewart Shoe Company was on its way out and American Bakery Company was on its way in at 324 N. Central Ave. in West Duluth. The building there was constructed in 1894 and today is occupied by Wussow’s Concert Cafe, which opened under the name Beaner’s Central in 1999.

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History , ,

A Day in Duluth Can be a Lifetime

Dan Egley Sep 05, 2020 1 Comment

My wife and I were eager to spend the afternoon alone together as we ambled through the Leif Erickson Rose Garden. Four pre-teen girls stood across the way giggling together as we concentrated on the bushes and trees aflush with blooms in the mid-July sunshine. The scent of flowers was already adrift as we approached one tree, and we drew closer. We love the smell of flowers. Often, we pick up a bouquet at the grocers on the way to the milk, bread, and eggs. On this day, we inhaled the soft scents before they were cut.

Back on the sidewalk, we turned toward the Lake and, from this higher vantage point, we saw the Aerial Life Bridge in the distance. The Lake is calm, for the most part — there are no white caps to indicate a brewing storm. An easy breeze cools our skin and clothing, even from an eighth of a mile away. A footbridge crosses well above the interstate highway. For about 45 seconds as we walk across, we hear the thrum of rubber tires against the tarmac below. Three-fourths the way across, we hear a group of teens with their two chaperones palavering behind us. Excited about an adventure on the Lakewalk, they quickly approached from behind us to the ramp in front of us that slanted from the footbridge to the lakefront. We hastened to move to one side of the bridge so the teens could run at their pace, and we could stroll at ours.

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Random ,

My love affair with Tischer Creek continues

Jim Richardson (aka Lake Superior Aquaman) Sep 04, 2020 1 Comment


 


Outdoors, Photos ,

Selective Focus: Creating Apart

PDDTV Sep 04, 2020 1 Comment

The Tweed Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibition, “Creating Apart: Local Artists Respond to a Global Pandemic” with work by Ivy Vainio, Moira Villiard, Sarah Brokke Erickson, Karen Savage-Blue, Joe Klander and Brian Barber. Annie Dugan curated the exhibition and worked with local documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz to create a series of short films about each of the artists involved.

The exhibition was originally scheduled to open on Aug. 31 in the Court Gallery of the Tweed. Shifting plans for colleges and gatherings have already affected the actual schedule. In the meantime, the Tweed has released the brief teaser above featuring the artists who were interviewed. Profiles of each artist will be released on a regular schedule in the coming days and weeks, and we will be posting them here on Perfect Duluth Day as they are available.

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Art, History, Videos , , ,

Mary Bue – “The World is Your Lover”

PDDTV Sep 04, 2020 2 Comments

Former Duluthian Mary Bue has a new 14-track album out. Above is the video for the title track, produced by Kate Harrison and featuring Brittany Rae Broman.


Music, Videos

Minnesota Point Lighthouse has been old for a long time

Paul Lundgren Sep 04, 2020 7 Comments

This ad appeared in the Duluth Herald newspaper on Sept. 4, 1920. The Minnesota Point Lighthouse was built in 1858, and it seems its deterioration happened largely in its first 62 years.

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History