We took our 1st family vacation July 1-3, 2011 to Duluth, MN. Since Jackson is not fond of car rides over 10 mins, and that's pushing it, we decided to leave right before Jackson's bedtime Friday night. He slept almost the entire time.
Brent had mentioned that he wanted to go to the Glensheen Mansion (pictured on the left), so on Saturday morning we bought tickets to tour the estate.
Glensheen sits on 7.6 acres of land on Lake Superior no less, and has 38 rooms! The house remains decorated the same as it was when the Congdon's lived there and while it was interesting to see how other people lived, it was the 7.6 acres that impressed us.
Naturally, we headed towards the old boat dock and pier. A storm had destroyed the pier many years ago and the boat house was off limits but quiet impressive. We were told that the top of the boat house is where they would sunbathe and that they had bands play during outdoor dinner parties.
The picture above and below were taken beside the boat house which you can't see.
Reaching for the leaves while we wait for our tour to begin.
Saturday evening we had dinner at Fitger's. While our table didn't have a view of Lake Superior, we were seated in the 'family area', (seriously, there were all infants and toddlers on the 2nd floor!) so it really didn't matter if Jackson was a little loud.
After dinner we walked outside and caught this picture of the lighthouse reflecting the light on Lake Superior:
Sunday morning we headed to the tourist area of town. There were lots of things going on there. Ships coming into harbor, the rising and lower of the bridge, dogs and kids running around, families riding the horse and buggy, seagulls being feed, and much much more!
Cargo ship coming into harbor.
The bridge is at full height.
Watching to see if the ship makes it under the bridge.
Watching the bridge being lowered.
I have a feeling that Jackson is going to like boats just as much as his dad does!
The next 3 pictures are moments between father and son.
As the day began to warm up, we decided to find a shady, grassy place to eat our ice cream and let Jackson play. We ended up resting and playing here for several hours!
When we were planning this trip I told Brent that I wanted to go swimming there, but that was before I learned that the AVG. temperature is 40 degrees! Even so, I was determined to get in.
Jackson isn't so sure about getting his feet wet.
The rocks are cold too dad!
I believe this seagull, and many others, were after Jackson's dinner. A little too close for comfort!
Jackson learned to stand on his own while we were in Duluth. He was walking to me and then to Brent after dinner. Then he started to get brave. Before we knew it he was letting go and standing for a good 5 seconds before laughing and falling to the ground. I was able to catch these shots of him standing:
If anyone was looking for a nice family vacation spot, I would highly recommend Duluth, MN. There is plenty to do for all age groups!
Mama Rach
