Unfortunately the rain limited my opportunity to do much sightseeing in Duluth. I was restricted mainly to housekeeping duties. But a weird thing happened anyway. The previously mentioned restaurant offering coronary occlusions on the dessert menu had a young Aussie guy working there as a waiter. He was an extroverted fellow with a loud voice, who clearly enjoyed his work. At the first available opportunity I buttonholed the guy and had a chat. It just struck me as an odd place to find an Aussie, its kind of an off the beaten track place. Anyway, I asked him how come people could understand him, when I had to say everything three times before anyone could understand me. He did say he has a lot of trouble when he uses the words "water" and "butter", but he looked like he was managing ok to me. More on that later.
So I left Duluth and headed north on my journey up around the top half - no, make that two thirds - of Lake Superior. The Minnesota and Ontario coastlines. On the US side, the Lake is bordered by Wisconsin and Michigan as well, that's how big it is. On the way out, I followed Minnesota Route 61 which runs right on the edge of the lake all the way up to the Canadian border. It soon became apparent that the hoi polloi of Duluth reside on the edge of the lake. The gated waterfront mansions with huge blocks and huge but perfectly manicured gardens were something pretty spectacular. So too was the fact that out on the lake, I could see full size ships. The lakes are simply freshwater oceans, such is their size.
Then I began to think. "Highway 61 Revisited" is the title of an album by one Robert Allen Zimmerman, better known to the world as Bob Dylan. In fact the album opens with the classic "Like a Rolling Stone", which was yours truly's first encounter with the great man. All six minutes of it, and voted greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004. Cool. Even though I didn't think it was that good. The album cover features a very young Bob wearing a white t-shirt with the Triumph logo on it. Doubly cool! Then I remembered, he was born in Minnesota. Not only that, but in Duluth! I wondered whether Bob had ever ridden his Trumpy along the same lakeshore, along the very same Highway 61? Undoubtedly, was my conclusion. I can't prove it, but just the thought of it gave me a huge buzz which kept me going for the rest of the day. If he did, he would surely have enjoyed it, just as I was doing. I believe he had a Tiger 100, which he stacked up badly while paying his motorcycling dues. He's no orphan there.
Two full days of riding to cover about 66% of the shoreline of just one of the five Great Lakes. The scenery was quite spectacular and one never knows when to stop and grab a picture, but the vistas just kept on coming, and photos don't really do it justice. So I didn't take many photos. What did surprise me was that as soon as I crossed back into Canada, the speed limit dropped to 90kph. I could see no reason for this as the road itself was good for 120 if not more in most places. However, there is a lot of truck traffic on it, and in fact its one of only two routes the trucks can take in these parts if they are driving across country. However, I did see one accident where a car ran off the road and was "saved" by the cheese cutters, those tensioned steel cables that form a guardrail. Made a big mess of the side of the car too. It happened about a minute in front of me. Sometime before that incident, I had seen the police heading in the opposite direction, followed by an ambulance and a lunchtime chat with some fellow bikers revealed that a pickup truck had rolled, in fact the same pickup that I had spent the morning alternately passing and then being repassed by. One of those guys that just can't make up his mind. And it particularly annoyed me because I had cruise control set most of the day. Hard to imagine either accident happening if the drivers had their mind on the job. That doesn't mean it should have been a 90kph limit though, but that's the way lawmakers think, sadly.
An overnight stop in Sault Saint Marie, which looked a bit of a dump to me, had me heading further east on Canada 17 towards Sudbury and North Bay. The traffic volume increased considerably, but still only one lane in either direction, although there were a lot of passing lanes included in the mix, and that frustrating 90 kph limit. However, the inescapable conclusion is that Canada needs to invest in better roads, at least in this part of the country. On the way into Ottawa, finally, some decent roads. A freeway with dual carriageway and a 100 kph speed limit. I'll take it!
Along one stretch of Canada 17, something really weirded me out. On the shoulder of the road, I noticed thin parallel lines in the gravel surface. Further along, I noticed three horse drawn carriages in single file, again without paying it much attention. Then I copped a look into the rear carriage. There was a lady in a black dress, wearing an old fashioned black bonnet on her head, a guy with a broad brimmed hat, and lots of kids. Sure enough, it was a bunch of Amish people, probably on their way to or from church I figured, seeing it was a Sunday. I say Amish in the generic sense, because I think there are a few such sects. It just looked so very strange, especially with all the traffic on the road, that here are some very different people. That really got me thinking.
I have often thought that life used to be simpler, even in my own lifetime, and pined for it to some extent occasionally. Usually when I am bamboozled with technology, which is to say, almost all the time. But to pretend its still 1860 takes real commitment! And where do you draw the line? Do you use electricity? Do you use a telephone? Do you do every single thing the hard way? What do you do when you are sick? What do you teach your kids? And how do you stop kids from wanting all the stuff everybody else has? Beats me! But then I thought, if you live in a first world country, you are in fact free to choose whatever you want. Even if it is weird in my view. Or in anybody else's. To paraphrase Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". That's what freedom is all about, isn't it? Tell that to ISIS. I still think they're a bunch of whackos though. The Amish I mean. No, make that both. But at least the Amish mind their own business. However, the same moral principle should also apply to ISIS, I guess. Hmmm. I seem to have painted myself into a bit of a corner, philosophically speaking. Looks like there is still a place for bigotry after all. That is a relief.
So Highway 61 revisited, and 1861 revisited. All in the space of a day or two. Weird or what??
So I left Duluth and headed north on my journey up around the top half - no, make that two thirds - of Lake Superior. The Minnesota and Ontario coastlines. On the US side, the Lake is bordered by Wisconsin and Michigan as well, that's how big it is. On the way out, I followed Minnesota Route 61 which runs right on the edge of the lake all the way up to the Canadian border. It soon became apparent that the hoi polloi of Duluth reside on the edge of the lake. The gated waterfront mansions with huge blocks and huge but perfectly manicured gardens were something pretty spectacular. So too was the fact that out on the lake, I could see full size ships. The lakes are simply freshwater oceans, such is their size.
Then I began to think. "Highway 61 Revisited" is the title of an album by one Robert Allen Zimmerman, better known to the world as Bob Dylan. In fact the album opens with the classic "Like a Rolling Stone", which was yours truly's first encounter with the great man. All six minutes of it, and voted greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004. Cool. Even though I didn't think it was that good. The album cover features a very young Bob wearing a white t-shirt with the Triumph logo on it. Doubly cool! Then I remembered, he was born in Minnesota. Not only that, but in Duluth! I wondered whether Bob had ever ridden his Trumpy along the same lakeshore, along the very same Highway 61? Undoubtedly, was my conclusion. I can't prove it, but just the thought of it gave me a huge buzz which kept me going for the rest of the day. If he did, he would surely have enjoyed it, just as I was doing. I believe he had a Tiger 100, which he stacked up badly while paying his motorcycling dues. He's no orphan there.
Two full days of riding to cover about 66% of the shoreline of just one of the five Great Lakes. The scenery was quite spectacular and one never knows when to stop and grab a picture, but the vistas just kept on coming, and photos don't really do it justice. So I didn't take many photos. What did surprise me was that as soon as I crossed back into Canada, the speed limit dropped to 90kph. I could see no reason for this as the road itself was good for 120 if not more in most places. However, there is a lot of truck traffic on it, and in fact its one of only two routes the trucks can take in these parts if they are driving across country. However, I did see one accident where a car ran off the road and was "saved" by the cheese cutters, those tensioned steel cables that form a guardrail. Made a big mess of the side of the car too. It happened about a minute in front of me. Sometime before that incident, I had seen the police heading in the opposite direction, followed by an ambulance and a lunchtime chat with some fellow bikers revealed that a pickup truck had rolled, in fact the same pickup that I had spent the morning alternately passing and then being repassed by. One of those guys that just can't make up his mind. And it particularly annoyed me because I had cruise control set most of the day. Hard to imagine either accident happening if the drivers had their mind on the job. That doesn't mean it should have been a 90kph limit though, but that's the way lawmakers think, sadly.
An overnight stop in Sault Saint Marie, which looked a bit of a dump to me, had me heading further east on Canada 17 towards Sudbury and North Bay. The traffic volume increased considerably, but still only one lane in either direction, although there were a lot of passing lanes included in the mix, and that frustrating 90 kph limit. However, the inescapable conclusion is that Canada needs to invest in better roads, at least in this part of the country. On the way into Ottawa, finally, some decent roads. A freeway with dual carriageway and a 100 kph speed limit. I'll take it!
Along one stretch of Canada 17, something really weirded me out. On the shoulder of the road, I noticed thin parallel lines in the gravel surface. Further along, I noticed three horse drawn carriages in single file, again without paying it much attention. Then I copped a look into the rear carriage. There was a lady in a black dress, wearing an old fashioned black bonnet on her head, a guy with a broad brimmed hat, and lots of kids. Sure enough, it was a bunch of Amish people, probably on their way to or from church I figured, seeing it was a Sunday. I say Amish in the generic sense, because I think there are a few such sects. It just looked so very strange, especially with all the traffic on the road, that here are some very different people. That really got me thinking.
I have often thought that life used to be simpler, even in my own lifetime, and pined for it to some extent occasionally. Usually when I am bamboozled with technology, which is to say, almost all the time. But to pretend its still 1860 takes real commitment! And where do you draw the line? Do you use electricity? Do you use a telephone? Do you do every single thing the hard way? What do you do when you are sick? What do you teach your kids? And how do you stop kids from wanting all the stuff everybody else has? Beats me! But then I thought, if you live in a first world country, you are in fact free to choose whatever you want. Even if it is weird in my view. Or in anybody else's. To paraphrase Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". That's what freedom is all about, isn't it? Tell that to ISIS. I still think they're a bunch of whackos though. The Amish I mean. No, make that both. But at least the Amish mind their own business. However, the same moral principle should also apply to ISIS, I guess. Hmmm. I seem to have painted myself into a bit of a corner, philosophically speaking. Looks like there is still a place for bigotry after all. That is a relief.
So Highway 61 revisited, and 1861 revisited. All in the space of a day or two. Weird or what??
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