Cloquet/Duluth, MN July 19-22,2016

On July 19 we left Minneapolis and drove to Cloquet, MN where we camped at the KOA.   The next morning we drove into Duluth to the beautiful Duluth train depot to see the rolling stock housed on the lower level of the depot.   We were impressed with the variety of cars.   I especially enjoyed the mail car and the video showing the sorting of mail while traveling.   A special exhibition of the replica of the Lincoln Funeral Car was also available, and very well done.  

The depot also offers rides on the trains.   An all day trip to Two Harbors and back, and several shorter runs of about an hour duration.  We bought tickets for the 12:30 run on Friday.

Our sleep was disturbed about 3:15 Thursday morning with a steady rumble, constant lightning, very strong winds and at one point we thought we might have a tornado.    Heard later that Duluth had 90 mph winds.   The campground was plunged into darkness, and when we awoke in the morning, we could hear the hum of generators on the big coaches and some trailers that had hooked up their generators.   We drove into Cloquet to have breakfast, but I think most of the county was at McDonalds and at Perkins.   We bought muffins at Perkins and went back to camp to eat, and then drove into Duluth.  The city looked much like Raleigh after Hurricane Fran.   Huge trees littered lawns and the sound of chain saws filled the air.   Most of the city was quiet, and the stoplights on main streets and highways were not working.   It was a game of CHICKEN at it's best.   We drove to Tom's Logging Camp Museum about 15 miles from Duluth and they were also without power.   We were able to tour the camp, as it was an outdoor venue.   The gift shop was another story.    To shop the store you had to use a flashlight!