Below: Pierre the Voyageur.

The North Shore Scenic Byway, is an All-American Road that runs along the shoreline of Lake Superior from Canal Park in Duluth, Minnesota, through the burgs and woodlands, and ends at the International Border of Canada.

Below: Two Harbors is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, along the shore of Lake Superior. Minnesota Highway 61 serves as a main arterial route in the city. The city has a total area of 3.2 square miles. It borders Lake Superior, which contributes the two natural harbors for which it is named, Burlington Bay and Agate Bay. Gooseberry Falls State Park is located 13 miles to the northeast.

Below: A lighthouse on the breakwall near the big red Two Harbors Lighthouse

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette got another look at Lake Superior in Minnesota. But it was too cold to go in the water. Lee Duquette does not like to go in the water anyway.

Below: The SS Arthur M. Anderson is a cargo ship of the laker type. It is famous for being the last ship to be in contact with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald (before The Fitzgerald sank November 10, 1975). The Anderson was also the first rescue ship on the scene in a vain search for Fitzgerald survivors (there were none).

It was named after the director of U.S. Steel, Arthur Marvin Anderson. It has been a member of the U.S. Steel fleet its entire life, and is still sailing as of 2012. The Anderson is shown below on June 10, 2012, not far from the Two Harbors Lighthouse.

Below: The Two Harbors Light Station is the oldest operating lighthouse in the US state of Minnesota. Overlooking Lake Superior's Agate Bay, the Light Station is located in Two Harbors, Minnesota. The construction of the Light Station began in 1891 and completed in 1892. The first lighting of the Two Harbors light was on April 14, 1892

The 49.6 foot tower is made of red brick and the head keeper's residence is attached. It towers 78 feet above the surface of Lake Superior and is 12 feet squared. The walls of the tower were built to be 3 bricks thick and the walls where the tower and house meet are a full 5 bricks thick. This was for the safety of the Keeper's family. The Two Harbors Light Station has a total of six structures; the Lighthouse Tower with the attached Keeper's Quarters, the Assistant Keeper's House, the Fog Horn Signal Building, the Oil House, the Skiffhouse and a garage. In addition to the original buildings the historical society has added the Frontenac Pilot House as museum space to the grounds.

Currently the Two Harbors Light Station is still designated as an active aid to navigation and is on navigational charts, as well as being a museum. The Two Harbors Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Lighthouses.

Below: A burl (American English) or bur or burr (used in all non-US English speaking countries) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Almost all burl wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition. The below trees with burls are located on a short trail next to the Two Harbors Light Station. Karen Duquette remembered watching wooden bowls being made out of burls when they were in Alaska a few years ago.

Below: Lee Duquette enjoying the view of Lake Superior.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette, continued their journey on the North Shore Drive on Highway 61 about 5 miles northeast of Two Harbors, and drive through the Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel, which was completed in 1995. (They were still hotel hopping while their RV is in repair, so they are in their truck. The RV would NEVER fit through this tunnel).

Gooseberry Falls State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The park's close proximity to Duluth made it perfect for the two RV Gypsies to take a day trip. The park is located about 13 miles northeast of Two Harbors on scenic Minnesota Highway 61. Most famous for its easy-access waterfalls - a short paved walkway brings you right to the Lower and Middle Falls Waterfalls which tumble down the river from north of Highway 61 down to Lake Superior.

Below: Then it was time for Lee and Karen Duquette to check out the Upper Falls.
Notice how small the people look next to the Upper Falls in the photo below

Below: The water from the upper falls went under a roadway, then it dropped off to the lower falls.

Split Rock Lighthouse is located in the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was completed in 1910 by the United States Lighthouse Service at a cost of $75,000, including the buildings and the land. It was built in response to the loss of ships during the famous Mataafa Storm of 1905, in which 29 ships were lost on Lake Superior. The light was first lit on July 31, 1910. It is built on a 130-foot sheer cliff eroded by wave action. The octagonal lighthouse tower is a steel-framed brick structure with concrete trim on a concrete foundation set into the rock. It is topped with a steel lantern.

Lee and Karen Duquette stopped for lunch at the Lemon Wolf Cafe, on Highway 61, Beaver Bay, Minnesota. The atmosphere of this really cute cafe was quite enchanting with charming decor. The food was excellent. Below are some carvings located in the ladies rest room.

Lee Duquette parked the truck so they could get a look at the Cross River Falls. After Karen Duquette took a photo of the sign, she turned to see Lee Duquette being his wonderful, funny self and peeking around the bridge railing at her.

Below: Cross River Falls is on Minnesota's North Shore just southwest of Temperance River State Park. The waterfalls go under the bridge over the cross river. The view from the bridge and from the platform just beyond the railing shown above, is not all that great and there are fences all around the falls.

Below: A zoomed-in view of the falls shown above.

Frederic Baraga, (June 29, 1797 - January 19, 1868) was a Slovene Roman Catholic missionary to the United States and a grammarian. He became the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette, Michigan.

A marker which Baraga originally erected in thanks for his safe landing during a storm on Lake Superior in 1846 stands today in Schroeder, Minnesota, at the mouth of the Cross River (see the photo below taken by the Two RV Gypsies on June 16, 2012. The wooden cross he originally erected has been replaced with a granite one.

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, a shrine has been dedicated in his honor in the lower level of the church. (The two RV Gypsies will be visiting that shrine on June 23, 2012. and those photos will be posted on this website as $25 which can be found on the USA map by choosing the USA button above later).

For such a little village, Grand Marais has an abundance of parks. Downtown opens to the harbor at the aptly named, Harbor Park. Heading east along the cobblestone beach leads out to Artists Point with picnic tables and beaches on the East Bay of Lake Superior and a lovely little path out to the island.'

The Beaver House shown below is a bait and tackle shop has been in business for 40 years. A giant walleye is embedded in the corner above the entrance and it is one of the most photographed locations in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Below: Lee Duquette just had to try a donut from a store called "World's Best Donuts" which was started in 1969. Cake donuts are the staple of this donut shop. Lee sure enjoyed eating his donut. Karen Duquette is NOT a big donut eater.

There is a lot more to see on this scenic drive, and they had hoped to drive to the end of the road and end up in Canada, but it started to rain hard, so they decided to turn around and call it a day.

Please continue on to South Dakota: Palisades State Park, Terry Redlin Art Center, Falls Park in Sioux Falls, and the Sculpture Walk.

After you have seen all of the above,

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