We left our hotel in Duluth, MN at 7:50 under sunny skies and it was 59 degrees. Our route today was I-35 north to 61 north along the north shore of Lake Superior. Highway 1 north and west through Ely, MN and 169 south to Virginia, where we stopped for the day.
Our first stop was Gooseberry Falls State Park, a short distance north on 61. We had a great time walking and climbing around and enjoying the three big waterfalls.
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| middle and lower falls |
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| upper falls |
Our next stop was Sugarloaf Cove, a bit further north along the shore of Lake Superior. Carl and Marge stopped here recently on their trip and they recommended it. It was beautiful! We did the one mile walk on the nature trail and we also walked out to the end of the peninsula that makes a cove here on the shore of Lake Superior.
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| Chris enjoying the view |
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| at the tip of the peninsula |
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| Sugarloaf Cove |
We gassed up in Finland before making the drive to Ely. This route was marked as scenic on the map and I would not argue with that. The speed limit along here was 50, which seems quite slow, but there were so many curves in the road that maintaining a speed above 55 for very long was not possible. It was an enjoyable drive with the top down and the cool temperature that ranged from 68 to 71.
We ate lunch at Gator's Grilled Cheese Emporium in Ely. The food was delicious but we had to wait a half hour for it.
Our hotel in Virginia, MN looked like an old-school downtown hotel. The name painted on the back was HOTEL COATES but this was now a Quality Inn & Suites, which had been modernized. We enjoyed a swim in the indoor pool and a soak in the hot tub before calling it a night.
We stopped at our hotel at 3:30 after 205 miles with a high temperature of a blistering 74.
Click on this link to view all the photos taken today:
DAY 8 PHOTOS
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