On the Road with Lake Superior

Highway 61 along Lake Superior in Minnesota is filled with gorgeous views of the vast lake and lush forests. The deep blue of Lake Superior and the green of the pine trees are intensified by the bright yellow clusters of button-like blooms scattered along the roadside. Occasionally the sound of waves crash against the craggy shore giving us a cool breeze. All this made for a memorable drive through one of Minnesota's most scenic regions.

For me, however, the beauty of the region comes from the small towns and national and state parks that dot the route. Small towns often have a unique charm and a variety of interesting things to see. State parks offer beautiful vistas. The Lake Superior region was no exception.

We started our two hour drive from Duluth to Grand Marias with breakfast at the Lazy Bear Cafe in Barnum. What made this place unique was not the food or the indoor decor but the 25-foot statue known as Big Vic.

Vic Davis owned an island in the 1970’s and the Parks Department wanted it to be part of the Voyageur National Park. Vic resisted and began selling small parcels of land to his friends to create a legal nightmare for its acquisition. Additionally, as part of his protest, he ordered an enormous statue of himself dressed as a fur-trading voyageur, complete with moccasins and a musket, and had it helicoptered and placed on his land.

The Parks Department fined the helicopter pilot for flying over Canadian air space and confiscated the statue. They refused to return it, but they paid him for it.

What did Vic do with the money? He ordered another statue and placed it by the Voyageurs Visitor's Center. He was threatened with a fine. By then, he felt as if he made his point and took it down. He eventually lost the fight and was paid for his land. The Parks Department donated the statue they had to the town of Ranier and Vic sold his to the Lazy Bear Cafe, where they both sit to this day. 

A half hour into the drive we came upon the town of Two Harbors. With a population of 3,500, Two Harbors was two separate communities that were incorporated into one in 1888, hence the name.  The heart of the town features a quaint Main Street lined with boutiques and cozy cafes. The town has a welcoming vibe as well as laid-back pace.

Smack in the middle of this cute town, in front of the 5th Street Malt Shoppe, we found a hefty wooden bench with the unmistakable carving of Babe Ruth. What was Babe Ruth doing in Two Harbors?!!  We had to find out…..and apparently, Michael had to get a root beer float. The current owner of the shop told us Babe Ruth was a member of a club situated about 100 miles north. More on that later. A local artist carved the Bambino bench and, when he moved to South Carolina, he offered it to the shop owner under the condition that he would never sell it. The bench has been there for years, through a couple of owners. The current owner is often approached about selling the bench, but upholds the agreement and is glad to do so. We sat on the bench, enjoying the float, as Micheal told me about The Sultan of Swat.

Since a pie stop is hard for me to resist, our next stop was right up the road, Betty’s Pies. I gravitate toward the mixed berries while Michael is an all-American apple pie guy. So we don’t share. What a shame! Although Betty also provides breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner (sidewalks roll in early in small towns), most people were lined up at the outdoor “pie by the slice” window. As Michael waited at the window, I went inside to find Betty and take a picture of the array of pies.

I didn’t find Betty nor the pies. I located the manager to inquire. She eyed me up and down realizing I was hoping for a tour. “We don’t display the pies. This isn’t Perkins!” she said with a “Minnesota Nice smile” (Minnesota Nice, my ass!) From the 19 choices, Michael got apple and I got blumbleberry, Whatever bumbleberry is, it was delicious. The filling was just sweet enough and the crust was buttery crisp. Betty bakes a good pie.

Waterfalls are one of my favorite things. Not raindrops on roses. Not warm woolen mittens. Waterfalls! Gooseberry (that could be a pie!) Falls State Park has a beautiful one, actually it’s a five-in-one. Slippery rocks did not keep me from getting close. I sometimes entertain the idea of coloring my hair back to its youthful brown, but not on this day. My hair and I were one with the waterfall. 

Driving farther north, we saw the most photographed scene in Minnesota. The Split Rock Lighthouse is perched majestically atop a dramatic 133 foot cliff, overlooking Lake Superior. One wouldn’t think a lake would need a lighthouse but, in 1905, a storm took 78 lives and destroyed 29 ships. In 1910, the lighthouse was completed and stood as a beacon of safety until 1969.

Every town and city has an eccentric resident, so does Covil, Minnesota. As we drove on highway 61, we came upon a front yard that made us blink twice, make a u-turn, and say WTF! The yard is landscaped, and I use that term lightly, with mounds of driftwood, mannequin heads, animal statues, dolls, CD's, and odd sculptures.

At first glance, we thought the owner may have lost his mind but later found out there is a reason for this chaos. Due to the type of rock on his property, water ran through like a river and erosion became a huge problem. He tried grass, soil, sod and bushes. Nothing seemed to work. He turned to driftwood and that did the trick. He continued adding items and his obsession grew. Maybe it’s art. Maybe it’s trash. Either way, it made for a fascinating look.

Back to Babe Ruth. On the shore of Lake Superior sits The Naniboujou Lodge named after the Cree god of the outdoors. Frequented by Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, it was built as a private club in 1929 for the wealthy who wanted to escape the city, do some hunting, fishing, or simply enjoy the surroundings. Depending on who you ask, both may or may not have invested in the lodge when it fell into financial ruin, which happened a few times over the years. Luckily, there was always someone to save the structure.

The masterpiece of the building is the stunning dining room. Painted with Art Deco geometric shapes in warm rich colors, the high-vaulted ceiling makes the room both inviting and spectacular. Intricately placed local stones on the far end create a massive fireplace that beacons you to enter the room. Next time, an overnight stay and dinner at Naniboujou is a must. 

Dinner at Blue Fin Grill in Tofte offered us a nice view of the water and good food. Most importantly, the bartender made a really good Old Fashioned. After dinner we went to the shore of Lake Superior where the restaurant set up a fire pit and hired a guitarist for some after dinner entertainment. One song he sang was Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It tells the story of the November day in 1975 when the ship ran into a storm on Lake Superior. Although the experienced captain tried to evade the storm, the 58 knot winds and the 25 foot waves sank the ship and took the lives of 29 men. 

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound

And a wave broke over the railing

And every man knew, as the captain did too

T'was the witch of November come stealin'

-The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

-Gordon Lightfoot

The melodic sounds of the song and the gentle lapping of the lake waters soothed me into a state of calm. Or maybe it was the two…three Old-Fashioneds.