Duluth MN Outdoors and Adventure News from Perfect Duluth Day

Bike-in-Movie

Jun 23, 2009 3 Comments

Thurs, July 2
The Bike Cave, 1712 Jefferson St.
8pm- Potluck
9pm- Film screening

Bike on down to the Cave for an evening of food and film! We’ll be screening Veer, a new documentary film that follows five bike enthusiasts over the course of a year, illuminating their struggles and triumphs while depicting different aspects of today’s bike culture.

Veer trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyv0JchtTpQ

Ride your bike, bring a friend, and bring something to share!
the B.C.C is a sober space.

Art, Outdoors

Balloons

Jun 20, 2009 5 Comments

One of those enormous strings of balloons that arch across the street at the finish line for grandmas got loose and headed off into the heavens. Last seen flying high over Lake Superior headed south … I wonder where they’ll land or if they’ll ever be found … I wonder if there are tell tale marks on the balloons that will lead a finder to know they’re from Duluth. Hopefully they won’t end up in any bird or varmint bellies, that’s deadly. Any way to track them? Anyone else care but me? Anyone else get a better picture than this?

Outdoors, Photos Creepy, Weird

Duluth Party on Madeline Island 2009

Jun 16, 2009 20 Comments

Isolate the hole, people. Isolate the hole.

Outdoors, Photos Madeline Island

Large-flowered trilliums

Jun 05, 2009 6 Comments

trilliums847 Have you noticed these suckers are everywhere this spring?

I must see eight dozen wild flowers for every tick I pluck off my socks. Not a bad ratio.

Outdoors

Straight Lake State Park

Jun 05, 2009 1 Comment

straightlakesign4852

If you ever wanted to see a state park before it’s a state park, here’s your chance. Straight Lake State Park is about two and a half hours away from Duluth, near Luck, Wisconsin.

It is, legally, already a state park, but don’t look for big brown road signs to help you find it. The tiny yellow marker pictured above is all I found. (And when I asked people at a convenience store a few miles away for directions, the best advice I could get was “try asking at the library.”)

There’s an old ATV trail that runs through it (can’t drive those in there anymore) but otherwise there are not really any established trails, maps, parking spots, campsites, ranger stations, etc. (There are little flags here and there that show where some of those things might go some day.)

It is quite a nice lake, so I do recommend it. I wouldn’t say you should drive the 120+ miles from Duluth for this single purpose, but if you’re in the area, check it out.

Outdoors, Recommendations

Lake Superior Circle Tour Presentation

Jun 05, 2009 1 Comment

On Saturday, June 13 at 1 p.m., Lake Superior Magazine‘s own Paul Hayden will present an informative program about traveling the Lake Superior Circle Tour.

The presentation is free and open to the public, but please pre-register as space is limited. A second showing will be scheduled at 2:30 p.m. if attendance requires. The presentation will be held at the offices of Lake Superior Magazine, 310 E. Superior St. in Duluth.

For more information or to register, please call 218-722-5002 888-BIG-LAKE, or e-mail reader @ lakesuperior.com.

Outdoors Lake Superior Magazine

Fishing hole?

Jun 05, 2009 10 Comments

I am looking for a family-friendly place to fish from shore. Somewhere relatively close to Duluth would be best. Any suggestions?

Outdoors Fish and Fishing

Good place to buy a used canoe?

Jun 04, 2009 23 Comments

cardboard_boat1

I’m thinking about buying a canoe and would like your advice on the best local places. A used canoe would be perfectly fine as long as it is not going to leak. I’ve heard some of the outfitters up by the boundary waters sell used canoes from time to time but don’t know where or when to look for these sales. Any recommendations about places to avoid would be welcome too.

Outdoors, Recommendations Canoeing / Kayaking / Paddle Boarding / Rafting

For your consideration…

May 24, 2009 13 Comments

barrel

Just want to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the “mystery barrels”. The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa out of Bayfield, WI have secured over $1 million from the Department of Defense to remove about 70 of the barrels for testing. PDF here of the 2008 MN DOH “Health Consultation” regarding the barrels. Link here to Nukewatch’s compendium on barrel research including a full collection of local news releases on the subject.

Please share this info with friends and neighbors.

History, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Politics Bitching

Pomp and (Impressive) Circumstance

May 22, 2009 1 Comment

I spend a lot of time on what I affectionately call “the dark underbelly of Duluth.” That is, around people in really rough circumstances with tough, long odds against them. As soon as I post this, I am headed up to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center, to spend some time with young dads up there, for example. But one thing that circumstances can’t extinguish is hope. It will live on even against the greatest odds, I’ve seen it happen over and over again and I’m convinced that it’s true.

Life House for Youth "Opening Doors for Kids on the Streets."

News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Recommendations

The climate of Duluth, circa 1914

May 16, 2009 2 Comments

I don’t know if anyone has ever seen/read this or not (I imagine there might be a copy at one of our libraries), but I stumbled on it on archive.org:

http://www.archive.org/details/climateofduluthm00richrich

ss-05162009-030246pm

note the pre-lift bridge on the cover, plus there’s a few other neat old photos inside, plus some interesting reading, and some interesting old data…

History, Outdoors Lost and Found

Hillside Tree Hits the Medium Time

May 15, 2009 No Comments

Big Tree in the Hillside, Duluth, MN

My tree snapshot was selected for the MN DNR Arbor Day photo gallery, they are looking for nominations of Minnesotans favorite trees and mine made the list. Or “a” list, anyway, not sure if it’s “the” list. Submissions are open for at least the rest of the month.
Try the DNR Photo Gallery here, my pic is about half way through MN DNR Arbormonth Photo Gallery

Outdoors, Photos