Duluth MN Outdoors and Adventure News from Perfect Duluth Day

Arrowhead Journey – Erik Simula – 1000 mile canoe journey

May 03, 2009 13 Comments

Arrowhead Journey 1000 Mile Canoe Journey

While on a hike this afternoon with my dog near Grand Marais I met Erik Simula on a unique canoeing journey. Erik is a Duluth native and he is in the midst of a 1000 mile Minnesota canoe journey spread of the next 3 months. The journey started in Grand Portage on earth day April 22nd and Erik will paddle and portage his way from Grand Portage to Duluth to Grand Rapids to International Falls and back to Grand Portage in time for the 2009 annual rendezvous on August 7th. O’yea….BTW… All in a canoe he made by hand and with his paddling partner dog Kitigan. Click Here for the details of his trip on Erik Simua’s blog. Good Luck Erik!

See a couple more pictures I took during my brief conversation with him on the shores of Lake Superior as he landed on shore to camp due to the poor wind conditions and rough seas for paddling. Hopefully he will be in Duluth within the next week or so!! Here is the url to his web site: http://arrowheadjourney.wordpress.com/

Spring Migration Celebration in St. Louis County

May 01, 2009 No Comments

Exciting birding activities, engaging presentations, and friendly Birdathon competitions geared for all levels of birders will be held throughout the week.

May 12-17, 2009 | Duluth, MN

Outdoors

No no no

May 01, 2009 1 Comment

OK OK OK

I am feeling bad for repeating the rumor that Two Harbors High School students cut down the “honking tree” as a senior prank.

News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, R.I.P. Honking Tree

Other Signs of Spring …

Apr 28, 2009 3 Comments

Homegrown Week, I know.

My Lilac Bush 4.28.09

Homegrown Festival is a sign of spring for many PDDers, no doubt. But for me one of my favorite signs that Spring is underway is when my lilacs bloom. Or appear to be near blooming, as is the case here.

Outdoors, Photos, Random Homegrown Music Festival, Phenology

Chester Creek Park Sweep

Apr 27, 2009 16 Comments

cccp1

Dan Proctor will be leading the Citizens for Chester Creek Park in a spring clean up of the park this coming Saturday, May 1 at 9 a.m.
all volunteers are welcome and will get 1/2 off their breakfast burrito and drink and a CCCP Tshirt.

Outdoors Burrito Union, Chester Creek

Spring Sustainability Fair

Apr 16, 2009 2 Comments

Energy, Campus, and Community good-tree

April 21 at the UMD Kirby Student Center

10 am-4 pm

Call: 722-SAVE for bus schedules

Informational booths, demonstrations and panel discussions on many topics, with a focus on energy.

Call 722-SAVE for Bus Schedules.

*Panels and Presenters* (Kirby Lounge)
11:00 a.m. Wind Power! Community wind projects in NE Minnesota, and results from wind resource research on the UMD campus: Mike Mageau, UMD Geography and Center for Sustainable Community Development

12:00 p.m. Campus Energy Research – Malosky Solar Array: Andrew Bentley, Brandon Eberle, and Scott Norr, UMD Electrical and Computer Engineering

12:30 p.m. Campus Energy Research – Multiple-Energy Source Integration: Jeron Smith, Tom Soldner, Drew Jensen, David Buszmann, and Paul Weber, UMD Electrical and Computer Engineering

1:00 p.m. Energy: Choices, Issues, and UMD’s Role: Tom Ferguson, 3M McKnight Professor, UMD Elect & Comp Engr

2:00 p.m. Go lean before going green: The role of energy conservation and why it should always come first: Dean Talbott, Residential Program Specialist, Minnesota Power

3:00 p.m. Twin Ports Campus Sustainability Panel: How are Twin Ports universities and colleges addressing sustainability? (UMD, CSS, LSC, UWS)

4:00 p.m. Hartley Nature Center’s Electron-Search for Smart Energy (Near UMD Bus Stop)

*Booths and Presentations*
David Syring’s Anthropology Seminar Class Sustainability Projects
NE Minnesota CERTs
Conservation Technologies
UMD Office of Sustainability
UMD Office of Civic Engagement
True North AmeriCorps
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
Minnesota Power
Jes Durfee Glass Blowing
Outdoor EdVentures
Duluth Community Supported Herbalism
Sustainable Twin Ports
UMD Sustainability Coalition
Cut Loose Creations

MORE???

Art, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Politics, Random, Recommendations Geeky

Perfect Duluth Dye

Apr 11, 2009 3 Comments

My girlies dyeing eggs this year OUTDOORS!

We’ve been having an annual Easter Eve Egg Dyeing Party every year since I decided to participate more in my family rather than just attempt to finance it by working every Saturday.

News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Photos

Dining Al Fresco …

Apr 09, 2009 13 Comments

That ever expanding city within a city, or as I like to call it, SMDC-opolis played host to a shockingly pleasant dining experience today …

After the first dr visit of her 10th month of pregnancy my partner and I were both famished and agreed to visit that behemoth’s hearthstone grill (I refuse to put the extra “e” on grill cause that just grates on me, they are trying way too hard to be something they are not).

Anyway, the food was really good. Nice variety, well prepared, and yeah, it’s cafeteria style, but the service was still really good and quick, and it’s nice to pick out your own serving sizes sometimes, especially when you’re rushed or have a big appetite.

And as my impromptu photo will attest, the view and ambiance were very very pleasant. Although, if you are a neat freak keep your food on the tray as the outdoor tables had a thin, barely noticeable layer of grime on them.

The cost for this very gastronomically and aesthetically pleasing lunch for two cost (that’s one giant and one very pregnant lady so we are talking appetites here folks.) Well, it came in well under $20.

So I’m wondering to myself, am I crazy, or did I just stumble upon a fantastic new lunch place? And even more shocking to me … did I just find the new best place to dine outdoors in the Twin Ports?

Our 1st outdoor lunch of 2009 at the new(ish) SMDC clinic building

Your thoughtful thoughts?

Outdoors, Restaurants Creepy

Ice Pack

Apr 05, 2009 4 Comments

Art, Outdoors, Photos, Random Geeky

Lutsen Mountains: King of the Midwest Hills

Mar 28, 2009 16 Comments

New York Times story here.

Outdoors, Recommendations New York Times

Earth Hour March 28th

Mar 18, 2009 No Comments

Earth Hour flier 2

Earth Hour is something that is going on March 28th. They just ask you to turn off the lights to your house from 8:30-9:30 p.m. as a way to ‘Vote Earth.’

I think this is a really cool initiative because last year about 50 million households/businesses participated in Earth Hour by shutting off their lights, and this year they hope to have 1 billion people participate!

I hope you all will join me for Earth Hour on 3/28/2009.

Do you all have any ideas on how to bring Earth Hour to Duluth. Sarah’s table is already serving candlelit dinners for the hour, so if you would like a romantic dinner. 😉 But if you all have any other ideas let me know!

History, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Random, Restaurants

Thrills, Spills and Chills: Chester Bowl Wipeouts

Mar 18, 2009 7 Comments

I shot this on Sunday, the last day at Chester Bowl for skiing/snowboarding. I’m still trying to dry out my kid’s snowboard boots.

This is mostly the crashing and burning, and to be fair, most of the skiers made it across just fine. But really, who wants to watch that? Success is boring.

Summer or winter, Chester Bowl is the best.

Outdoors, Videos Chester Park, Skiing and Snowboarding, Weird

Earth Hour

Mar 15, 2009 3 Comments

earth-hour-graphic-copy

I am a UMD student and RA on campus and recently I have been working night and day to bring ‘Earth Hour’ to UMD and Duluth Minnesota! If you don’t know about ‘Earth Hour,’ basically it is a global initiative that asks citizens to turn off the lights of their homes/businesses from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on March 28th as a way to vote ‘Earth’. If you would like to learn more about ‘Earth Hour’ the official website is earthhour.org.

History, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, Restaurants

I got yer shovel-ready project right here

Mar 10, 2009 14 Comments

dog

Ahhh spring. The time dog-owners dread. The snow melts, revealing the bounty of gifts Barfy has left for you in the backyard all winter long.

I found something that might be helpful for other dog people.

digger-dg60-sm

If you have one of these clamshell-type post hole diggers, it works quite well for extracting the poo from the snow and ice. And it’s better to get it now while it’s semi-frozen than in a few weeks when it’s almost liquid.

At that point, I recommend a pair of industrial-strength, chemical grade rubber gloves. Then you can just dig right in there and get ‘er done.

Outdoors, Recommendations

Trampled By Turtles, Bended Oak, Tangier 57 Play for the Lake

Mar 09, 2009 No Comments

Local bands Trampled By Turtles, Bended Oak and Tangier 57 will play at the Rex on Friday, March 13 in a “Benefit for the Lake.” Proceeds from the concert will support Duluth’s McCabe Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America in its effort to protect Lake Superior from invasive species.

Details:

The Rex Bar, Early Bird Drink Specials 8-10 p.m.

Donation: $8 Before 9 p.m., $10 after

Tangier 57: 8 p.m.

Bended Oak: 10 p.m.

Trampled By Turtles: Midnight

Duluth’s Izaak Walton League is taking on the federal government (National Coast Guard and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) to prompt federal protection of our shared resource (visit www.duluthikes.org for more information about this effort). Minnesota and Wisconsin, have already begun taking steps to clean up ballast water, but varying regulations from state to state are likely to create headaches and confusion among the shipping industry. The current effort calls for a unified solution for this national problem. Come listen to some good music and help protect our Lake.

Music, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors Trampled by Turtles

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