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I did a post earlier this year that showed the progress of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and we recently drove out to see and drive the new road and over the new bridge. It is a very quick trip, but one that will make any commuting from AZ to NV a much easier path. There is a nice walk up (stairs or incline walkway) from a parking lot up to the bridge. You can walk about half way over the bridge.
Here is the view.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/320th sec
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4.5 30mm 1/640th sec
Our day started out with a trip to the shopping district at Canal Park, near the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. Amazing display of architecture. The driving surface of the bridge lifts up to allow floating passage underneath, not your average every day type of bridge. It was originally built in 1905 as an aerial ferry, but updated in 1930 to include the lift for the transport of cars. The bridge spans about 390 feet, and rises and lowers up to 30 times a day during the busy shipping season. The lift is just right above the top of the buildings in the photo below.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 18mm 1/1250th sec
After spending the morning shopping we had one last road trip, with a lunch stop on the way.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 1/400th sec
And low and behold, a name familiar to just about anyone who has seen the pop culture film (as raunchy as it is).
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/640th sec
Nothing says adventure like a stop along a random highway for road food. Pretty good burger, great onion rings.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4 6mm 1/500th sec
Day 6 brings us on another short road trip, north of Duluth to the Split Rock Lighthouse. Minnesota history reveals that in November 1905 a terrible winter storm caused a great deal of problems for the shipping and iron ore industries. Twenty nine ships were damaged. After that day a group of shipping industry people spoke with Congress about the need for a lighthouse in that area to help guide ships away from the rocky shore and in 1907 Congress agreed to the building of a lighthouse in the Split Rock Area. The lighthouse was completed in 1910, making 2010 the hundred year anniversary of the completion of the lighthouse. A government organization called the US Lighthouse Service ran the lighthouse compound until 1937 when the US Coast Guard took over. It continued to service the shipping industry until 1969, when modern day instruments made the lighthouse obsolete. The State of Minnesota made it a scenic landmark in 1971 and created the state park that now encompasses a 2,200 acre area.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 320 f/11 65mm 1/500th sec
There are many hiking trails in the area, including a hike down 130 feet to the shore (either by path or by stairs). The stairs are built alongside what was one a tramway, built to carry supplies from the shore up to the lighthouse compound. We chose the stairs….absolutely no need to find a stairmaster while on this trip.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 320 f/11 18mm 1/250th sec
The light in the lighthouse was originally lit by a kerosene oil lamp, it was converted to a 1,000 watt electric bulb in 1940. The light flashed every 10 seconds and each flash lasted about a 1/2 second. The light can be seen 22 miles from the lighthouse. The lens was built by a company based in France and sits atop a motor run originally by gasoline based compressors.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 320 f/7.1 56mm 1/200th sec
The Split Rock Lighthouse was an enjoyable trip to the past and is recommended if you are traveling along the north shore of Lake Superior. Website.
Day 5 – we drive down from the Iron Range to Duluth, where we will stay for the remainder of our adventure. Our main attraction for the day is to visit the Glensheen Mansion (aka the Congdon Mansion). This is an amazing estate and gives you a clear example of the way the top 5% lived back in the day.
The mansion itself is a grand example of architecture. The house was constructed in such a way that it will stand the test of time pretty well. The house has 39 rooms and has over 27,000 square feet of living space. It was finished in 1908 and was far out from the city at that point in time, now of course there are many neighbors. It cost over $800,000 to build, in todays dollars that would be over $30,000,000. The interior walls are about a foot thick as they are made of concrete, which pretty much sound proofed the entire house. A lot of modern technology was incorporated into the house; there was a central vacuum system, a gravity operated water reservoir system and the house was ‘wired’ with an internal communications system, consisting of a complex system of magnetic switches, which would alert a servant via a bell ring of who needed assistance and what room they were in. Much thought went into the decoration of the house as well. The main entrances were walled with intricately, hand carved wood, one main entrance came in from the road and the other came in from the lake side. Mrs. Congdon did not want to have a ‘back door’, these two doors share the same entrance foyer. Mrs. Congdon also insisted other items in the house be made to be more appealing, such as the radiator heating system was disguised to make it more atheistically pleasing. Each individual bedroom had its own bathroom, except for the bedroom for their adopted son as he was not part of the direct immediate family, but he was also given one of the biggest rooms. The Congdons came from humble beginnings, and they showed a great deal of respect for their workers. The servants and cooks had their own wing of the mansion, not extravagant, but built in a comfortable manner that allowed them to have some privacy.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this tour (for me) was the visit to the attic, which is only included on the expanded tour. The attic houses a tremendous collection of National Geographic magazines, every one of them since they were first printed. Photographers dream of images being published in National Geographic…including me.
This is an amazing experience and I highly recommend it for anyone. Website. Tickets to the mansion – $13, tickets to the expanded tour – $24, worth of the National Geographic collection – priceless.
As a visitor, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the mansion, but from outside is allowed.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 200 f/13 18mm 1/80th sec
The grounds of the mansion are very well maintained and some of the most beautiful lilies I have seen are growing there.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO200 f/5.6 1/640th sec
The weather started to look really amazing from the mansion. This is looking towards downtown Duluth and the aerial lift bridge.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO200 f/16 18mm 1/160th sec
Day 3 includes another road trip. Before heading out, I took a couple of quick shots of Pelican Lake and the flowers outside the hotel.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 200 f/16 18mm 1/60th sec
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 200 f/5.6 200mm 1/160th sec
We left Orr and headed towards Grand Rapids, MN and then eventually on to Deer River and Jesse Lake. My mother grew up on a farm in Jesse Lake, with her 12 siblings and she attended Deer River High School. Our trip to Jesse Lake was to visit my father’s grave and where many of my deceased family are resting peacefully. It is a nice spot, wind rustling the leaves. Peaceful. Our round trip included a stop for lunch in Deer River and back to visit family in Grand Rapids. For those that don’t already know…Judy Garland is from Grand Rapids, MN and there is a museum there that showcases her life and career.
Heading back to the Iron Range, we stopped to see the statue dedicated to the workers and life of the Iron Range. The statue was created in 1987 by artist Jack Anderson and is titled “The Emergence of Man Through Steel”. It is 36 ft tall and is made of copper and brass. My teenage son is standing at bottom right to give you a sense of scale. Oddly enough, the miner depicted is cross eyed and stares down at the McDonalds that is across the street.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 200 f/11 32mm 1/250th sec
One of the major construction projects that is of interest not only to Las Vegas locals, but nationally and internationally, is the Hoover Dam bypass project. The project itself broke ground in 2005, but my photographic memories for purposes today begin in 2008. The bridge is an architectural marvel and it is going to be very exciting to drive over the first time – which the news reports say should be in November 2010. Additionally it has been reported the public should be able to walk over the bridge in addition to traffic. It will provide an awesome view of the dam and of the surrounding canyon area.
The bridge is officially named the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. The namesakes represent important people from both sides of the bridge. Mike O’Callaghan is a former Nevada governor and an editor at a Las Vegas based newspaper. Pat Tillman was a member of the Arizona Cardinals, but gave that up to join the military after 9/11 and was unfortunately killed in Afghanistan. The construction of the dam has been the subject of at least two TV documentaries run on the Discovery/Science Channel – Megabuilders and Build it Bigger with Danny Forster (I say at least because I think there is actually another one, but I cannot find any evidence to support that theory). According to the official project website (http://www.hooverdambypass.org/) the bridge will span nearly 2000 feet and it will be the third highest bridge deck in the country – over 800 feet from the canyon. The entire bypass, including the land based aspects of the project, will be 3.5 miles long.
The looming question for the local economy is how much the bypass will affect visitation to the Hoover Dam visitor’s center – which has yet to pay for itself. Also, how much commerce might spring up along the new route. Only time will tell on this, but it will be an exciting day when traffic is finally diverted onto the new roads and bridge.
May 2008 ©320photography Nikon D300 ISO200 f/18 36mm 1/100th sec
May 2009 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/800th sec
October 2009 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO200 f/8 6mm 1/500th sec
March 2010 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4 9mm 1/320th sec
