“DULUTH TRIPS”

by Samantha Butler

One of my favorite family vacation destinations is going to Duluth. There are so many reasons to enjoy Duluth. Such as sightseeing, agate hunting, or eating a piece of Betty’s Pies.

On our way there, we stop and have a picnic with sandwiches and chips. It is a long five hour drive, although we are excited with anticipation. The further we got away from Roseau, we got to see more hills and different trees. Every time we went in a tunnel all of us would hold our breath and burst out laugh- ing afterwards. When we near Duluth, we are always amazed by the hills and rock walls.

A definite must see is the North Shore. At the Split Rock Lighthouse, the views are amazing and the his- tory behind the location was intriguing. There were beautiful fall trees full of colors, and the massive lake went on for miles and miles. When we walked down these long steps to the shore, we saw the light- house from a distance. We were able to go out onto the rocks that was in the shallow water of the lake.

One of our next stops was

Gooseberry Falls State Park. The hiking was incredible. I was able to take great pictures of the waterfalls, rock formations, and old bridges. The trees were so extraordinary as the roots seemed to be growing out of the rocks. At Gooseberry, we could step rock to rock to get closer to the waterfalls.

Now our next stop was Betty’s Pies, yummy! Although, before we could go in my mom had to take yet another picture. There were so many delicious pies to choose from but we chose our favorites which were blueberry, banana cream, and strawberry rhubarb. If a person has a sweet tooth, this is a must stop.

There are so many lake shores to stop by to go agate hunting. This is one of our favorite family past times. We can spend hours hunting for the biggest agate, which we have yet to find. We also like to skip rocks, play in the sand, and fish. Personally, I like to just walk around with a walking stick that I can occasionally write in the sand with.

We go to another beach to go swimming. We bring water tubes and snacks with us. The day before, the lake was calm and peaceful, but the day we decided to go swimming the lake was cold, windy, and had big waves. We still found a way to

have fun, and we buried ourselves in

the sand.

Another of my favorite stops was when we canoed down the Brule River. We met up with a few other families, and split up in canoes and kayaks. The river had some white water rapids to go fast and there were areas to slow down and fish. After canoeing, we stopped at low lying bridge. The other families have done this before as it was one of their family traditions. We watched them jump off and have lots of fun, even the parents joined in. By this time we gained confidence so we could jump in ourselves. It was so much fun!

When we go downtown in Duluth, Canal Park is always on our agenda. The Aerial Lift Bridge is an amazing sight. When we were there, we got to see the lift bridge rise and see gigantic ships and boats go through. We walked down the Canal Park to a lighthouse and could see the large ships way out at a distance. One thing we haven’t done is go on one of the double-seated bikes, but I plan to next time we go. There is so much to see at Canal Park, one place is the Great Lakes Aquarium. We were able to touch a stingray, watch the sea otters play, and got to see these cool jellyfish

that seemed as if they were glowing.

Walking further down the block, we got to go play at Adventure Zone and eat at Old Chicago Pizza. One of my favorite things to do is laser tag, which I beat everyone at. We also play air hockey for what seems like hours. Then, as usual, my brother and I have a competition to see who can make the most hoops at the basketball game. They also have a rock climbing wall there as well. After we play ourselves out, we decide to get food at Old Chicago Pizza. There we discovered our favorite nachos. Italian nachos that had pepperoni, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and black olives. After the appetizers, we got two large pizzas that we almost all polished off. One was a classic meat lovers, and the other was chicken alfredo. They know how to make some of the best pizza!

One winter, we got to see the dazzling lights of Bentleyville. They have the best Christmas lights in Minnesota. There were thousands of lights surrounding us. We went through light tunnels. There were stations of hot cocoa to drink, camp- fires to warm up at, and the young kids could go tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. There was

one huge tree at the center of every-