A boat leaves Duluth in the snow

No visit to Duluth is complete without watching one of the Great Lakes cargo ships go under the aerial llift bridge at Canal Park.  Originally constructed as a "transporter" bridge in 1905, it was converted to it's current configuration for operation in 1930.

Here Anne stands on the Harbor side of the bridge.  You can see the little house in which the bridge operator works over her right shoulder.  This is how the bridge looks most of the time, with the road platform lowered to allow vehicles to cross the canal from Duluth Harbor to Lake Superior, and, eventually, to the Atlantic Ocean.

Vickie, Dan, Rob, Anne and Heather on the lake side of the bridge, this time with the road platform fully raised to allow passage of the American Mariner, emerging from the snow behind Heather.  Now the operator house is directly over Anne.

Ann and Rob prepare to record the ship's exit from Duluth Harbor.

Rob, Anne and Dan watch 730-ft (222 m.) American Mariner leave the harbor with a load of grain. Notice the blowing snow.  It was a bit chilly, but it was beautiful to be in snow!  I wish we had some on the ground here in Iowa today.