Duluth

My freshman year of college I went to the College of St Scholastica in Duluth.

It was awesome. Although I didn't realize it at the time. I thought I hated CSS. Really, I just hated college. It was unfortunate I didn't realize that until my sophomore year, my first year at Northwestern College in St Paul. Although I wouldn't trade my years at NWC for anything, I left behind some good friends at CSS. And I missed Duluth.

I've been lucky enough to spend the past two weeks in Duluth, and will spend the next two there as well, on assignment for work.

I love the lift bridge in Canal Park. I love watching it go up and down and watching big ships come in to the harbor. I love walking down Canal Park Drive and Lake Avenue, watching people, browsing through shops, hitting up Caribou.

One of my favorite memories is sitting in Caribou with friends from college, studying and drinking Hot Apple Blasts.

I also love to drive up the shore to Gooseberry Falls and Two Harbors. During fall semester of my freshman year in 2005, one of my friends from high school and I drove up to Two Harbors and walked out on to the pier. At the end is a lighthouse. As we got closer to the lighthouse I was reminded of a family vacation many years before. I was with my family and we were at the end of the pier, watching the ships come in, or go out. I remembered my dad using the car keys to carve our names into one of the posts of the lighthouse.

And sure enough, they were still there. Right where he carved them in 1997, although they had been painted over and written on a couple times.

Darren and I are hoping to get up to Duluth sometime this fall for a weekend away. I'm looking forward to going back to Two Harbors, walking down that pier, and seeing if that carving is still there.

But until then, I'll look forward to the sights and sounds of Duluth.