Day 108: The Big Lake They Call Gitche Gumee
Minneapolis, MN to Duluth and along Lake Superior to Thunder Bay, ON
351.13 Miles | 6:03 Riding Time
It’s Saturday, July 27, 2024, and it’s Day 108 of my cross country motorcycle trip.
I’m in the home stretch and it’s decision time. Do hit the interstates and ride I-90 to I-80? Do I ride to the upper peninsula of Michigan and make my back down and east? Do I ride along the north shores of the Great Lakes to Niagara Falls and through upstate New York?
I chose the latter, and so today I’d be riding up through Duluth and along the western shore of Lake Superior into Canada to spend the night in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I queued up a Gordon Lightfoot playlist and got on my way.
There’s not much to say about the ride from Minneapolis to Duluth, where I got my first glimpse of Lake Superior—just I-35. But along the western shore, I went through dozens of small towns along the way north, with an occasional, stunning view of the lake. Grand Marais looks like it’d be a nice place to visit again sometime.
Continuing north, I stopped at Grand Portage National Monument, a center point of travel and transporting goods for the North West company. After this, it’s only 6 miles to the Canadian border.
Crossing into Canada for the second time on this trip was quick and easy. It was only another 45 minutes or so to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where I spent the night.
