Over Memorial weekend I took a quick trip to my favorite place to visit- Duluth Minnesota.
I have waxed poetic about this place many, many times. Like here https://beckypalmer.me/?p=2497 and here https://beckypalmer.me/?p=3674 . You get the picture. I’ve written about this place a lot and I’ve gone there even more.
But this last trip was a little different.
First of all, it was a shorter trip. Instead of a week, it was a long weekend. Second, it was earlier than normal- I prefer to go in early June but this was in May. Third, I didn’t plan this one as closely as I normally do- it was kind of a last minute thing.
I should have known things would be different from the get-go. I had decided to take in an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on the way up. That is all fine and dandy, but it resulted in my attempting to head north from downtown Minneapolis at 5pm on the Friday of a holiday weekend. The drive that was supposed to take about 2 hours took just over 3 hours instead. I was still able to get into my favorite Duluth eatery, Grandma’s, before they closed, but I wasn’t sure I would for a while. Being stressed out is not how I like to start my vacation time.
And the hits just kept coming. The weather was colder and windier than predicted. An excursion I had prepaid for and was really looking forward to was cancelled. My (formerly) favorite gift shop is now under new ownership and doesn’t stock the kinds of things I like to shop for anymore. I got caught in an expected downpour without an umbrella.
By early Sunday afternoon I was wallowing in a little bit of self pity. How could Duluth let me down like this? How could I still have so many items to check off my Duluth list?
Then it hit me. I was treating my trip like a school assignment. I have a mental list of items “I always do in Duluth” and I was obsessed with checking items off – much more so than actually, you know, relaxing and having a good time.
After this “light bulb moment” I decided to shake things up. I ate dinner at someplace I’ve never been before. I went out to the end of Wisconsin Point (instead of Minnesota Point) and spend time enjoying that view. I took a scenic drive (Skyline drive) that I’ve read about many times but never done (For the record, whoever decided on how this drive was marked needs to be slapped around a bit- I lost the way several times!).
Of course, by Sunday night I was back in Canal Park- the place where my love affair with Duluth began sometime in the early 80s. I was able to reflect on the weekend from a different perspective and appreciate it. I got to spend a ton of time with my cousin I hadn’t seen since Thanksgiving. I took in some gorgeous views and ate some great food. I got to see a large ship come into the harbor (always a highlight). I saw my favorite place from some new vantage points. It was a pretty good weekend after all.
How could anyone argue with that?