Tag Archives: MN North: Canal Park

Night Departure at Canal Park (video)

Over the past week I’ve become aware that many of my readers who are sheltering at home due to the Pandemic not only enjoy reading my blog, but also use the various harbor cameras in the Duluth / Superior region to “get out and travel” on a daily basis. Clicking upon any of “the cameras” on the Duluth Ship Tracking web site allows one to travel in this manner … with real time video.

While the harbor cams are great, these devices have limitations such as no audio. Thus, I decided to provide a Canal Park experience. Last night at 8:00 pm I videotaped the Arthur Anderson leaving Duluth downbound for the steel mills in Gary, Indiana with a load of iron ore.

This ship is a beautiful classic ore boat, and was out on Lake Superior in the same storm, and very near to the Edmund Fitzgerald in November of 1975 when a viscous winter storm sent the Fitz to the bottom of Lake Superior with all hands perishing. Many of you, like me may love in a sad way Gordon Lightfoot’s song … The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. (video link for email subscribers)


Regardless, it was a beautiful night. I am not an experienced night time video photographer, but I hope you enjoy the Arthur Anderson leaving the Duluth Harbor. Some notes:

  • Sorry about the background wind noise.
  • From 10 to 30 seconds the video is sped up by a factor of 10x (audio muted)
  • From 30 to 2:25 the video is in “real time”. Enjoy the Anderson salutes and the bridge’s answers. The Anderson eventually gives a rare double salute!
  • From 2:25 to the end the video is sped up by a factor of 10x (audio muted)

Aerial Bridge as seen just prior to the Anderson’s arrival last night (video follows)


Arthur Anderson departs the Duluth Harbor (video link for email subscribers)

Magical Minnesota Morning (ice flow video)

This morning a bit before sunrise while on the way to the “birding grounds”, I got distracted! As I drove across the Aerial Bridge a few minutes after sunup I noticed the beautiful first light of the morning reflecting off ice chunks which were flowing out into Lake Superior. The St. Louis River current was fast due to all the snow melt runoff.

Birding was very successful … images coming tomorrow.

Canal Park Lighthouse Lake Superior Ice Flow Sunrise
(photos taken about eight minutes apart)