Day 49 - Monday, August 12 - A Day at the Ore Docks

 It was another beautiful day here in the UP. Last nights low was 60 and today' high was a mostly sunny 75. A light breeze made a long sleeve shirt feel good when sitting in the shade.

I am fascinated by the ore docks. Back in the early 70's, when I  worked for American Bridge Division of US Steel, I went to their ore loading facility in Two Harbors, MN, in February, to look at a potential project. The day we were there the weather was nice, for Feb next to Lake Superior. A tug boat spent 24 hours a day moving around in the harbor, to keep  the ice broken up. It only came in to the docks long enough for more fuel and supplies.

I went to the active ore dock both of the previous times we have been here, but basically just drove by them. Yesterday I found an app that told me that during the middle of the night a freighter was coming in to be loaded with ore. A 2nd freighter was supposed to come in at 12:30PM today. Another app I have made me thing that the 2nd freighter would arrive much later than 12:30PM. Kathy told me to go watch them and she stayed home. I was out there at noon. 

The Joseph L Block was still being loaded. She is a self-unloader bulk carrier. She is 714' long and 78' wide. She had a cargo capacity of 37,200 tons. Her aft mounted unloading boom is 250' long, I don't know why it was sticking out to the side today. She was built in 1978.

I walked around trying to get a better photo. The ore dock, on the left side of the photo below, is lined with chutes that lower to discharge taconite (iron ore pellets) into the ships holds. The are huge bins that feed the chutes through hydraulic gates. On top of the ore docks are at least two sets of rails that allow cars to be pushed out onto the dock and discharge into the bins.

Later, apparently when she was closer to being full, the boom was swung back over the ship, but not yet lowered to the deck, where it is normally stored.

When I was walking to the other side of the dock a pair of engines pushed loaded cars onto the dock. I didn't see them in time to count the cars going up but after some switching I counted 47 empty cars being pulled off the dock.

The other side of the dock.

Around 2:30PM I watched the Lee A Tregurtha, in the photo below, make her way around the end of the breakwater and I thought turn towards the dock. Instead she turned completely around and headed back into Lake Superior. I have no idea why. Shortly thereafter she is supposed to have come back in and docked. 

The Lee A Tregurtha started out as a WWII oil tanker. She is one of the most modified ships on the Great Lakes. She currently has a length of 730' and is 75' wide. She has a 22,500 ton cargo capacity.

I went back to the campground, picked up Kathy and we went to Crossroads Restaurant for lunch. It was one of the best meals we have had while in the UP this trip. The appetizer in the center is some type of garlic, cheese, smoked fish dip, with pita bread fresh from the oven. Kathy had a chicken sandwich which she didn't even take a bite of until suppertime. Her fries were absolutely fantastic. I think I ate more of them than he did. I had a hot beef sandwich. It was very good, but not great. I had enough left that I took it home for my supper.

After lunch we did some shopping at Meijer's and then headed home for the remainder of the day. 

I forgot to mention an event from yesterday. I included a photo of us sitting outside. What I forgot to mention was that little squirrel. There are lots of small squirrels running around the campground, one of bounded across the street up toward us, one of his leaps caused him to land right in Kathy's lap. He was on and off so quick that we hardly had time to realize what happened. Several minutes later he came bounding out from under the coach, landed on the white table between us and then was gone back across the road in a flash.

Interesting truck camper next door. Its a version of a Lance 1172. Its on a Ford 450 Powerstroke. The camper weighs around 4,500#. A couple and 3 kids are traveling in it. I talked to the guy. He loves it. I asked him about pulling a boat with it. He uses a Super Truss hitch device. The 48" extension model, with a load distributing hitch, is rated for a 1,200# tongue weight and a 12,000# trailer. A new Lance 1172 list for $82,000. Later they unloaded it so that they have the truck to drive around and sight see.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.