Portland to Duluth

We left the house at 5:30 am to get to the airport. George dropped me off. I was on my way to Ely, MN for my annual trip to visit Jeanne.

My T-shirt matches some of the decor at the airport.

Portland airport 

I ended out checking my suitcase at the gate. The flight was uneventful. I had the Denver Omelet Breakfast Burrito ("scrambled eggs, diced ham, bell peppers, onions, crispy potatoes and melted cheese wrapped in a warm flour tortilla") which was tasty, though I probably would not have called it an omelet.

Coming into Chicago was the bumpiest I've experienced in a long time. But we made it safely. Here are a few pictures of the Chicago airport.

I had nearly 4 hours to kill. I found a place to hang out. I asked the bartender at Stanley's Chicago Blackhawks restaurant if they could make a hugo. She at least knew what it was, so i stayed. I had my hugo!!!! Wanted something light for lunch. Flash fried (whatever that is?) artichoke hearts sounded good.  It was a little disappointing, but the hugo was good.  It was funny watching the waitress.  She was rushing around. She kept telling people that she was going to be going on a break.  She never did go on a break the whole time I was there.

Hugo and flash fried artichoke hearts salad.

I had a very nice phone call with Trudy while I was waiting.  Trudy is a college friend who lives close to Chicago. The thought of calling her was not just because I wanted to talk to her but it goes back to the days before smart phones when this would have been a "local" call.  Remember those days?.

My flight to Duluth left on time at 4:45 pm Chicago time.  I am glad that I had checked my bag.  I don't think that it would have fit in the overhead compartment, even though my suitcase is a small one.  It was a small plane.  I was at the very back at row 15.  We got to Duluth about 15 minutes early. It was only a 1 hour flight. Jeanne and Jay met my flight.  Jay had been in Chicago earlier and was driving to Ely.  Duluth was on his way so he joined us for dinner.  We went to Bridgeman's Restaurant for dinner.  Jeanne and I split a tuna melt.  It was very good.  

After dinner Jay continued on to Ely but we stayed in Duluth.  We headed to the Enger Tower for the night view of Duluth.

Only 105 steps to get to the top.  After my 700 steps in the Austria ice caves, this was a piece of cake.  We took pictures at each level as we went up.  Mostly we were waiting for it to get dark for some night lights pictures.

Jeanne got this one.

We then headed to the Days Inn where we spent the night.  When I was packing I was thinking what I would need in Ely.  I neglected to think about 2 nights in hotels.  So, I did not pack all my coffee stuff.  Argh.  I'll be okay at this hotel.  They put the coffee out at 5 am.