Minnesota - 2008 - The Iron Range

The Iron Range - The Mesabi Trail

Wednesday, July 16

After breakfast we said goodbye to Lake Superior and Duluth, and drove to the villas at Giants Ridge Resort near the town of Biwabik (pop 954). We biked the Mesabi Trail to Virginia, a 54 mile round trip. Lunch was in La Cochina & Cantina in Virginia, one of the best Mexican restaurants I’d been to in the states. We had dinner in the Whistling Bird, a Jamaican restaurant in Gilbert (pop 1949). On the way home, we noticed there were lots o bars in these small towns, with few vehicles in front of them.

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This is what we look like when we're getting ready to load up	Loading up	Janet and her custom painted chair which matches her top


Lunch in Virginia's Mexican restaurant	View of Virginia MN	Whistling Bird Restaurant


Whistling Bird Restaurant	More hearts

Thursday, July 17 – Iron Ore Country

We drove to Mineview in the Sky, near Virginia, and saw mammoth trucks used in excavating the mines. Then on to breakfast in Chisholm, and then to a 12 PM bus tour of the Ironworld Taconite Mine in Hibbing. After the two-hour trip, which included going through one of the mine buildings (six stories high), we saw the Bob Dylan exhibit, Tangled Up in Ore, in the Ironworld Museum. After driving past Bob Dylan’s former house and high school, we went to the overview of the Hull Rust Mahoning Mine, the largest open-pit mine. We made our own “Minnesota meal” and played hearts.


Mineview in the Sky	Ironworld Tour	Bob Dylan's home in Hibbing


Hull Rust Mahoning Mine	Hull Rust Mahoning Mine View	Preparing our Minnesota meal


Janet explaining her Minnesota dish	"Stroke it to the left"