Day 1: Revisiting Grandma's in Duluth!
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The Cowboys and Indians Tour started with Bone meeting Mike in GR. The Boys had big plans for this trip, the first was to get to the bottom of a mystery (sorta!) where does the Mississippi start! Sometimes you need to go to the top, to get to the bottom! So with little ado, they hit the road heading for Chi-Town with the goal of taking I-94 to the top of Minnesota , with the goal of making the first day to Duluth!!
A good ole' fashion Midwest Cruise to start a ramble!
Duluth brought memories of an old Mike and Bone event running, Grandma's Marathon! In 1989 during the Boys marathoning phase, Mike and Bone grabbed Sherrie and boogied up and over the Mackinaw Bridge, cruised through Escanaba, all the way to Superior Wisconsin, to a Quality Inn on an Island in Duluth Bay, and ran 26.2 miles in 90 degree heat!
It was an unprecedented summer, it rarely got that warm in Duluth, but that June it did and it was one of the hottest marathons the Boys had ever run! They cruised right through Chicagoland and up into Wiscy-land passing the home of the Badgers and to a better place, a Superior place! Superior Wisconsin!
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Good Ole' Barker's Island
It was already 6:00 when the Boys got to the Duluth Area. Superior Wisconsin is just across the river from Duluth and was a good place to land for the night. By sheer serendipity, the Google found the best deal near the Boys, and landed them in the same Hotel from 1989 on Barker's Island!
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Doing Downtown Duluth!
Dropping their gear at Barkers, Mike and Bone headed into Duluth to grab a bite and visit the founder of the Marathon, Grandma's! The irony of Grandma's is that in1989, the Boys never visited the place because after running the Marathon in that heart, the line to get in was so darn long, going around the block, that Mike and Bone bailed and went to a local Fridays!
Getting to Grandma's Saloon and Grill!
However, that wrong was about to be rectified! The Boys headed in the Land Cruiser across the bridge and into Duluth, and after a bit of Bone buffoonery with Google Maps, they found Grandma's downtown by the wonderful Lake Superior waterfront.
Mike and Bone, visiting dear old Grandma!
Walking in, Grandmas is clearly and old place! grabbling a table, Mike and Bone then learned the epic tale of Grandma from their awesome server!
It was boom time in America when a feisty Italian immigrant named Rosa Brochi opened her first boarding house to the lonely sailors in the Great Lakes Port of Duluth, MN. The year was 1869 and it was here where Rosa’s lifelong tradition of customer satisfaction began.
“Grandma,” as she became affectionately known to the young women in her tutelage, took very special care of her patrons (if you know what I mean!), making sure they were always comfortable and satisfied. Her reputation became legendary and word of her shrewd business sense and humanitarian works spread like wildfire.
Good Ole' Grandma!
“Grandma,” as she became affectionately known to the young women in her tutelage, took very special care of her patrons (if you know what I mean!), making sure they were always comfortable and satisfied. Her reputation became legendary and word of her shrewd business sense and humanitarian works spread like wildfire.
Soon other boarding houses were opened – in the great north woods, along the banks of the Mississippi, the Red River Valley, and throughout this great land. Wherever people sought comfort, Grandma brought solace. Then in 1944, Grandma answered the call of her countrymen by returning to Europe to assist in the war effort. She was never heard from again.
Grandma's Rooftop Patio
Two generations later, Rosa’s grandsons, Mickey and Andy, adopted her commitment to customer satisfaction. In 1976 they opened Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in the very same building where Rosa operated her first boarding house.
The success of this first venture, fueled by the legendary works of their grandmother, prompted the boys to revisit many of Rosa’s business locations to reclaim her heritage. The extent of her colorful past is still being uncovered as they travel the country in search of their ancestry. Mike and Bone got the colorful tale while ordering some fairly average college bar food (the University of Minnesota-Duluth is nearby!). Afterwards they checked the rest of the Bar including Grandma's Marathon pictures!
Grandma's Marathon Pictures !
The history of Grandma's Marathon started in 1977, conceived by the North Shore Striders, a Duluth running club, who wanted to host a major race on their favorite training course from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota, during the 1970s running boom. By the 1980's it was in the top five marathon's in the States when Mike and Bone ran it.
Mike and Bone, visiting dear old Grandma!
After a big meal Mike and Bone checked out the epic western shore of Lake Superior, really more of a fresh water sea than lake they say.
Mike and Bone, visiting dear old Grandma!
As it grew dark, the Boys headed back to Barkers Island for an early turn in. They had a big day planned tomorrow!