I love the ride up the North Shore on Highway 61. Not always, of course. Like anyone else, I don’t enjoy the drive when the fog is so thick you can barely see the front of your vehicle. And driving at turtle speeds on slippery winter roads wears me out. But when the weather is right, the cruise up our scenic byway is a treat.
It’s a wonderful road to drive in daylight, no matter what the season. In the winter, I enjoy seeing the frozen waterfalls on the rock cuts and the ice formations along the Lake Superior shoreline. In the summer, the shimmering periwinkle blue lake teases behind the trees in full foliage. In the fall, it is breathtaking, lined by golden trees with a hint of red here and there, interspersed with the ever-present evergreens. And in spring—even I am looking forward to spring—the highway is a brand-new world of rapidly running rivers and waterfalls and leaves bursting out in an indescribably bright green. It’s hard not to be distracted by the beauty along Highway 61.
That’s why I’m not too upset when a car with out-of-state plates or an RV pokes along ahead of me at less than the speed limit. I understand how someone who hasn’t made the drive up the shore a thousand times can be awestruck by some of the views. I try to be patient.
Night driving on Highway 61 is more challenging, I will admit. Fog or ice and dark of night on the highway can be intimidating for even those of us who are used to driving the two-lane roadway.
But when the road is clear and reasonably dry, night driving has its own beauty. Shadowy pines envelop the road, brightened by glimpses of bright white birch trees. There are stars overhead and on moonlit nights, the sight of Lake Superior is even more special, with shimmering silver waves. And of course, sometimes there is the ultimate surprise—northern lights.
If I am lucky enough to be driving on a night that Aurora Borealis is overhead, I pull over to take a break and just enjoy this rare display of Mother Nature.
My enjoyment of Cook County’s night skies is the reason I wrote a column in May 2010 urging the Cook County Board of Commissioners not to follow the recommendations of then-County Engineer Shae Kosmalski to install streetlights at a variety of intersections in Cook County. Kosmalski had plans for a great many intersections, not just along Highway 61, and I appealed to commissioners to “Just say no.”
So I was very disappointed to learn that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) was in Cook County last week, asking the county board to approve a plan to install lighting at three spots on Highway 61—on the Sawbill Trail in Tofte, on the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen, and on the west end of County Road 7. I was even more disappointed that the commissioners agreed to not only support the streetlights, but to assume the costs of maintaining them.
I just don’t see the need, except for possibly the Ski Hill Road, which is a very busy intersection, coupled with adjacent turnoffs to Lutsen Resort and the Superior National at Lutsen golf course. There are virtually no shoulders at this junction, so a streetlight may be helpful. And, business owners in the area have asked for a streetlight.
I don’t know how the intersection of Highway 61 and the Sawbill Trail could be lit any more than it already is—there are lights at North Shore Market, at Coho Café, at the Commercial Fishing Museum. Another light is just going to make the intersection look more like a city, not make it safer.
The major cause of my puzzlement however, is the need for a streetlight at the west end of County Road 7. Has there been a flurry of fender-benders that I’m not aware of? I don’t think so. I think the turnoff onto County Road 7 from the highway is well-marked with signs and as a newer section of Highway 61, there are nice wide shoulders and a turn lane from the west. Even if someone unfamiliar with the road happened to miss the turnoff, the wide shoulders would allow for a safe U-turn. I really don’t think the intersection is a hazard.
And I am very concerned that this is a sign of things to come. The intersections are too dark, so we need lights. What is next? The corners are dark—should we put a couple of streetlights before and after a curve? What about the hills? Should we install a light at the top and bottom of the hill to ease fears? What about the entrances to state parks such as Cascade in Lutsen or Judge Magney in Hovland? What would be left? Only the straight sections would still be dark and scary. Should we have a line of streetlights illuminating the way like an airport runway?
For me, the answer is a hearty no. I love our rural road—bumps, corners, darkness and all. I don’t think I’m the only one. Why do visitors make the journey up the North Shore? For something different than their brightly-lit city life.
Yes, the drive can be a challenge. But there is no need to hurry. The trek up the shore reminds us that life is different up north. It’s not always easy—there are snowstorms and wildfires and mosquitoes and bumpy, dark, roads. But there are also scenic lake views, an amazing variety of forests and wildlife—and spacious night skies.
At least for now. Moonlight is sculpture.
-Nathaniel Hawthorne
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