As I sit here sipping my Lake Superior Special Ale, I reflect on the day Cheryl and I had here in the northern reaches of Minnesota. By the way, the beer has no alcohol content listed…and it is not doing much for me so I’m guessing it is one of the weaker “summer ales”. Not to say that is it not good! It is very refreshing! ( Another sign it is a weaker summer ale) I’m not complaining. It’s good and it won’t effect my blogging….hopefully. 
So…A day at the Aquarium! We rose up early this morning to trace the Marathon Route and plan on my spectator stations. It did not take too long, and I’m excited and nervous because there are numerous variables and I will have to think on the my feet…literally! If the traffic or people are bad, I may have to adjust my plans. In some ways…Cheryl’s part is EASY! All she has to do is run….for 26.2 miles..but hey! At least she only has to focus on one thing!
Anyway….Aquarium! YES! Water, fish, Great lakes Shipping; What could be better?
Never 
mind that “I’ve seen it all before.” That is so boring and “adult”. I have never lumped myself in those categories….so I pressed for the Aquarium since we were looking for things to do here to kill a little time…and we had already scouted out route for tomorrow.
The first thing: 5$ for parking…..this does not go towards your entrance ticket. Follow this with $16.50 per adult! Suddenly, my little adventure into history, education and science is up to $40! Ah well, It is all about enjoyment and education, right? 
The biggest thing about the Aquarium…is the fish! And there were plenty of Great Lakes Fish on display! Big ones, small ones, rare ones, and common ones; Everything you could ever hope to see. 
( although their electric eel display was down at the moment…..and I do not recall seeing any whitefish!) Ah well, they can’t have everything all the time!
In addition to the fish, there were birds! 
Thee guys were rescued birds that could not be released back into the wild. Typical of zoos and aquariums, they choose to show off animals that could not survive in the wild and require a little help from humans to live. 
In return, they do not “imprison” any healthy animals simply for display. Not a bad ethic if you ask me.
Although the Nautilus looked a little sad. 
They are a highly intelligent mollusk after all. AND Nautilus are Salt water animals….making him Really far from home.
Not to worry though, they also had several salt water tanks…( not sure what they were doing in the LAKE SUPERIOR AREA) filled with sharks and reef fish. I’m guessing they simply wanted to show off the colors.
While we were there, they had divers feed the fish in the largest tanks. I guess those rascally trout tend to eat EVERYTHING that hits the water’s surface and will not allow any food to sink to the bottom for the lower fish. As a result, the divers have to sink down and feel the Sturgeon, Catfish and Suckers. As well as the mid level Bluegills, Bass and Pike. Speaking of which, I was able to pet a Sturgeon in the petting tank….I’m still a kid! I can’t help it!
There were other creatures as 
well: Otters, Albino Turtles, And various frogs and snakes. I personally love the otters as they are the most playful of the bunch. Not the bed creature to have around when you are trying to grow fish for aquaculture…( they can eat 30 lbs. of fish a day!) But growing fish for profit is something that is far behind me now.
Also Games! Cheryl was playing “CAPSIZE!” A really cool game where you capsize a Roman Ship by loading urns of wine on one side. She is easily entertained!
Some parting shots of my waving to the AWESOMELY LARGE BURBOT on the way out, and we were on our way to the net lodge we had reserved for tonight. 
By they way, Burbots are members of the cod family and are the only fresh water member……Check out that single barbel off their chin.
So we headed out to the hotel/lodge that would keep us for the next two nights. It is located about 23 miles north of the starting point of the marathon. 
The road was scenic with tunnels
, cliffs and very large iron ore processing plants. ( not really sure what to call them….they are BIG!)
Once the accommodations had been secured, 
we headed out to the “beach” . I say beach in quotes because the coast of Lake Superior is rocky around these parts. I didn’t mind, but Cheryl was not about to risk any “freak injury” climbing
around on uneven rocks, just so she could dip her toe in the water. I had no problem with this , however, as I’m pretty sure footed….and kind of stupid.
So that is pretty much it. Oh, sure, there were some detours along the way for beer and ice cream, but those moments failed to make it onto the camera. So now,
Cheryl is worried about the weather holding out and I’m worried about getting lost, hurt, late, or in trouble for parking in a non-designated area. I’m sure thing will all work out in the end. Even adversity is blog worthy! However, unhappy events make for a long ride home, and that is never fun. 
So wish us luck tomorrow….especially me! I need it! What with all the running around and trying to secure parking and an area Cheryl can find me … And let’s Not forget my mental inaptitude!…..it’s going to be tough…..for ME!
As for Cheryl….I’m sure she will be fine….it’s only 26.2 miles after all. How bad can it be?
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