Saturday, August 7, 2010
Jill Bonatz is a big Duluth boat fan living down in Alabama. Until Saturday (August 8, 2010) she had never been here. Her husband, Ekkehard, is a marathon runner and was interested in running Grandmas next year. They 
decided to come up so Jill could see some boats and Ekkehard could run some miles on the marathon course to check it out.
Jill is a frequent contributor to this blog and it was a great pleasure to finally meet her yesterday. She has had email contact with Mark Adamson, a high school classmate many years ago. He is now the captain of the Buffalo, a boat that rarely visits Duluth. You know what is coming …. The Buffalo came to town very early this morning during a hard rain. Jill and Ekkehard were going to go over but with the weather and hour, they decided to wait. Still, staying at the South Pier Inn gave them a great view when the Buffalo departed earlier this morning. And Captain Adamson suggested they drive to Silver Bay this afternoon and visit him there on the boat.
Keep in mind that Jill and Mark have not seen each other since high school and Jill has a 22 year old son so do the math. Above is a picture of Jill waving to Mark as he took the Buffalo under the Lift Bridge on the way to Silver Bay this morning. Ekkehard has been deputized as a photographer journalist for the Duluth Shipping News and I will post his pictures of the happy get-together in Silver Bay later today.
Monday, August 9, 2010 (this is the later)
Everything worked out great. They had a nice trip to Silver Bay, saw the Buffalo slowly tie up at the dock and then trouble started. They lowered the ladder and Jill started to wonder whether this whole trip was worth it. “I might have gone to a couple dances with him 39 years ago, but that doesn’t mean I am climbing that ladder just to see him, even if he is the Captain” or something like that. 
Of course, eventually, after being told the most important direction, don’t look down, Jill made it to the top of the ladder and onto the deck of the boat where Captain Mark and Jill had a mini 39th year class reunion.
Captain Mark gave them a tour of the entire boat as you can see by the pictures above taken by Ekkehard.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Mark is a marvelous, capable captain! He is the BEST! Susan
Hi Scott,
If I came up there in the winter, maybe I could actually wear my one wool coat! I don’t have any boots, so I guess I’d have to buy some. The fleece jackets we wear down here just wouldn’t make it up there!
My hometown is Florence, Alabama where the Division II National Title football game is held, and several years ago the University of Duluth played in that game. I was so happy that those folks got the chance to come to Alabama in December where it is still pretty warm compared to what y’all are used to!
Looking at Ken’s pictures during the winter months makes me marvel at how you folks manage in that weather. I just can’t imagine!
Jill
Mountain Brook, Alabama
Jill,
I’m glad you finally made it up here and had a great time.
You should come up when it’s cold sometime.
Scott
Centerville, MN
Hey Mike!
Try to stay at South Pier Inn when you go. It is THE place to stay. When the boats come in during the middle of the night, you can just run to the window and see everything. Of course, when the Buffalo came in at 1:00 on Sunday morning, we had to get dressed and get out there to see it. There was no way we could stay in the room! The folks there are so nice and they will even give you a wake-up “boat watcher’s” call if your favorite boat comes in during the night. Also, check out the Maritime Museum right there at the bridge. It’s very nice and the people who work there can tell you all about the boats and they keep up with the schedule of who is coming and going. Take a coat!! It gets cool in the evening! Those hearty folks up there were wearing shorts and t-shirts while my husband and I were wearing long pants and jackets!! I guess they could tell we were from down south and couldn’t handle the weather.
I hope you get to go soon!
Jill
Mountain Brook, Alabama
Jill, sounds like you had a fabulous time. That just makes me want to plan my trip to Duluth/Superior even more now! Can’t wait to see more of your pics. Take care all….
Mike from Boston
Hey Everybody!
Y’all, it was just fabulous! It was everything I wanted it to be! Ken was so gracious to show us around, and the folks at the South Pier Inn treated us like we were family. It is absolutely the place to stay when you want to see the boats. Paul, we got to see lots of boats go under the bridge, and what you said is right, it DID give me chills! I just could not believe I was standing there watching and listening to it all! The thrill of getting to see my friend after all these years (yes, 39) and then take a personally guided tour of his boat, The Buffalo (it’s really a great boat, too), was just about too much to bear (especially with that ladder problem) but bear it I did! We saw every inch of the boat and I must say that American Steamship Company should be proud of Captain Mark Adamson who is a true Southern gentleman, even if he is a Yankee by birth. (And from us down south, that is a huge compliment!) The drive back to Duluth was beautiful with the fog moving across Lake Superior. The food was wonderful, the hotel was perfect, the boats were there in all their splendor, and Mark and Ken helped to make sure it was a trip of a lifetime for us! One more thing, as if that wasn’t enough, I DID get the chance to see my favorite boat, The American Victory, parked at the Fraser Shipyard. She looked very regal. Lots of pictures made there. A walk on the beach of Lake Superior was a nice experience for us, too. Very different from the beaches on the Alabama Gulf Coast, but our beaches don’t have that magnificent Duluth Lift Bridge. I just couldn’t get enough of the bridge! We will be back next year in June for Ekkehard to run the marathon and we’ll do it all again. Mike, you’ve got to make the trip now and give us your report just as Paul and I have done. Rita, I hope to see you there, too! Cookie, I know you were following me on Ken’s camera, and thanks for sharing my enthusiasm. To my dear friend Mark, congratulations on your success and being the captain of that great boat! It was wonderful to see you again! To Ken, thanks for going out of your way to make everything special and for printing your fabulous “Duluth Shipping News” which got me started on this entire adventure. To my husband Ekkehard, thanks for giving me the trip of a lifetime, and I’ll be there to watch you cross the finish line next June.
Jill
Mountain Brook, Alabama
I guess the next time I visit my old hometown I’ll have to stop by and visit Ken too…………….;-)
Les Locklear
Gulfport, Ms.
Jill:
Pictures were neat.
Glad you were able to make it to Silver Bay to visit the ship. I bet it was neat to tour the laker and also be on the bridge. Especially to visit with your classmate.
Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Paul Badovinac
Galveston Island Tx
Hi Jill,
WOW!!!! What a fantastic experience!!! How lucky to have a captain in your graduating class. I hope you enjoyed your tour. And good luck to Ekkehard should he decide to run in Grandma’s Marathon next year.
Rita from Zeeland, MI
Jill, glad to see you finally made it up to Duluth! Hope it was all you thought it would be and more!
Mike from Boston
Jill:
Cool picture. I cant wait to see the pictures from Silver Bay. I’m so glad that everything worked out for you, especially seeing your classmate, and hopefully visiting the ship.
Paul
Galveston Island Tx
Ken,
Thanks for posting this story.
I am Jill’s sister and it is so great to “see” her in Duluth.
We are watching on the Web Cam.
Cookie