Two Harbors exists because of iron. When the Mesabi Range in northern Minnesota proved to hold some of the richest ore deposits in the world, the mining companies needed a way to get it to the steel mills of the lower Great Lakes, and a railway from the mines to Agate Bay on Lake Superior, completed in the 1880s, made the little port the first ore-shipping harbour in the state. The huge ore docks still stand on the waterfront, long black steel structures from which the red ore was loaded into the holds of lake freighters, and you can watch the great ships come and go. The town has about three and a half thousand people and is the first real stop on the North Shore after Duluth, which lies roughly forty kilometres south-west.
The harbour holds a few surprises. A lighthouse built in the 1890s stands on the point and now offers rooms to guests, and the Edna G., a steam tug that spent decades guiding ore boats in and out of the harbour, is moored beside the docks as a museum, said to be the last coal-fired steam tug on the Great Lakes. On the beaches of Lake Superior you can search for agates, banded stones that were scoured out of ancient lava flows and polished by waves, and the Lake Superior agate is the state gem.
The lake itself is the dominant presence. It is the biggest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, deep, cold and moody, with a surface temperature that rarely rises above the mid-fifties Fahrenheit even in August. It generates its own weather, so a clear afternoon can turn to fog in minutes, and the wind off the water can be chilly in July. Riders should pack a warm layer and a rain jacket.
Highway 61, which runs through the town, is the North Shore Scenic Drive, a two-lane road with fine surfaces, gentle curves and glimpses of the lake. In summer it is busy with campers and tourists, so aim for a weekday morning. Fuel and supermarkets are in town, along with several small cafes and shops where you can buy smoked lake trout and herring, a North Shore speciality. In autumn the hills behind the lake turn red and gold, and the air is crisp and clear.