Back out on the Mississippi

We left Edina this morning with Brady and Davis remotely schooling while Kelly and Marc remotely worked.  We headed across Minneapolis to the GRR (Great River Road).  Most of the morning was industrial areas with an occasional open field. We saw our first tug or pilot boats and barges but most were restIng at the side of the River.

When we stopped for brunch we looked out on this.  Can you identify it? 

In Prescott on the Wisconsin side of the river we found a wonderful Great River Information center.  The area had been a resort area right above the river for many years.  It sat up on the bluffs that line much of the Wisconsin side of the River.  The couple who owned this resort provided the property for the information center. The park surrounding the center has many signs posts, etc. filling you in on such things as the history, navigation and migrations on the River. We were glad to find it open as many such information opportunities have been closed due to Covid.

Next stop was Red Wing, Minnesota home of the shoe company by the same name.  Sandy, this stop was for you. Their wares were out of our price range.  But they do have very nice leather boots etc. We also discovered a Duluth Trading company store that had an outlet in the basement.  But everything was either xs or 4xl.  

The big boot at Red Wing.


This part of the River has high bluffs that move from one side of the river to the other.  The River has already become a meander with wide open wet areas that are not part of the main channel  Originally the river was dredged below Minneapolis and St. Paul, where it first becomes navigable only to 3 or 4 feet as many of the original river boats were small and had flat bottoms.  These days it is keep much deeper which is also helped by the river current.

Tonight we are staying at the Minnesota River Bluff State Park without electrical hook up. Our solar panels filled the battery to 91% with what was a great sunny day with just a few drops of rain.  We are still testing what we can pull off the battery at night but we have to at least keep the frig going.  So it may be headlamps as it gets dark.

We don’t have much internet here so I hope I can post this.  Good evening.


  

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