Saturday, May 31

Hot, windless night.   Happy Anniversary!  We exchange cards and kisses before heading for Minneapolis.  Spend a lot of time looking for their welcome center and are directed the Mall of America.  The information center there is unmanned and out of local information booklets, so we stop at a nearby Ramada Inn and they give us directions to Minnehaha Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, our first two destinations.

There is a bicycle fundraiser for Diabetes going on in the area of Minnehaha Falls so traffic is horrible.  We manage to find a spot in a nearby neighborhood and hike back to the park.

The Falls are raging after the snow melt and local rains.  We talk with some locals who say that sometimes the falls are a mere trickle. (They also give us some suggestions for northern Minnesota.) Very pretty gorge area with trails alongside the water. 

Next we head for the Stone Arch Bridge, near downtown and the first set of Locks and Dam on the Upper Mississippi at St. Anthony Falls.  It is four stories high, much bigger than the others that we have seen.

The bridge was constructed for trains in 1882 and now is used for pedestrians and bicycles.  Very well-used today!

There is a farmer’s market going on a few blocks away, so we go wonder around there.  Mostly organic and local greens, cheeses, turnips and other goodies. They are selling morel mushrooms for $50/lb.   These grow in the Iowa/Wisconsin/Minnesota area – we were asked once in Iowa if we were looking for them, as I guess that is a lucrative pastime in Spring!

entrance to farmer's market by Guthrie theater

Morels are the spongy looking ones

We have a bacon beer brat with sauerkraut for lunch from the Chef Shack – one of the top ten food trucks of Minneapolis.  We join a crowd sitting on the  stairs of the nearby Guthrie Theater and listen to a local band while we eat.

On the way back towards the bridge we wonder through part of the Mill Ruins Park.  There used to be big flour mills all along the river here.  One exploded, another was destroyed by a fire and the others fell to ruins.  No longer the largest producer of flower, Gold Medal, Pillsbury and others still have mills in Minneapolis but not by the river.

From here it is a short drive to St. Paul and Como Park.  A beautiful area of the city, home to a zoo, waterpark, parks, a carousel, and the Como Park Conservatory which is a lovely,glass-enclosed structure.  The park is very busy but we eventually squeeze into a parking spot.  The Conservatory has a display of wood carvings, a sunken garden, Japanese Garden with many bonsai, and a Fern Garden. 

Como Park Conservatory

Fern Garden

Sunken garden

It begins to rain as we arrive but has nearly stopped as we head for the nearby Carousel.  The calliope which provides the music for the carousel came from an old Steamboat.

Heavy rains as we head out of town toward Interstate State Park, on the banks of the St. Croix River, a stone’s throw from Wisconsin.  Fortunately there are a few empty campsites, so we plug in, shower and get ready to go out for an Anniversary dinner.  The selections are limited and we end up at Eichten’s Bistro, a small place open for dinner only on Fridays and Saturdays.  It was that, Dairy Queen or Burger Shack...

The owner raises his own bison and cows, makes his own cheese.  We have a nice fresh bruschetta appetizer, then Beth has their chicken, mushroom and wild rice soup (excellent), and we both have bison burgers. Greg has a local beer called Finnegans which uses potatoes in the mix – it is good and very popular, as the woman who started the company gives 100% of the profits to local assistance organizations. The waitress is very interested in our travels and the Trek, so we give her a tour of the Trek.

We wonder to the nearest tiny town – Taylors Falls – and take a few pictures of the raging St. Croix River.  We will explore the park more tomorrow.

Back to our campsite.  The rain has stopped but mosquitos are out, so we pretty much read, write and call it a night.  Heavy rain on and off all night.

Greg attaching our "Skeeter Beater" screens so we can open windows.