Excellent Tour Guides!
As our Great River Roadtrip continues in the Twin Cities, what could be better than a combination of great friends and the Mississippi River? Of course it would be all the laughs, stories, memories… and a giant mound of ice cream!
To start at the beginning of this series, visit GRR: La Crosse to St. Paul
A Change of Scenery
We had a great time in Trempealeau, but it was time to head on down the road. Our next stop was Minneapolis, and it was fantastic that our B&B actually included a couple of local experts. And it was even more fantastic that they are great friends, eager to share some of their favorite spots around the cities.
Although this visit included lots of time along the Mississippi, there’s so much more to explore on another visit soon! Or we could just sit by the huge spruce in their backyard and solve all the world’s problems, together. I could use another dose of that!
One Quick Stop on the Way
We made a plan to meet our friends at 1:30 and since it was less than three hours to the meeting point, we crossed over the Mississippi near Winona to Minnesota City to check out Lock and Dam #5.
The high bluffs behind us were amazing, but the whole place was pretty deserted – without a barge, boat, or even a canoe in sight. And In keeping with the theme of the week, we couldn’t get out of the parking lot without waiting for a train! And this one was moving fast!
Friends Time!
We decided that a 90-minute Sightseeing Cruise on the Padelford River Boat would be a great way to get our short (but sweet) visit started. Its red pavilion made a lovely meeting place with benches for catching up a bit while we waited to board. And St. Paul’s city views from this spot on Harriet Island were very impressive!
We all agreed that topside was where we wanted to be and we tried out several spots for the right combination of sun and shade. Once underway we couldn’t hear the narration very well, which made more catching-up easy as we cruised on down the river.
“The [new] state flag of the U.S. state of Minnesota was adopted on May 11, 2024. It features a dark blue field representing the night sky and the state’s shape, an eight-pointed star symbolizing the North Star, and a light blue field representing the state’s abundant waters; the star is based on one prominently featured in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda.” ~ READ MORE
Anchors Away!
Although it looks pretty cloudy in my pictures, it was a beautiful (hot) cruise with bald eagles, a few turtles, and nineteen geese a-swimming. Most people sat in the shade or used their umbrellas for shade instead of rain – which was a good thing.
We came upon another swing bridge similar to the one we saw in La Crosse, but this one is no longer operational and stuck in the open position forever. It is a very cool piece of history that I hope remains for years to come, paying homage to the Mighty Mississippi.
Boom Island Park and Lighthouse
There would have been plenty to do at Boom Island Park on a lovely day in Minneapolis, but this morning started out pretty soggy. Armed with umbrellas, we grabbed a few nice pictures of the Lighthouse and the views of the city, and were on our way.
Check out the link above under “Park Details” for some great photos and more information if you happen to visit on a less drippy day.
The Stone Arch Bridge
The next morning there was a celebration to commemorate the reopening of the Stone Arch Bridge after its closure in April 2024 for refurbishment. When we discovered event parking was $50, Michael knew of a park that was right near the north entrance to the bridge. Parking there was metered and about $48 cheaper!
It would have been nice to get in on the celebration, but it was raining and we really just wanted to walk over the bridge. At least we were able to see (not hear… yet) a small portion of the band hanging out at the entrance to the bridge.
“The James J. Hill Stone Arch Bridge was built between 1881 and 1883 to carry the Minneapolis Union Railroad over the Mississippi River just below St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis. Originally the bridge had 23 limestone arches with spans ranging from 40 to 97.8 feet. In 1962 two river spans were replaced by a steel Warren deck truss to accommodate vessels using the newly completed Upper Lock and Dam. After railroad use of the bridge ended in 1982, it was converted for pedestrian [and bicycle] use and became part of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail. The bridge is located within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and is designated a National Historic Engineering Landmark.” ~ READ MORE
Lock & Dam #1A
As we continued across the bridge, we came closer to the Upper St Anthony Falls and Lock & Dam #1A with a great vantage point to see right into the lock! There is a beautiful aerial view of the area at the link, as well as a video about its history.
I was secretly hoping we’d continue to the end of the bridge and get an up close look at the falls, but the rain was getting old and we decided to head back. We heard music approaching behind us and as we turned to head back, the band and a few city officials passed right by us. It was fun to be a part of the celebration after all!
Time for a Break!
Roma had been taunting us with a visit to Kramarczuk’s ever since she found out we love cabbage rolls, and at last it was time to eat! We lucked out with the parking situation in their (almost) full lot, and then worked our way through a long line to order. There were so many delicious things to choose from, but we came for the cabbage rolls and they were fantastic.
“Created with the finest ingredients and a passion for tradition. Imagine the smell of fresh baked bread, pastries, smoked sausages and stewed cabbage. For sixty years Kramarczuk’s has represented the quality and taste of Eastern European foods in Minneapolis and beyond… and it all started with a dream. ~ READ MORE about their story
Ford Dam (Lock & Dam #1)
By the time we got to Lock & Dam #1, the rain had stopped. From the parking lot, we passed several signs that let us know we were in the right place. A short walk took us directly under the amazing Ford Parkway Bridge (aka the Intercity Bridge) – just north of the confluence of the Mississippi with the Minnesota Rivers.
Amazing Views!
The views of the River from this vantage point were the most impressive of all the dams we’ve seen so far on this trip, and we could walk all over the area and see almost every angle of the dam and we also had great views of the mill across the river.
We were here for quite a while and lucked into seeing a riverboat and a canoe that were entering the lock. The gentleman on shore was instructing the guys in the canoe to grab onto ropes that were lowered down, in an effort (I assume) to stay upright and close to the side. Everything went off without a hitch and soon they were heading downriver.
“The powerhouse portion was previously owned by the Ford Motor Company, which operated a hydroelectric power station to feed electricity to its Twin Cities Assembly Plant on the east side of the river. It was sold to Brookfield Power Co. in April 2008. The dual-lock facility and dam was built and is operated by the St. Paul district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division.” ~ READ MORE
Not Enough Time!
After our visit to the Ford Dam, the guys made a few passes around the full parking lot so we could catch a glimpse of Minnehaha Falls. “A striking, wilderness waterfall in an urban setting. Overlooking the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Park is one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks, attracting over 850,000 visitors annually.” It was a quick stop, but so worth it! A picture is below.
We continued on to Fort Snelling, but our quick visit didn’t do it justice with so much more to see. We were able to catch a squad of soldiers firing muskets and peeked into the casements surrounding the parade grounds. There is so much history here, it is definitely worth a second visit. “This National Historic Landmark resides on Dakota homeland, known as Bdote, with history spanning 10,000 years.“
Our last stop of the day was at Nelson’s Ice Cream. I wish we would have gotten a picture of the four of us as we dove into the largest scoops of ice cream I’ve ever seen in my life! They have been “serving up variety, quality, and value in your neighborhood since 1923“.
Still full from our mound of ice cream, we enjoyed our last evening in the backyard by a huge, old spruce tree with only a few snacks for dinner! Fun times.
The Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is the third (of three) locks in this area. It eluded us on this trip, but you can see a photo at the link. It’s the center one of the three shown. We had also hoped to see Mill City Museum for some history and views from its Observation Deck, but with Irish Fest and the Stone Arch Bridge celebration going on (and it being a Saturday), we skipped that one. I think we covered quite a lot on our two-night stay!
Thanks for your hospitality friends!
Next up: On the Road to Red Wing
Happy trails,
Barb
