Aug 25, Saturday
Weather: High 83 Low 69 Mostly Cloudy
Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey
We left Lindbergh State at about 10 am and arrived in Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey at noon. Because this was a KOA, we paid about twice what I usually paid for a state park campground, but I did get full hookups. We checked in at the office and were escorted to my site. I was unhappy with the site. It had no afternoon shade. The utilities were on the wrong side of the trailer, which required me to run the hose and electrical cable across our walking paths. It was also in the middle of my green space, so my neighbor ran his cable across it. His water connection leaked, which made the ground soggy. The site was one of the closest to the busy highway, but it wasn’t very far away. The sites on either side were close. It did not have a concrete pad like many of the other sites. There was a big tree stump in the middle of my small green space that probably did provide shade at one time for the site. Overall, I was disappointed in the luck of my draw.
Taylor Falls Scenic Boat Tours
Since it was a nice warm day, we decided to book a cruise at Taylor Falls Scenic Boat Tours. We called and booked a reservation and were told they only do short tours of only 45 minutes now because the water level is so low. We booked the tour anyway and headed in that direction, taking the back roads. We arrived about an hour early so they sold beers and pizza, so we decided to have some for lunch. They had a nice picnic area overlooking the river and the beginning of the Dalles of the St. Croix River.
When it was time for the cruise, we got in line early and snagged front-row seats on the upper deck. During the cruise, the pilot and the tour guide pointed out the unique rock formations left behind as the glaciers retreated thousands of years ago. Among the formations is the huge stone cross for which the St. Croix River was named. “St. Croix” means Holy Cross. Other formations included the Lion’s Head, Turk’s Head, and the Old Man of The Dalles. It was interesting seeing the paddle boat travel through such shallow water.
Interstate State Park
We learned there were two Interstate State Parks, one on the Wisconsin side of the river and one on the Minnesota side, hence its name. The Wisconsin side had an Ice Age Interpretive Center, which we decided to visit. We found a very small museum that did not have very much information. We got a park map and were told about a pothole trail we should walk on. Potholes are typically large cylindrical holes drilled in solid rock formed by glaciers. The trail was only a half-mile, but we found it poorly marked and rough. It had some great views of the boat launch from our earlier tour, and we found a couple of small potholes.
Franconia
As we headed back to the camper, we stopped at a sculpture park called Franconia. Spread out over 50 acres, the sculpture park and art community were formed in 1996 to provide physically and intellectually wide-open spaces that inspire new thinking through access to contemporary sculpture, installation, and land art. The sculptures were huge and you were encouraged to interact with most of them. The park also had an active art residency program and before COVID a lot of activities like concerts on the site. We got a lot of walking in.
Lindstrom
On the way back, we passed through the town of Lindstrom, a pretty Swedish-themed town, and they had a cute Swedish Coffee Pot water tower. They also had some other cute things to take a picture of, including a large Adirondack chair for Lisa.
We were back at the campsite for dinner around 7:30 pm.
Aug 26, Sunday
Weather: 72/63 Heavy thunderstorms expected in the afternoon
Minnesota State Fair
We left the camper and headed out to the Minnesota State Fair at about 8:30. We did a lot of reflecting on whether it would be a good idea to go to this potential COVID hot spot. Still, we decided to stay masked and only participate in activities where we could keep a good social distance from others.
When we got there, we saw cars backed up for blocks, trying to get into the parking lots at the Fair. We got in one such line only to find out about a half-hour later that they were no longer allowing people into that parking lot. Since they were busing people in from remote parking lots, we picked one a few miles away and headed that way. When we arrived, they said they were full but were kind enough to suggest another one not very far away with spots open. We finally parked and loaded on the bus, but the adventure did not stop there. Our bus driver got lost and could not figure out how to get to the bus terminal in the Fair. After driving around for 30 minutes, he finally figured it out, and we arrived around 11 am.
The Fair was huge! It took a while for Lisa and me to walk around the entire perimeter and down some of the internal streets. The Fair HIGHLY recommended that masks be worn, but very few were. It was irritating seeing several Republican booths discouraging mask mandates and other COVID precautions. I was interviewed by a news crew there that saw me wearing a mask. One of our highlights was being able to tour the “Ice House Trailers” that sat on the ice during the winter for ice fishing. They were very expensive, but they looked solid with real wood for cabinets. We bought a foot-long coney dog for lunch and then a flight of beers called “Summit on a Stick.” There were plenty of places to sit away from the crowds and people watching. We then walked through the Agriculture Barns, the highlight of any State Fair. We especially liked the Miracle of Birth Center, which had baby farm animals. We also walked through several vendor barns but did not feel safe spending too much time in them.
We were expecting heavy rain in the early afternoon, and it fell. Just as it started, we ran over to the Sweet Martha’s booth (there were several at the Fair) and bought a bucket of chocolate chip cookies. The rain started to fall heavier, so we decided to head home. When we got to the bus, we were told that the Fair entrance had been closed and that we had to wait for a new driver. They would also wait until the bus was full instead of leaving at frequent intervals. It was well over an hour before they finally found a driver and someone he could follow to get to our parking lot. Overall, I think we spent more time on the buses than at the Fair. We finally got to our car and returned to the camper around 5 pm.
We found my interview on the news channel website, which was not much more than a sound bite. It wasn’t very reassuring to see that Fair was not enforcing COVID protocols, so it interfered with our ability to enjoy it more. We found out later that they had reopened the fair that afternoon (maybe while we were still on the bus at the bus terminal) and even had a concert that night in the stadium. Still, overall, we had a good time, and we enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies.
Aug 27, Monday
Weather: 79/55 Sunny
After breakfast, around 10 am, we decided to get some laundry done at a local laundromat. After lunch, around 1 pm, we headed toward Minneapolis/St. Paul to explore the city. We put the Google Maps on avoid highway with the destination set to Mall of America. We were taken down through many inner-city streets, which was fun. It was a Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd the previous year, but we were surprised to see very few BLM or other political signs.
Mall of America
When we got to the Mall of America, there was plenty of close parking. Though masking was not required, we saw most people wearing them, making us feel more comfortable. We also saw that they enforced the restrictions on how many people were allowed in the stores. Though the mall is huge and has about every national chain store imaginable, the highlight had to be the enormous amusement park inside.
Minnehaha Falls
Once again avoiding highways, we headed toward Minnehaha Falls. The 53-foot falls had a great deal of water from the rain the previous day so they were spectacular. We walked around the park for a little while and found the Minnehaha and Pocahontas statues. The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his love for Minnehaha, a Dakota woman.
Fort Snelling
We drove to Fort Snelling, a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota, on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. Although it was closed for renovations, we did not stop. The fort looked interesting, and we enjoyed its stone church.
Drive Home
On the way back, we drove through the center of Minneapolis. Their sports stadiums are downtown, and the Twins are playing, so it is a little crowded.
OAK Eatery
We stopped at OAK Eatery on the way home. A small place in a strip mall is known for using fresh ingredients and making everything in-house. I had a Calzone, and Lisa had the Veggie Burger. The food was excellent.
Chiefs Football
The Chiefs had a pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings that night at about 6 p.m. CT. It was interesting to listen to the TV announcers, who were biased toward the Vikings.
Aug 28, Tuesday
Weather: 83/60 Sunny
Left about 10 am