Minnesota - Land of 10,000 Lakes
We traveled to Minnesota the last week of September 2009. While this state is well known for its cold weather in winter, we were surprised at the low temperatures this early in autumn. We are wearing coats and jackets in every single photo, and I have that clenched look on my face that reveals just how much I don’t relish being cold. Andy and I had both visited Minneapolis before on business trips, leaving us with positive impressions of this cosmopolitan, friendly city. I appreciated the skyways downtown which allow pedestrians to walk from one building to another without going outside. A genius idea! We started our journey in the Twin City area, Minneapolis and St. Paul, standing on opposite sides of the Mississippi River. St. Paul is the older city, the state capitol; Minneapolis is younger, edgier, and bigger with a thriving contemporary art and theater scene. We stayed in Minneapolis, at a hotel that was a block from the Metrodome. With the AAA Guidebook in hand, we set out to explore the city. Our first stop was the Guthrie Theater, the center of performing arts in Minneapolis since it was founded in 1963. We were able to buy tickets to see a play that afternoon. I wish I could remember what it was, but I do recall that we liked it and were impressed by the theater itself as well as the production. During intermission, from its 178-foot cantilevered “Endless Bridge” we enjoyed lovely views of the surging Mississippi and the Stone Arch Bridge that crosses it
The next morning, since it was Sunday, we decided to go to Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary, the first basilica established in the United States. It happened to be the Sunday for the blessing of animals, which was very entertaining. Parishioners brought all manner of animals to the grand, stately cathedral, walking them down the center aisle to receive a blessing. There were dogs, cats, birds, and even a goat!
The Walker Art Center has eleven galleries for the display of its acclaimed collection of works by modern and contemporary artists. This is not our favorite genre, but we nonetheless perused all the galleries including those with bewildering installation works. We did enjoy seeing video clips from some of the Coen brothers’ films in the Walker Cinema showcase theater. Directly across the street from the Walker is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and we happily spent a couple of hours wandering through these iconic works. Our favorite, and probably the most renowned, was the monumental fountain-sculpture Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. But that was only one of many extraordinary sculptures, scattered among a gorgeous landscape of flowers, trees and walkways.
Sometime later, we happened upon Mackenzie, “an American Bar with a Scotch Flavor.” Since we have a granddaughter named Mackenzie, spelled the same way, we naturally had to go inside and enjoy a libation.
The following day we ventured to Minnehaha Park, the highlight of which is 50-foot Minnehaha Falls, made famous by Longfellow’s epic poem “The Song of Hiawatha.” We stood on the bridge above the falls for a great view, and then descended one of the staircases to where the water current becomes a creek again. We meandered on a walking path that lines the creek until the water merges with the Mississippi. Minnehaha Parkway is a lovely roadway following a creek that’s part of a local trail system called The Grand Rounds Parkway. Driving east from the falls’ location, the road hugged a river bluff, presenting towering views of the Mississippi.
The Minnesota State Capitol is located on the other side of the Mississippi River in St. Paul. It is a gorgeous Italian Renaissance building that incorporates sculpture, stenciled ceilings, murals, stone and elements of color. More than 25 varieties of marble, limestone, sandstone and granite were utilized in its construction. The self-supporting marble dome is one of the world’s tallest. We especially enjoyed seeing the stately Governor’s Reception Room and the chambers of the House of Representatives and Senate, both of which were in session.
Since it began to rain quite hard, we opted for another indoor site, St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is considered one of the most distinctive cathedrals in North America, sitting on Cathedral Hill overlooking St. Paul and featuring a distinctive copper-clad dome. The stained-glass rose window was stunning. After saying a few prayers for our family and our own safe travels, we drove by the majestic Courthouse/City Hall complex. The architectural magnificence of buildings in St. Paul was beyond impressive.
On our last night in Minneapolis, there was a game at the Metrodome between the Greenbay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. Many Cheeseheads and Vikings were wandering around the town and in our hotel lobby. We arranged to meet my brother, who is a sound engineer living in Colorado but was in Minneapolis working a conference, at a pub for dinner. Many fans of both teams were there, too, and everyone was watching the game on TV. The three of us noted how congenial the fans of opposing teams were to each other throughout the game. There is a reason that people use the expression “Minnesota Nice,” and this provided us with a perfect example. But they did look silly with the cheese chunks and Viking horns on their heads!
The next day we drove 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, along the limestone banks of the St. Croix River, to the town of Stillwater. We stopped for lunch at a mom-and-pop style diner called Leo’s Grill and Malt Shop. The burgers were outstanding! Heading north from Stillwater towards Duluth, we drove along a 38-mile scenic byway. We took a hike even though it was sprinkling in the Dalles of the St. Croix River toward Taylor Falls. The scenery was eye-catching with the slow-moving water in this deep river and the colorful autumn leaves on trees that dotted the limestone canyon walls.
Duluth has much to offer, but it was very cold there. Our hotel was located very near a walking path along the river, so we took a brisk walk our first morning. My teeth were chattering by the time we got back. We learned that Duluth is one of the largest inland seaports in the world. The Aerial Lift Bridge, a landmark that dates back to 1905, is a colossal vertical lift bridge which spans the Duluth Ship Canal. We watched a couple of gigantic freighters cruise underneath it before walking over to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Andy loves train museums, so this was right up his alley….or train track? It houses a large collection of railroad cars and locomotives dating from 1860 to the present, including the first locomotive to come to Minnesota and the largest and most powerful steam locomotives ever built. Andy loved sitting inside a couple of them and we both thought about his father, who drove a train across the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco, and how much he would have enjoyed this museum.
Leaving Duluth, we took the North Shore Scenic Drive which winds along the shore of Lake Superior. The beaches and cliffs edging the lake are breathtaking in their wild beauty. We saw countless rivers and rushing streams as they emptied into the lake, creating an abundance of waterfalls. It was a gray day, but my photos are nonetheless beautiful. My favorite is a picture of Split Rock Lighthouse ensconced at the top of a sheer rocky cliff almost 150 feet above Superior’s steel blue (and really cold!) waters. Another highlight was Gooseberry Falls.
We arrived in Ely, gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, in late afternoon. We were excited to visit the International Wolf Center, which is a research and educational organization, so we could see the wolves. Unfortunately, they were sleeping – apparently, they spend a lot of time sleeping – so after about an hour we gave up and left. Oh well, not everything works out. We drove into town and Andy spotted a radio station, WELY. Of course, we had to stop by so he could introduce himself and say hello. The famous Minnesota accents in this northern part of the state were very pronounced. We stopped at a bakery to have lunch and listened to a conversation between the woman behind the counter and a customer. They sounded just like the characters in the movie Fargo. It was all we could do to keep from laughing as we ordered our cookie snacks.
We began working our way back south towards Minneapolis and stopped for lunch at a town on Mille Lacs Lake. This lake is famous for ice fishing in the winter, and we saw many of the ice fishing houses parked in lots adjacent to the lake, waiting for the freeze to set in. The lake is huge but relatively shallow, which allows for long periods of ice fishing. It’s mostly a male activity and usually involves, we heard, lots of beer drinking while fishing. Many kinds of fish are available in Mille Lacs, which means “region of a thousand lakes” in French. We found a café and went inside to get a sandwich. After a few minutes, I noticed that I was the only woman there. I got a few surprised looks from the guys who were drinking beer and seemed to all know each other, as well as the bartender. The phone rang and the bartender answered it. After saying hello, he said, “Let me check and see if he’s here.” He covered the receiver and told one of the guys that his wife was on the phone. The guy said, “Tell her I’ve already left,” which the bartender did. The guy then ordered another beer and they all started yakking with each other again. We found it hilarious and decided that was probably a typical situation in this part of the state.
On our last afternoon, we visited the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska. They had colorful displays of pumpkins, gourds and other Halloween decorations. There were also beautiful gardens, fountains and sculptures, a lovely place to wander around, reflecting on all the wonderful places we had visited and sites we had seen.
We heard a weather report that it was going to snow the following day, about the time our plane was scheduled to take off. We turned in the car that evening and were happy that we had made that choice. When the taxi took us to the airport on October 1st, it was snowing. You betcha!