The Only Natural Waterfall on the Mississippi

 Minneapolis, MN

Look!  Look!  Look at the Lock!

The Morning Walk

At the start of the day, before it got hot, we took Francis out and walked along the lake again.  

I'm not sure about dogs around here but Francis can't read yet.

The thistles are seeding out and the American Goldfinches are enjoying it.

These thistles look a lot like tiny artichokes.

I liked this scenic byway sign.

Loti Pencil - Curtis Ingvoldstad
This pencil has a pure graphite core and was recently re-sharpened in June.

Saint Anthony Falls and Locks and Dam

After our walk we drove down to The Mighty Mississippi and visited Saint Anthony Falls and The Lock and Dam there.  The St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is part of The National Park Service.  Rangers gave us a tour and then we got to walk around and go into the visitor center.  After all this we walked across The Mississippi River on the Stone Arch Bridge.  We have walked across The Mississippi River three times now and 2 of the times we changed states in the process.

Okay then!  We will see the falls!

The beginning of The Stone Arch Bridge

You walked across the lock to get to the tour and visitor center.

The giant gates that hold the water back

The natural waterfall has been converted to a slope.  It's no longer generating electricity because in the winter the water up river freezes.

Our tour was about 20 people strong and lasted about 10 minutes.

Looking downstream at the Stone Arch Bridge.

This is an old flour mill that blew up and then burned down years later and then became a part of the Mill City Museum.

This, I believe, is the old lock control tower.

This appears to be the current control tower.

This tour was more extreme than ours.

Much of the country's precipitation flows into the Mississippi River

Looking down on Mill Ruins Park.

The Stone Arch Bridge is wide enough for bikes, pedestrians, and runners.

This is The Guthrie theater and its famous overhang.

That was it for today.  If you missed Swedish American Institute, check it out.  It's a beautiful mansion.

Where The Missouri Meets The Mississippi

 West Alton, MO

Francis knows not to look at the camera.

Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State Park 

Today we went to Confluence Point State Park.  It's about a 40 minute drive from where we are staying with a 5 mile dirt road at the end of the drive.  It's a pretty minimalist state park with a parking lot and a few signs to tell you the history of the area.  The trail to the point is paved about half of the way and at the point there are a few cool monuments which I took photos of so you can see them below.  There are also a lot of birds in the area and even an Audubon Bird Sanctuary very close by.

The trail was really well maintained and there were a lot of trees.  Sometimes areas around The Mississippi River feel more like a wasteland but not here.

There is a trail that goes right into the water at the point.  On the right is The Missouri River and on the left is The Mississippi River.

I didn't dip my toe in even though I kind of wanted to.

After getting back I decided to head to Perennial Artisan Ales to have a beer and pick up a few to go.  It's a brewery that has been on my list of places to visit for quite a while now and we are running out of days here.

It was a big space with a lot of outside seating as well as inside seating.

They had a bunch of my favorite styles of beers on tap but I was driving so I went with this very low ABV American Lager.  It was good.

I also got to play a free game of Pinball!

I brought a few bottles home and Donna and I split one later that evening.

That's it for today.  If you missed the previous post, Art and Chocolate, check it out.  We saw art and bought some chocolate.

Friday is packing day and we hit the road for 3 days of camping on Saturday.  We check into our next Airbnb on Tuesday in Cincinnati, OH!  Our stay here has been the perfect amount of time because just now we are feeling like we are ready for change and change is coming soon.