Doug and Donna's LiveStrong Adventures: 2017 MinnWisMi

Thursday, September 21, 2017

2017 MinnWisMi - Minneapolis to St. Paul

Wednesday - September 19 - Minneapolis to St. Paul
What a difference a day makes, almost not a cloud in the sky and in the 60's already.

A little baseball action on our way walking to the Sculpture Garden.

The Sculpture Garden is adjacent to the Walker Art Musuem.

This was one of our favorites and probably is for a lot of people because we saw pictures of it on brochures.

This is a miniature golf course as envisioned by artists. It would have been fun to be able to play a round but it was just for show right now.

This was our sound of the day. The tree was full of these chimes which are all tuned differently so it was quite musical.

The pedestrian bridge over I-94 that was is the background on the second picture of the Sculpture Garden.

A couple of lines from a poem that spanned the length of the bridge.

The Basilica of St. Mary

We could hear this bagpipe from blocks away. It turned out that he was on the steps of the Basilica, playing for the hour before an upcoming funeral.

It was 11:00 and the funeral wasn't until noon so several people encouraged us to explore.

You could walk all the way around the altar area. The umbrella is particular to a basilica and is used when the Pope visits.

Leo answered a lot of our questions and told us that this was the first basilica built in North America. He is the liturgical coordinator for the parish.

These bags were hanging by the doors and have books and soft, quiet toys. What a way to help out parents of little ones.

Time to look for lunch. We got salads to go at a grocery store buffet....

.....then found a handy picnic table in front of the University of St. Thomas Law School.

OK Minneapolis, it has been fun but now it is time for us to go see your sister city.

The Stone Arch Bridge will be our last crossing of this great river. It is a little sad to contemplate since it has been our companion and guide for most of the trip so far.

Turns out that this bridge has ties to Sweet Home. It was built by the Hill's, a family that still owns timberlands around our town. It was a railroad bridge but is now a delightful multi-use path across the river, Mississippi River crossing #24

Looks just a little different than the headwaters!!

Bridge over a river of a different sort....Interstate 35.

The Minnesota River entering the Mississippi and Fort Snelling State Park.

Fall color is coming.

These are the first river boats we've seen. Goodby river.

Hello, downtown St. Paul!

Our first stop is the Fitzgerald Theater because Donna has been listening to Garrison Keillor since she moved to Oregon in 1978.

She couldn't be this close and not see where all those shows had taken place.

It is the oldest theater in St. Paul and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Now we can go check into our motel.

Turns out it is also a pretty classical! Got checked in and still had time to make it to the post office just before it closed. We started walking to dinner at about 6:00. We know this seems like mundane info at this point but just wait.

A MOST AMAZING THING!!!!. This is Jeff and Gayle whom we found sitting in front of Starbucks. We patrol with Jeff on the Willamette Backcountry Ski Patrol. They are here visiting their son who moved to St. Paul this past year. What are the odds?????