NJ Day 9: Apr. 25, 2019 - The Upper Mississippi Bluffs

The dawn brings sunshine. Later it will turn to overcast, then rain. Our last bit of time in Minneapolis however, is beautiful. Amy takes another run around Lake of the Isles. After she returns, we get into the serious business of packing the X3. It takes a good half hour to get organized and another half hour to pack the car. We are finally ready to depart.

Our destination today is the "Great River Road", or at least part of it. We will drive Wisconsin Highway 35 from Prescott, WI to Prairie du Chiene, WI. This road is on the east bank of the Mississippi, always within a short distance of Old Man River.

But first, the coffee. We patronize Caribou Coffee on Hennepin Ave. This shop is just south of The Lowry, where we ate breakfast yesterday. Fully fueled, we set out for Prescott. We want to avoid 35 W, so head west to take MN 100 south to I-494. As we pass it, we say goodbye to BMW Motorwerks. We exit I-494 to take US 10 south to Hastings, then fill up at a gas station in Prescott. We drive to Freedom Park to enjoy the views from the east bluffs at the start of the "Great River Road". This designation is important as we will use the green signs to guide us on our drive.

Looking South on the Mississippi

We continue south, enjoying frequent vistas of both the bluffs to the left and the River to the right.

The Castleburg Bluffs

All day long, we will be headed south. We skirt Lake Pepin, which is actually just a geologically clogged part of the Mississippi. The River flows more calmly here. This is a very pretty drive. We stop frequently this morning to catch the scenic views.

A Train Along Lake Pepin

We drive for about two hours until we arrive in Fountain City. We stop for lunch at The Golden Frog. Yes, they have Frogs Legs on the menu. Amy has the Broasted Chicken Sandwich and I have the Prime Rib Sandwich. Both are delicious. We notice the titles on the respective bathrooms: The Women's is labeled Princess. The Men's is Frogs.

As we return to the car, it begins to rain. The rain will fall harder as we drive and will continue until after we arrive at our destination. I'm glad we got a little sun this morning!

During the drive, we see more evidence of the flooding we have heard about in the last month. Late and heavy snowfall, with torrents of rain immediately after, have combined to supply lots of water all up and down the River. We see playfields completely underwater. We see houses in low areas that have water lines half way up their first floors.

The Rain Continues

There is one small problem trying to follow this road: There is no easy way to tell our navigation system that we want to be on a particular road. We give it a destination and the Nav System wants to get us there as quickly as possible. It keeps trying to get us to cross the River to take MN 61, the most efficient road.

We have to navigate the old-fashioned way - we look for highway signs. Continuing, we drive through La Crosse, WI. We pass a giant sculpture of two Native Americans vying for control of the ball, each with their own basket (they are actually playing Lacrosse).

A short while later, we approach Prairie du Chiene. Here we leave Wisconsin, cross to Marquette, IA and drive a short way south to McGregor. Evidence of flooding is everywhere. Pumps are pumping, sandbags are at the ready. We enter McGregor along the River, then drive uphill to our home for the night, The Stauer House B&B.

Stauer House B&B

We check into this lovely place, find our room (we are the only patrons tonight) and rest a bit. The rain lets up so that we can walk to dinner. We walk down Main Street a half a mile to Latinos Mexicano. The Margaritas and the Salsa are great, the food is good. Amy has the Mixed Fajita and I have the Shredded Beef Enchiladas. After dinner, we continue our walk another quarter mile to the Mississippi and gaze at the waterfront damage. The railroad tracks along the River are almost under water.

We cross Main Street and head back up the hill. The evening is quite pleasant as we enjoy the small-town vibe. We return to The Stauer House and retire for the night.