We Crossed the Mississippi

Our day started with rain and about an hour east of the Mississippi. We were heading for La Crosse, WI to visit their Oktoberfest. The scenery looked a lot like driving in Ohio but the was one remarkable difference. Every so often there was an eruption of limestone and shale right out of a flat field—a complete surprise. These would rise some forty to fifty feet straight up with abruptly vertical walls. Some looked like towers, one looked much like an old gray castle like you might see at Disney World. It first made me think of one wall of the ruins of a castle.

The Oktoberfest was disappointing. Their website advertised displays of local crafts and skills but none were to be found. It was a beer blast complete with brots and carnival rides. Probably a good time for those who knew what to expect but we just moved on.

After crossing the Mississippi we left the interstate and drove a short way along the river. It’s not as wide as it is further south like at St Louis but it’s very interesting here. The river’s broken by many islands, both bare and wooded, and is bounded on both sides by slowly rising hills. The hills were in peak color. A spectacular sight.

The corn and soybeans in Wisconsin appeared to be untouched but looked ripe for harvest. The combines were out in Minnesota taking in the beans but it looked like they had just started. All of the operations I saw were big. Convoys of trucks being feed by combines that appeared to be speeding through the fields. The same was true of the leaves. Wisconsin was in full color while it looked about a week past in Minnesota. There were isolated spots of color but it was mostly finished.

We stopped in a local restaurant for lunch. The food was good and the place was interesting. It was old with a patchwork of furniture and a mixture of old and mismatched pictures on the walls. When Becky asked the direction to the restroom, she was told if she went that way she would end up in the washroom but the other way would commit her to washing dishes—they were warm and friendly. What made it fun for me though is that everyone around me sounded like the sound track from Fargo.

An interesting note is the deer detection systems I saw—new to me. For stretches of five and ten miles both sides of the road would have detectors. A pole every half-mile to mile (depending on whether the road was curved) had a solar panel powering beams that would be either detected or projected both ways to the next poles. The detectors were too high for most dogs but could easily detect a deer trying to cross. If one broke the beam a yellow light would flash. What an expense, they must have some real problems.
We ended the day by going to the Mall of America just south of Minneapolis. I had wanted to see the mall for some time now and it was not a disappointment. It occupies a former stadium located next to the airport. An amusement park was built on the old playing field. The seating area was replaced with a shopping mall of some 500 stores and completely encircled the amusement park. The walkways separating the rows of stores were open allowing walkers to see all the levels below and above. With all of the food courts, stores, music and activities, it was an exciting place.