Mike & Kris - Enjoying The Ride

We left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and started on our way to Minneapolis.  We stopped for one night in Green Bay, Wisconsin and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field.

What an amazing facility in a relatively small community.  We were able to take an official tour and it was fun being in the expensive seats and on the field.  In case you are wondering, we did not put our name on the waiting list for season tickets!  The list is about 130,000 names deep.  Not to mention the weather during football season.

On to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and our first unanticipated event of the trip.  We were on our way to spend the entire day in the city.  We had many places on our list and we were going to finish the day by attending a Twins game at Target Stadium.  We were about a mile from our first stop-the Stone Arch Bridge-waiting at a signal light.  Next thing we know, a huge tow truck comes right in between us and the other car stopped at the light. He hit our mirror, fender, the front bumper, the running board, and the wheel and tire.  It took about four hours to sort it all out with the police, the insurance, and the tow truck we needed to get us to a tire repair shop.  In the end, Mike was able to change the tire himself and we had it all checked out at the Chevy dealership.  Nobody was hurt and the truck doesn’t look that bad.  We finished the day by attending the game and were impressed with the beautiful stadium in the heart of the city.  We even sat next to a couple who were from North Dakota and staying in the same campground as us.  All’s well that ends well.

The next day we were back to Minneapolis to see the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River.  They have done a great job with their walking and bike paths in this area.  You can tell they are in the middle of a revitalization of this area.  A lot of new housing with bars, restaurants, and shop on brick-paved streets overlooking the river.  From here we went to the Sculpture Garden with some super cool sculptures.

There is a beautiful walking bridge over the freeway to an adjacent park with even more to see, including a view of the Basilica of St. Mary’s.

While there we realized that there was going to be a parade through town to celebrate the start of Aquatennial Celebration.

Not really sure what it means but think it has something to do with Minnesota being the “land of 10,000 lakes”.   Certainly we are always down for a parade and this one did not disappoint.  It is the 2nd largest night parade in the country.  BTW:  great dinner and drinks at Eli’s