Road Trip 2012: Wednesday 9/19

79 miles,  camped at Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, Minnesota

Merrick State Park to Frontenac State Park

Site 13, Frontenac State Park

Another day on the Mississippi River.  I have crossed the Mississippi over the years in past travels, but I have never spent any time exploring the area.  The Mississippi is HUGE.  And this is only the upper part of the river.  Major rivers like the Ohio and Missouri haven't even merged with it yet.

We left Merrick State Park late morning.  Dave Wright is obligated to write a monthly column for a local newspaper, and the deadline is approaching.  We had excellent Verizon coverage at the park, so Dave wanted to work online.  Ann, Zoey and I went for a long walk along the river while Dave worked.  At the boat launch we met a couple of commercial fishermen just coming in.  They had about 700 pounds of carp, which they said was a poor haul.  They said that 2,000 pounds is a good day.  They catch the carp using gill nets, and they fish almost every day.  They sell the fish at a local fish market.

When we left Merrick, we headed north on Route 35, also called The Great River Road.  Small towns like Alma, Pepin, and Stockholm dot the riverside.  They seem to have developed a robust tourist economy, with many small cafes, shops, and art galleries.

Looking down river from a bluff overlooking the town of Alma.

Looking up river from the same bluff.

The Mississippi is a working river.  You can't appreciate how much commerce travels on and along the river until you spend some time near it.  Train traffic is almost constant.  We did not see  much barge traffic, which could be due to the lower water levels.  Most of the local residents said the water level was down a couple of feet, due to the drought.  One news source said that if water levels continue to remain low, train traffic may increase to make up for the decreased barge traffic.  In the photo above shows one of the many locks on the river.  This one drops or raises the boats, depending which way they are traveling, seven feet.

Frontenac State Park is located on the Minnesota side of Lake Pepin.  The lake is the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River.

View of Lake Pepin from a bluff at Frontenac State Park

Thursday Dave and Ann head back to their home in Amherst, while Zoey and I head west.  It has been fun and really interesting exploring this small section of the Mississippi.