Minneapolis - Friday, 15 June

Being in proximity to a large city has advantages and disadvantages. There is so much to see and do that the days slide by quickly. The disadvantage is that the days slide by quickly and I don’t get around to telling folks what we’re doing. As a result, you begin to wonder if we fell off a cliff (or into a hole or whatever). But we’re alive and well and about ready to restart our travel.

I’m writing this on Friday night (the 15th). It was our intention to be on the road today, but we have had (past tense fortunately) problems with the City of Fernandina Beach regarding our desire to replace our windows. That situation was not resolved as of last night (Thursday), so we elected to stay put in Minneapolis in the event that one (or both) of us needed to fly back to battle with city hall. As I say, that situation resolved itself this a.m. (Friday), so tomorrow we’re off.

I will relate events of the week (with photos) in separate blogs so I can keep it straight.

The Minneapolis area is amazing to behold. Being so far north, I envisioned a small town, hunkered down for the long cold winters. Au contraire, mon ami, the Minneapolis area is vibrant and alive. We continue to wonder at the wide variety of community activities, cultural attractions, and simply, things to-do. And we thought the Mall of America was fascinating!

Tuesday, we met with our friends from Amelia Island – Mimi and Terry Stewart – and visited the ruins (really!) of the Gold Medal flour mill along the banks of the Mississippi. I did not know (another reason that travel is educational) that Minneapolis was a major focus of the flour milling business with wheat coming in from the plains, ground into flour, and shipped down the Mississippi and via rail lines to the rest of the USA.

With Mimi and Terry as our tour guides, we visited the ruins of the Gold Medal flour mill. The Gold Medal flour mill had a explosion in the late 1800’s – flour dust combine with a spark is a very explosive combination. The explosion destroyed this mill and four others in the neighborhood.

They rebuilt the mill, but in 1991, a fire destroyed it (again) and it was never rebuilt. The city has fashioned a museum / tour of the ruins including a floor by floor of the way-it-was. Fascinating! The Mississippi St. Anthony falls supplied the water power to run the various flour mills until electricity replaced water power.

Minneapolis / St. Paul is considered to be the northern terminus of the Mississippi river traffic – although there is a lock – visible in the photo – that allows boat traffic to continue north. Our tour guide at the Gold Medal flour mill said that the Mississippi river continues for another 1,000 miles north. But I don’t believe that there is much commercial traffic north of here.

Mimi and Terry Stewart have a beautiful home in Hopkins, MN, just to the southwest of Minneapolis. Terry is heavily involved in the local amateur theatre productions, helping to make many of the sets / props. Mimi is getting back into her loom weaving.