We’re now halfway through our 70 day RV trip. It’s all downhill from here, literally as we start moving further south on our way to New Orleans. Tonight is our last night in Minnesota; tomorrow we drive to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin for one night. We give the state of Wisconsin a very brief visit, not straying very far from its border on the Mississippi River.

Tuesday the caravan went by bus first to Minnehaha Falls (more of a cliff, as there was no water cascading over it), then to St Paul for a tour of St Paul Cathedral and for a Gangster tour. The sacred portion of the day was beautiful; the church is quite the piece of architecture, and a very moving space. As for the gangsters, we toured a man-made sandstone cave that had served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, then welcomed John Dillinger and his tommy gun onto our bus for a tour of St Paul’s seedy history (of which there was plenty).

The next day saw us return to St Paul for a lunch cruise on the Mississippi. The meal was fine, the river was finer. We saw a number of eagles and buzzards, and the fish were jumping. It was a beautiful day to be on the river. We also toured St Paul’s old post office, which has been turned into a center for the local arts scene. Leila had fun playing a number of keyboard instruments, including a harpsichord.

Today was a free day; we drove into St Paul to tour the J.J. Hill mansion, 36,000 square feet of family home for the builder of the Great Northern RR. It was magnificent, and amazing that it’s been preserved. After lunch we drove to Minneapolis to see the Old Mill Museum; the building had been the site of a historic General Mills flour mill. The tour was intriguing, and the views of the river and its falls were beautiful.

But now it’s time to move on…more next time.