Minneapolis-St Paul

Minneapolis MN and Stone Arch Bridge

Even though I put Minneapolis-St. Paul in the title, we are actually staying at a regional park in Apple Valley.  It is a great park with large clean sites, good TV and cell reception and fast wifi, so I can write this blog.  I have spent a lot of time looking out the window and waiting for the humans to come home. They sure have left me a lot. 

Thursday they spent most of the day at the Mall of America.  Its huge, there are 4.3 miles of total store front footage.  If you spend 10 minutes in each store, it would take 86 hours to see all the stores! (that doesn't include all the kiosks in the walkways or the  amusement park in the center.)  They drove around downtown Minneapolis to check things out and then came back to tell me all about it. 

Mississippi River Boat

St Anthony Lock

Friday they booked a trip on a cruise on the Mississippi River.  (Thankfully, I was not invited along!).  They got to see the skyline, learn a little history about the area and go through the St Andrews Locks.  They even got to see a bald eagle fishing on the shoreline. (I've never seen one, but I hear they taste just like robins)

St. Paul Cathedral

Today was mostly spent in St Paul.  They visited Wabasha Street Caves, which are sandstone caves along the river that were used as a nightclub during prohibition, as a place to grow mushrooms and as a dump for the trash from a flood in the '50s.  They learned about the gangsters that visited the club and some of the things that happened there involving them.  Sorry, I can't show you any pictures of the inside of the caves---it is all copyright protected and I didn't want to take the time to get the ok from the owners.  After that the rest of the day was spent at the Minnesota History Center.  I hear it was really nice.  Great displays and lots of interactive things that even adult humans enjoyed.  There was a special Smithsonian exhibit there and also live entertainment related to the Dakota Indian tribe---so admission was free.  They have one exhibit where you sit in the fuselage of a WWII airplane and learn about paratroopers, but you feel like you are actually flying and getting shot at.  Finally the "plane" crashes and catches fire.  It was all done with lights and sound effects, but very realistic.  Another traces the history of a house (which is recreated in the museum) and its occupants for the last 125 years.

They are home now and I'm getting some much deserved petting and treats.  We are on the move again---hopefully to somewhere that has a lot of birds for me to watch out of the window.  I'm a little confused, they mentioned that we are going to Cape Cod, but then they said something about going home.....who knows!

Living roof at Lebanon Park 

Minnesota State Capitol