Day 8 - Travel Day to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

By: Gary and Sally Johnson - Adventure 8

Gary and Sally with JJ

What a beautiful day!  Instead of the blustery winds and occasional rain we had yesterday, today was sunny and comfortably cool, and the slanted autumn sunlight accentuated the changing foliage along the way.  We quickly left St. Paul behind us and were soon in Wisconsin on the Great River Road on the east side of the river.  Where we crossed into Wisconsin, the St. Croix River had just entered the Mississippi and added to the volume of water.  And that was the theme for today – more and more water as we crossed back and forth between Wisconsin and Minnesota.  We had the river in sight for almost the entire trip.  It was dammed at several points along the way, making long, shallow lakes like Lake Pepin , and locks aided in navigation.  We saw more and more barges, bigger marinas, and higher and longer bridges as we progressed down the river.  The bluffs seemed to increase as well, both in size and coverage until both sides of the river were flanked by solid lines of tree covered hills.

Lake St. Croix, just before it enters the Mississippi.

Our first stop was at the Great River Road Visitor Center in Prescott, Wisconsin.  There we learned about early uses of the river by the Indians and then about logging (log rafts the size of an aircraft carrier sent down the river), clamming (used mostly for buttons), and other commerce.  Next we visited Red Wing, Minnesota, where we stopped at the visitor center and then the flagship store of Red Wing Shoes.  There we saw the world’s largest boot (size 638 1/2, 20 feet long and 16 feet wide) and the Red Wing museum.  Red Wing was a lovely small town.  Today we passed through many of these small towns on both sides of the river, all picturesque and very clean.

Red Wing, Minnesota train depot and visitor center

Gary demonstrates just how big the world's biggest shoe is.  A person fitting this boot would stand 120 feet tall.  It weighs 2300 pounds and is made out of real leather.

As we continued down the Mississippi, we saw increasing numbers of wetlands and bayou-like areas.  Numerous islands dotted the river, sometimes obscuring the real size of the water flow. We passed the confluence with the Chippewa and Trempealeau Rivers and countless other smaller streams.

The Mississippi flows on.

Caravan rigs stopped along the way to admire the view.

Late in the afternoon we got to our RV park, Sports Unlimited Campground in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin.  We weren’t there long before we heard a thundering train running right next to the campground.  And that highlighted another use for the river – an easy path for railroads.  We are looking forward to seeing more!