Day 26 Mississippi River - Nicollet Island, Minneapolis
After a long night with the Andrews sleeping in on a real bed felt great (first time this trip not in the tent or hammock). I woke up and hopped in the shower as both Andrew D. and Max knocked off the cobwebs. With Andrew C. off to work the three of us made a run into target for some supplies and food to make breakfast.
Once back we all chipped in on a delicious meal- egg scramble with onion and red pepper and yogurt topped with fresh strawberries.
Max and I packed up our gear and loaded up Andrew D's car. The plan was to drive us past the mile and a half portage at St. Anthony's dam. We also needed to swing by the local gear shop to grab a few things. With Andrews blue Subaru loaded to the brim with gear and 2 canoes on top we hit the road.
Andrew led us on a quick pit stop to a pedestrian bridge overlooking St. Anthony's falls, which was once the only natural waterfall on the entire Mississippi (it has since been damned, but still offers a sense of the falls). The bridge also gave way to some great views of downtown Minneapolis.
Next stop was Midwest Mountaineering, the one stop shop for Minneapolis outdoor adventurers. Max picked up some fuel and talked with a salesmen about his stove. He had been having a few issues with it and wanted to see if the folks at the shop had any answers (in short...they did not). I picked up some batteries and a kayak paddle. Watching Max cruise with a kayak paddle in his canoe made me realize that it would be a worth while purchase. Not only do you go a touch quicker, but the kayak paddle works a slightly different muscle group than a canoe paddle does. I carry a spare paddle just in case, so I figured having a kayak paddle as the new spare makes sense.
We wrapped up our errands at the shop and drove to the put in below the dam. Andrew helped unload all of our gear as we packed up the boats and got ready to hit the water. After good byes and thank you's we pushed off back into the Mighty Miss around 2pm.
The first lock and dam of the trip met us about 10 miles from our put in. It was quite the experience entering the steel gate and holding onto a rope as the lock emptied itself of water, lowering us about 20 feet in the process and putting us level with the opposite side of the dam. From here on out dozens of locks will allow us to avoid any more portages- a big plus!
Following lock and dam 1 we worked our way past downtown St. Paul and found a spot to camp several miles past the city, right across the river from the St. Paul airport. Changes in the river were already evident. We spotted the first barge of the trip merging with the Mississippi from the Minnesota river. A milestone and evidence of what's to come for the remainder of the adventure.
Low flying planes buzzed overhead as they came into land at the airport just across the river from our camp. I pitched the hammock and called it a night feeling refreshed from a slow morning and solid afternoon.
A great stay with the Andrews. A great time in Minneapolis. Now onward south.
