Minneapolis, Minnesota

I am writing this at the end of January 2019, when the Twin Cities were in the grip of weather that is simply unfathomable to me. So let me dispense with the obvious - the Deanes are not going to live in Minneapolis.

We stopped in Minneapolis/St. Paul primarily to see Ramona's super-brainy cousin Connor, who is working on his doctorate in organic chemistry and teaching and researching and, between all this, finding time to grab dinner with us at the Blue Door Pub before heading back to his apartment for a night of studying. Yikes! We were happy to see him and happy those days are behind us (although my college days bore no resemblance to his hectic schedule!)

Fortunately mid-October in Minneapolis/St. Paul was just enjoyably cool and beautifully sunny. Minnehaha Park was alive with students and strange stuffed animal creatures checking out the waterfall at the confluence of Minnehaha creek with the Mississippi River, and navigating miles of wooded trails right in the heart of Minneapolis.

Is Pippi judging that poor fellow? Or is she simply feeling peckish?

Another must-see is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, an 11-acre park with modern art installations including the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry. Dorian challenged some kids to knock him off a hanging platform on one of the installations - it took them a while, because Dorian has fantastic balance.

Would We Come Back here?

We would happily stop here again. We liked the campground we found, Lebanon Hills Campground. I'd stay there again, if they let me. (On our trip, I damaged very little grass in any campground. At this particular campground, they have signs everywhere telling you to keep your vehicle off the grass to avoid damaging it. I managed to spin my tires very briefly on their grass and someone came rushing over and started filling in the rut before I was even done backing into our space. They all seemed very polite about it, but I am sure I could sense the burning resentment.) They had good wifi, good cell signal, weren't too far from downtown Minneapolis, etc. All good.

Would We Live Here?

As stated pretty clearly above... No. Of course, with global warming, who knows? At least Minneapolis has plenty of water. There is a lot to be said for that.

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