| With the rain and the
cold, we finally decided that we had had enough of Minnesota. We had planned
to go to the source of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca but for a whole
variety of reasons we decided not to. So we turned south from Grand Rapids,
the highest navigable point, and followed the river south. Even at this
stage, less than 100 miles from the source, it would be regarded as a major
river, let alone what it will be 2000 miles south of here. |  |
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It is that time of year so the geese are pairing up, like many other of
nature's creatures. 25,000 years ago the Sperior lobe glacier advanced across
Minnesota from the North East. 16,000 years ago another glacier (called the
Des Moines glacier because that's how far south it reached) crossed
Minnesota from the North West. The former brought poor soil and the latter
created rich soil. So much of Northern Minnesota has poor soil whereas the
southern part and northern Iowa is rich farmland. Here at Elk River there is
a mixture. |
| We continued south
towards the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul on opposite banks of the
Mississippi. Now we started to get city architecture since this is a large
conurbation.. |  |
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It is also fairly prosperous so the buildings are higher and more modern.
One can have one's own views as to whether this is better or worse. |
| We have seen buildings
like this in many other US cities, particularly in the mid west. The stepped
structure allows more offices or flats to have the spectacular view, whether
it be over largely flat countryside or some water feature. Here we are on the southern edge of Minneapolis
approaching the suburb of Bloomington. |  |
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Bloomington is the home of 'Mall of America', supposedly the largest single
structure mall in the US. The immediate car parks were too small for us so
we headed for the overflow (see below). Minnesota and Wisconsin are supposed
to be the most Scandinavian states, so we were not surprised to see...IKEA. I know it is near the end of the
school year but do all the kids go shopping? |
| The answer is 'of course
not!' The whole central section of this mall is filled with an amusement
park. Although the shops are on three levels, I don't think the shopping
area is as big as Meadowhall (a similar mall in Sheffield England) and
certainly not as big as the Metro centre at Gateshead. I'm not sure if
this is a shop or part of the amusements, but it is certainly one of the
larger LEGO displays we've seen (but we've never been to Legoland). |  |
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Complete with spaceships flying above. Here you can see the three floors. As
far as the shops go, they were almost all familiar names in any US mall and
a lot of them would be familiar in any UK mall. |
| The amusement hall is
huge, and with the kids from the buses outside, extremely noisy. You have to
pay to go in, and the price decreases as you get older. Usually it's the
other way round. |  |
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The rides are much as you would expect, but with three stories (and the
fourth 'entertainment floor') there is plenty of scope for the gravity defying rides. |
| The shops are a little
more serene and with it being a weekday, relatively empty. They are all the
sorts of places you can't really afford to shop or branches of major mid
range chains - those that can afford the rents. Perhaps it was empty because
the credit crunch is really biting here. |  |
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Major department stores occupy the four corners: Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom
and Bloomingdales. The entrances are very grand, but in many ways they are
all the same. They trade on their names. |
| The window displays were
interesting although quite what a huge bronze rhino has to do with selling
anything, I 'm not sure. Some of the 'little girl' shops were interesting,
but only for the sophistication and price of clothes for the 4-8 year olds.
Given the emphasis the Americans place on child protection, it seems a
little out of place. |  |
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Perfectly in place in Minnesota is this Lake Wobegon shop. We regularly
listen to Garrison Keeler's show 'A Prairie Home Companion' where he tells
tales of life around Lake Wobegon. However the merchandise does not
complement the show well so Jan didn't buy anything. Now if you could bottle
the voice.... |
| End of term for American
high schools means 'Prom' time where all the girls must have an outrageously
expensive 'Prom' dress. I presume Jessica McClintock is some TV or Hollywood
starlet with a perfect figure and a shrewd business manager. |  |
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So back to the campsite where we found the Minnesota campers. Note the heavy
clothes, the woollen gloves and the open log fire. Everywhere we go the
Americans have to have an open log fire at the campground, perhaps it's
meant to keep the mosquitoes at bay. But don't bring your out-of-state
firewood, it might harbour the emerald ash borer, an insect which is causing some
devastation in many of the forests. |
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