First Few Days on the River

We’ve had our first few days on the river.

We went through out first few locks! Amazing. Especially going down, like being in a giant bathtub when someone pulls the plug.

We met friends at 34th St beach where Robnoxious hosted a lovely going away party for the crew of the Secret History shantyboat. He said, “It’s kind of a tradition.” Rob put out the word on the PunkNet. Friends I hadn’t seen in ages made it.

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We stayed at this beach for two nights.

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When we got rolling again, we immediately got to go through Ford Lock and Dam #1.

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We went through the Gorge and saw Minihaha Creek and passed the confluence of the Minnesota River, the sacred area called the bdote by the Dakota people.  See Mona Smith’s amazing Bdote Memory Map for significant Dakota places in the area.

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We motored into St Paul and docked at the Harriet Island public docks and crossed the river for supplies. As a train rolled by on one side and a train of barges beneath us, we could look down and see how dwarfed the shantyboat was by the other traffic on the river.

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We enjoyed a late dinner of grilled fried egg sandwiches as the sun set from a confusing direction over St. Paul.

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Comments

One response to “First Few Days on the River”

  1. Keren Lowell Avatar
    Keren Lowell

    I am living vicariously through your adventure. When I was young, and lived in St. Paul, I thought that this would be the one thing I’d like to do before I die – go down the Mississippi in a small craft. I’m in Alaska now, and there are big rivers here, but not like the Mississippi. Have fun, y’all.