Farewell to the River...

Before we left New Orleans, it was time to farewell the Mississippi River. We had traced it from near its frozen headwaters in Minnesota down through all the river states to Louisiana, and we got as close to where it spills into the Gulf of Mexico as the road would allow. We had crossed the river in over a dozen locations, as we criss-crossed between the states.

New Orleans' "Monument to the Immigrant"

Our final crossings were on the free pedestrian ferry which runs from the bottom of Canal St over to Algiers, and back, according to some timetable would could not find. This ferry has to contend with strong flows and heavy river traffic. The ferry affords good views back to the city and French Quarter, but there was no need to hang around in Algiers - we came straight back.

Here, the Creole Queen, the pedestrian ferry and an oil tanker manoeuvre around each other.

Railway/trolley lines run along the river side of the French Quarter, and there is a pleasant riverside walk. We sat here on several occasions for some time - there's a lot of traffic to watch on this river. We saw two cruise ships that had arrived undetected (by us).

New Orleans street-cars ply along a riverfront route, with the giant twin-span bridges in the background.

Like many US cities, very long goods trains pass right through or alongside the CBD, this one on the same thoroughfare as the street-cars use.

The Natchez riverboat runs from the French Quarter riverfront, but it was out of action for winter maintenance for the duration of our visit. Instead, we did an evening dinner/jazz cruise on the paddlesteamer Creole Queen which goes several miles downriver, then struggles against the current to return. The city view at night is nice, but it ain't Manhattan! A daytime cruise would be more interesting - the Creole Queen also goes to the Chalmette Battlefield, but we had already been there.

At night, the most distinctive building of the New Orleans skyline as seen from the crescent in the river is the Harrahs Casino.

Maybe the most interesting feature of the riverfront is the flood precautions. There is a continuous levee, but it is interrupted in places to allow service traffic, as well as trains and trolleys. At each interruption, there is a huge sliding lock door which can be closed to keep the water out. It is defences such as this which apparently failed during Katrina. The fact that the river level is higher than the ground in the French Quarter is painfully apparent, just standing on the levee.

All along the riverfront, the levee is supplemented by a sturdy wall to hold back rising tides. Huge sliding gates can be closed when required.

Chilling in Minneapolis-St.Paul...

On New Year's Day, we sadly headed out of Duluth for the drive south to Minneapolis MN and our first sighting of the Mississippi River. Again, we preferred a scenic route (WI-35) to the Interstate. The road was in much better shape than the road we took into Duluth, although the country is still 100% snow covered. It was an interesting route, populated by many small towns, some of which were quite pretty. In particular, there was Osceoia, quite hilly amongst a lot of flat country, and featuring two cascade waterfalls in its downtown. A resident told us that they were lit up at night, and was disappointed we weren't staying the night. He also said the walk down the stairs into the valley for a better view is extremely slippery and hazardous and "you would die going down there", but it would be worth it at night! Also on this drive we passed numerous lakes and they all seem to have waterfront houses scattered around them, with the odd ice-fisherman in action. We discovered that the New Year's Day holiday is taken seriously in this part of the country - almost every shop and establishment was closed in these towns. At St. Croix Falls, on the St Croix River, the visitors centre was closed and we couldn't find the falls.

It remains bitterly cold. The news is full of the arctic storm sweeping across north-eastern states. The TV says its a three dog night! The front page of the Minneapolis StarTribune for 03Jan says "if you think you've been cold before, get ready ... the Twin Cities will experience the sort of bone-shuddering cold that your grandparents used to talk about". Schools are closed. But, here at least we are not getting heavy snowfalls. It is just plain, unbelieveably cold! On Monday, the expected temperature will be the lowest for 25 years, with -40C (incl. wind chill) predicted.

We first spotted the Mississippi River at Coon Rapids, a northern Minneapolis suburb. These rapids apparently define the upper navigable limit on the river, but all we really got was a glimpse here, limited by heavy uncleared snow and "area closed" signs and fencing for some undefined maintenance project.

This spillway was all we could see of the much wider Mississippi River at Coon Rapids.

In Minneapolis we elected to stay just out of downtown to save money on our roadtrip budget. We stayed at the Days Inn at the University of Minnesota campus - while our room was basic, the location proved to be good and the staff were very helpful. We used the free hotel shuttle to commute into town and back.

One of very many huge building atriums in the Minneapolis Skyway.

Minneapolis itself is a real eye-opener. It must be the biggest city on the Mississippi and it has adapted to its bitter weather perfectly. Downtown has developed the Skyway concept (that we first saw in Duluth) to perfection. The network is extensive and comprehensive, and many city buildings have effectively dedicated their second floor to providing public walkways. In the department stores (like Macys and Saks Fifth Avenue), the walkway passes right through the shopping space. Other buildings surround the Skyway with busy food courts and retail outlets. Some turn their Skyway into huge and beautiful atriums. Away from the shopping district, the Skyway network passes beside law courts and offices and municipal departments. The Skyway traverses the theatre district and sports stadiums, and most importantly, links directly to huge carparks and transport terminals. By contrast, the street level of Minneapolis (in this frigid weather at least), is almost devoid of pedestrians and shop fronts. Most shops open inwards, to the buildings containig them.

As the Skyway passes through a Wells Fargo Bank, we encountered the Bank's museum.

Good coffee and healthy food can be obtained at Caribou Coffee. We first discovered this franchise in Duluth, but outlets are abundant in Minneapolis (and elsewhere, we imagine). Six years ago, when we visited New York, good espresso was very hard to find, but we now believe that Americans are at last discovering the European (and Australian) concept of a cafe, and they are proving to be popular enough to ensure their success and growth. We note that most people are ordering very large concoctions with flavours and syrups added - the barista confirmed with us that what we really wanted was "small size skim cappucino extra dry", not larger, no flavouring etc. Dry means less milk, maybe more froth.

The best coffee we can find in Minnesota is at Caribou Coffee, and stores are everywhere!

Admittedly, it is the holiday season, but businesses are open, yet the streets of Minneapolis are as devoid of traffic as they are of pedestrians. The wide boulevards are mostly empty! The car parks are full, but the city has managed to keep th traffic off the streets. Compare that to Sydney! There are many buses, and there is also a light rail system which is currently under expansion.

The Minneapolis light rail passes one of the dozens of pedestrian bridges in the Skyway system. We had a picnic lunch looking out from a Skyway window here.

We got a much better view of the mighty river here. From the 3rd Avenue Bridge, we could see more cascades, but also locks to enable shipping to traverse. The water in the locks looked to be frozen, and we figure there is not much traffic at this time of the year. Unfrozen and running water was evident over the cascades. Even this far north, the Mississippi is a beautiful and very wide waterway.

Posing and freezing on the Mississippi bridge at the 3rd Ave crossing.

Old stone bridge and shipping lock on the Mississippi River at Minneapolis.

This eagle proved his fishing skills by finding something delectable.

A pleasant surprise was the Radisson Hotel, called The Depot which is in the old central station for the Milwaukee and Rock Island Railway. The public areas of the hotel are decorated in old railway style, and the walls are covered with railway posters and memorabilia. It's really well done, and looks great. The "shed" where we imagine the trains actually terminated is now a popular ice rink.

The Radisson Hotel is in the Rock Island Line's old railway station.

The hotel is decorated with statues depicting old railway staff and customers.

An ice skating rink occupies the shed where steam trains used to arrive.

A reflected railway station in 3rd Ave, Minneapolis.

That company, Target, recently beleagured by a security scandal involving customers' credit card details, is headquartered in Minneapolis. Target has a big presence here, and have naming rights to at least two major downtown sporting arenas.

Target Field, a major downtown sports arena connected to the Skyway. We think this is for baseball.

Next to our hotel is a sports bar called "The Hole" (this is a university campus, after all). We decided to eat there one evening, and in doing so learned something of American culture. We stumbled in on a bar packed to the gunnels with basketball fans on the way to a match, the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Michigan. This was only a college game, but everyone in the bar was dressed in team colours, maroon and yellow, with a big M. Suddenly (as predicted by the maitre d') everyone left and the bar became virtually deserted within minutes. Almost immediately, we could see on the multiple TV screens that the game had commenced. A waitress told us the stadium was only a few blocks away, but they couldn't possibly have gotten there in time, so it's obviously not that important to see the kick-off. (P.S. The Gophers lost a very tight game.) The following night, we had a drink at the same bar. We finally twigged that it is a "gopher hole". But the barman not only recognised us, but he remembered what we drank! That's pretty impressive when you consider how crowded the bar was last night.

You can't go to Minneapolis without visiting the Mall of America, reportedly the largest shopping mall under one roof in the USA, based on number of stores. Completely enclosed within the mall is a large fun park with a Dora the Explorer theme. With this huge fully enclosed air-conditioned space (surrounded by freezing multi-storey car parks), Minneapolis has again provided its citizens with an antidote to the diabolical cold.

A minotaur is one of many giant Lego statues at the Mall of America.

The Mall of America features a huge "Luna Park", fully inside and protected from the weather.

Is Minnesota the coldest place on earth?

Casino in the Bad River Indian Reservation.

From Minocqua WI we coerced our Garmin navigator to take us the scenic route to Duluth MN. This road traversed several Indian Reservations and thus we were reminded that American Indians gain revenge on white-men who decimated them by being allowed to run casinos! The road for the entire 264km was snow covered, with just two wheel tracks in each direction, and lots of wind flurries to disguise the track and make us nervous. About halfway, we called into Ironwood MI, but the weather here was so bleak, and the snow-cover so heavy, that we decided to push on without actually stopping. Our first sight of Lake Superior was at Ashland WI, and we followed the lake through Superior to its twin town, Duluth.

Lighthouse in frozen Chequamegon Bay, Ashland WI.

Duluth (named after a French fur trapper who caused havoc amongst the Indian population) has been on Clare's bucket list for some time, together with a stay at Fitger's Inn on the waterfront. Neither let us down! Duluth is a beautiful city to visit, and Fitger's is a great hotel, well worth the splurge to stay here.

Hillside houses behind Duluth CBD.

But first, Minnesota generally, and Duluth in particular, must be the coldest place in the world. Just to be outside takes your breath away. For example, on New Year's Eve, we were walking the streets at -23C! And that's before any wind chill factor is included. You can only stand this for so long, and then you have to retreat into a shop somewhere to warm up. Hands and fingers suffer the worst, and the conditions are a gross assault on the skin on your face.

Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge at night.

Duluth is identified by and famous for its opening bridge. This glorious steel structure elevates the road level horizontally upwards (like a lift) to allow giant iron-ore carriers to enter the harbour and load pellets. The canal in is defined by two very attractive navigational lighthouses, and at this time of the year, everything (including the water) is covered in ice and snow, creating a bizarre alien landscape.

Two navigation beacons guard the Duluth entrance to Superior Bay. The water is warmer than the air causing steam to rise.

The local newspaper contains shipping news and we were lucky enough to see one huge carrier enter the narrow canal at some speed and pass under the bridge to the bulk terminals. This is an awesome sight, with the hull so close you can almost touch it. Crowds line the waterway to watch each ship. We had to put the car heater on full bore in the car park to thaw out after this exercise.

Iron ore carrier steaming through the canal and under the elevated bridge.

Two frozen tourists at the Duluth Bridge canal.

Our hotel is an old brewery, run by a company first established by German August Fitger in the 19th Century. The hotel still has a microbrewery in its bar - we sampled the ale there, but they only serve "beer, wine and whiskey", so Clare was disappointed. Every other aspect of the hotel is positive. The staff are friendly and helpful, and, amazingly for an American establishment, they eschew tipping! Valet parking, breakfast and high speed internet are all complimentary, making the high cost of staying here seem much better value.

James Povich painting showing tourist train and Fitger's Inn in summer.

On New Year's Eve, we enjoyed a special dinner at the hotel's fine dining restaurant, Midi. Again, no complaints! Our meal was possibly the best we have enjoyed in the US so far, and we have eaten well everywhere we have been so far.

The entrance to Duluth Harbour and Superior Bay as seen from Fitger's Inn.

We have a lakeside room at the hotel, and in the 3 days were stayed here, we have seen Lake Superior go from no ice, to what appears to be fully frozen. Certainly the ships entering the harbour are ploughing through ice, although we have been told that the lake has only ever fully frozen over twice in living memory. The harbour is about to close for the season. We were amused to see, at a "beach" on the lake, a sign warning swimmers what to do if they are caught in a rip.

Ice crystals in the wild grass at the beach off Minnesota Ave on the long spit.

Evil-looking ice scapes on the beach of Lake Superior.

Many bridges cross Superior Street in the Duluth Skywalk network.

When we first arrived here, Naomi, at the hotel desk, told us how to walk (about 1km) to a nearby Asian restaurant along the lakeside path. What she forgot to tell us was how bitterly cold it would be, and how treacherously slippery the going would be! In fact, all the side-walks in Duluth are treacherous, except where the adjacent business takes personal responsibility for keeping it clear and safe. But Duluth is well prepared for its bad weather, by having a complex network of covered overhead paths and bridges (the Duluth Skywalk, most of which pass through private buildings, enabled much of the CBD to be traversed without venturing outside.

The Duluth Curling Club, as seen from the Skywalk.

Some of the several bridges which cross Superior Bay and St. Louis Bay between Duluth and Superior.

We did a scenic drive on the North Shore of Lake Superior passing many fine homes and old mansions. We drove across the opening bridge to a long skinny spit which protects the harbour. Real estate in both these areas must be the most expensive in the city. Immediately behind the CBD is a steep hill also crowded with housing. Duluth is indeed a unique city with many surprising geographic features, making it most interesting to visit and explore. We are pleased to have visited here, despite the incredible cold.

Coastline of Lake Superior as seen from Duluth North Shore.

Ice fisherman out in the middle of Superior Bay.

One very dirty rental car on the way to the Duluth opening bridge.

Quite solid ice as far as the eye can see from our room window at Fitger's Inn. No steam rises when the surface is frozen.