Twin Cities back to Quad Cities Sept. 2013

Two weeks plus have flown by! When last we ‘spoke’, it was time to drive to Sharon, PA from our ‘vacation condo’ in NY. 

About 15 Cutlass Submariners gathered at Buhl Park Golf Club in Sharon on Sept. 19, along with about 25 family members and friends of William Thompson, the Cutlass shipmate who was lost at sea fifty -five years ago.  A beautiful granite bench had been installed near the first tee on the ‘only free golf course in the country’ where Bill had excelled as a golfer in his youth.  

The dedication ceremony included an honor guard, a soloist, remarks from Thompson family members and the pastor of the Thompson family’s church, very moving memories shared by shipmates, and taps.  Bill Dunsmore, nephew of Bill Thompson, who lives in Sharon, along with other family members, hosted a beautiful luncheon at the nearby Country Club. We were happy to be able to spend time with Bill’s widow and her sons, as well as meet other members of Bill’s family.

Cutlass shipmates share memories

This event provided closure for a lot of folks, as well as a beautiful bench for the golf course.     www.sharonherald.com   Search the Sharon paper for Thompson memorial or Buhl Park if you’d like to see the local coverage.

Two days later, we were back in the Twin Cities where our most generous harbor hosts, Liz and Steve not only met our plane, but took us grocery shopping and loaned us a car so we could visit with Carl and Roberta Gronemann,, who live in Mpls.  Carl, now age 92, was the skipper of the Cutlass during Fred’s tour of duty, which ended just before Bill’s untimely death.  A good visit. 

And then we were off---heading north to find the end of navigation of the Mighty Mississippi.   It was a fun day trip—first through downtown St. Paul and then downtown Mpls.   Who knew that St. Anthony Falls (the only waterfall on the Mississippi) was so [small but] beautiful, and so important to the growth of the Twin Cities?

St. Anthony Falls hidden by large mooring cells

Four miles above the Upper St. Anthony Lock we approached a sad little bridge with a well worn sign telling us (pleasure craft) that to proceed under the bridge and beyond would be most dangerous.  The End. 

We were not at the headwaters of the River.  The Army Corps of Engineers stops guaranteeing a 9’deep channel where we turned around; 857.6 miles north of Cairo, IL.  A dam crosses the river at Coon Rapids (mile 866) and has no lock, so boats that can’t be portaged (that would include us!) can’t pass.  200+/- miles further northwest is Lake Itasca, generally considered to be the River’s source. 

We 'went about as fur as we could go'. And the leaves are turning red, so it was time to turn around and head south...

Through a series of convoluted events,

First dockage, Bohemian Flats near the U of M bridge. Had to climb over the fence to get out.

we spent the night in downtown Minneapolis, sharing a dock with the MINNEPOLIS QUEEN and PARADISE LADY, a pair of excursion boats. 

Second dockage--same fence, but with gate, lock and friends!

Enjoyed boat tours, conversation and dessert with Captain Dave . 

Next day we walked along the River (there is a well maintained walking/biking trail) past the memorial for the 13 folks who died when the I-35 Bridge collapsed.

That steel bridge has been replaced with a solid concrete one.  From there we walked  just a few blocks more, and toured the ruins of the Gold Medal Flour mill.

In the early 1800’s, the power of St. Anthony Falls was harnessed to generate energy for (among other things) Gold Medal (think Betty Crocker) and Pillsbury (think Dough Boy), on opposite banks of the River.  Wheat arrived from the grain belt--mostly Montana and the Dakotas, by train, and outgoing sacks of flour filled train cars 24/7 until the mills closed in the 1960’s.  In 1991 fire destroyed part of the General Mills building, and the ruin remains, with a unique 8 story elevator tour explaining the operations.  

 Across the street stands the new Tyrone Guthrie Theater, a $1.25 million commitment to the revitalization of the River Walk area. 

We left the Twin Cities, having not even scratched the surface of all they have to offer.  Music, art, sports—a lot is happening there.  On the “next time” list in addition to the Cities, is the St. Croix River.  We wanted to take the left turn and go up about 25 miles to Stillwater, MN, and made the decision not to.  An aside--in a video at the Mill we learned that as Minnesota grew, St. Paul got the Capitol and the State Fair, Minneapolis got the University, and Stillwater got the Prison.

The reason not to go up the St. Croix is that grandson Paul M. will be recognized as an Eagle Scout  in a Court of Honor ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 5.  We plan to be there to celebrate with him, and so set our sights on the Quad Cities.  We scurried down the river!  We stopped at Watergate, a fine marina in St. Paul, Treasure Island, a Native American Casino and Resort, Great River Marina, an amazing spot for 200+ motor homes and a zillion houseboat rentals, Lincoln, IA--curiously called the home of 'granny basketball',  Dubuque where we met a couple who are living on a 72' paddle wheeler, Sabula, where Bombfire pizza was closed, but the Restaurant was open, and now (Tuesday) are back in Moline, IL---the Quad Cities. 

 Saturday was the first rainy, windy day we’ve seen in a long time, and it really made up for lost time!  We endured strong, gusting winds, opposing the current, of course and stirring up giant whitecaps, big waves crashing over the bow, a cloudburst that blew the rain horizontally and reduced visibility to zero (but only for a few minutes), and despite that, we covered 84 miles, went through 6 locks and a railroad bridge (too low to go under so it had to open for us).  And Fred was blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back.     J Everything else is true.    It was a day to remember!

And so Sunday we did it again.  84 miles but only 3 locks and one bridge---without the rain, but there was thick fog until 9 a.m. We're riding with the current now, and our speed is a breathtaking 9+ miles per hour!  Who knows how fast we'd go without that pesky wind on our nose?

A word about the locks.  We’re used to the floating bollards, and Lock # 1 and the  Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls locks had some nifty ones.  Brightly painted and shaped for ease of line tossing and retrieving. 

This rest of this week’s locks are shallow---only a 6-11 foot drop so the lockmasters toss us lines to hold as we go down, and then just let go.  Trouble is the lines are too short for our ‘bigger than the average boat’, and with the wind wanting to turn the boat 90 degrees in the lock, we decided to attempt ‘floating’ when alone in the chamber.  Works like a charm!  No lines, no muddy fenders (lock walls are slimy and yukky).  We simply sit in the middle of the lock and let the engines (not the crew) hold the boat in place.  Sweet!

Today we weren’t alone in Lock #12, and had to tie up, so we used 100’ lines on the

bow and stern cleats and looped them around the fixed bollard on the top of the lock wall. Worked like a charm.  

(if you non-boaters are glassy eyed by now, please forgive me.)  

Our partner in lock #12 was TWILIGHT, an excursion paddle wheeler, and as she exited the lock, the captain turned her perpendicular to the shore.   He dropped the gangway, and a young man stepped aboard carrying what appeared to be a musical instrument.  Man aboard, ladder up and away we go.  

There is always something new---like the train that backed across a bridge and out of sight.  There were about 30 cars with the engine, facing forward, bringing up the rear. You can’t make this stuff up.

 We had dinner with my brother tonite, and Thursday fly to NY for a week.  The blog will resume in two weeks…

Until them, be well, and continue to breathe!