Tom Sawyer for a Day

Saturday, Day 4

 

We landed last night here last night in Minneapolis, where we've parked to enjoy the twin cities with friends for a few days. "Twin Cities," I only now figured out, refers to Minneapolis and St. Paul. The two are apparently in a state of perpetual friendly sibling rivalry, much like Calgary and Edmonton. I still haven`t determined where the one city ends and the other begins, but I`ll have until Monday to get it straightened out...

This was our "Great Outdoors Day", including a tour of the Mississippi via riverboat:


The Mississippi River as seen from between the railings on the bow of our river boat. Ahead you can see where the Minnesota River (the left branch) joins the Mississippi (right).

Showy flowers seem to bloom
everywhere in the park

And an excursion around Como Park,
an admission-by-donation zoo and conservatory.

A rainforest conservatory in Como Park. That fur-ball in the top right?
It`s a sloth.

Minneapolis--and St. Paul--are both beautiful cities full of park space, wild-growing sunflowers, and enormous, bushy trees. Driving here through North Dakota, we had fun watching the little prairie trees near Saskatchewan change into the massive maples and oaks here in Minnesota. 

One such lovely tree. The river has exposed the giant tangles of roots
under most trees along the banks of the Mississippi.