Another campground, another state! This one is on the Mississippi River, which we’ve been skirting for a while. The riverside towns are just charming—lots of turn-of-the-century architecture, and very neatly tended. Stillwater, in Minnesota, had oodles of shops, cafes and restaurants, and even a couple of paddle wheelers! The European history of this area goes back to early French trappers and explorers in the late 17th century, and lots of towns with names like Trempealeau and St. Croix attest to that French heritage.
The Great River State Trail cuts right through Perrot State Park, and it lies adjacent to the Trempealeau Wildlife Preserve. I give kudos to Minnesota and Wisconsin for having really great state parks. The campsites are well spaced out and private, and the bathrooms are the best I’ve seen! Plus, the staff are always so friendly and helpful (maybe it’s a midwest thing?). Lots of hiking trails add to the fun.
It was really too bad that, the day I got to Perrot, I finally had to deal with a bad tooth that’s been bothering me for a while. I’d tried to ignore it, hoping I could get back home before seeing a dentist, but the tooth wasn’t having it. Pain drove me to contact a local dental chain, and they took me the very next day (Friday), examined me, and pulled the offending tooth all in one visit. It did rather hamper my enjoyment of the park, though, so I ended up taking an extra two nights, letting Russ go ahead of me by two days.
The next day after the extraction, the boys and I set out along the River View Trail, with its great views of the Mississippi and abutting wetlands. The Mississippi is by no means a tidy river—it spills and sloshes out all along its banks, with streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds and sloughs everywhere. This all makes for incredible waterfowl habitat, so I took my binoculars everywhere. Unfortunately, I was too busy looking to remember to record what I was seeing. After following the mostly flat river trail for a couple of miles, I decided to head back by climbing over Brady’s Bluff (because OF COURSE), at 520 feet the highest point around. Spectacular views of the Mississippi and the vertical sandstone cliffs along its banks. Not to mention the amazing mile or so of hand-placed stone steps and wooden staircases up the steep western side of the bluff. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Sorry. Set my recently-abused mouth throbbing, but worth it.
Early the next morning (Sunday), we went to the Trempealelau Wildlife Prserve, and drove the car-accessible viewing loop. The weather was, unfortunately, cool and grey, under heavy clouds, but at the visitors center there was a viewing platform where I saw thousands of white pelicans flying slowly by in long skeins, low above the water, and lots of wood ducks, which seem to be everywhere around here. So pretty! I’ve shifted to a new campsite for the extra nights, and I’m right next to a small pond where I can sit and watch the black ducks and wood ducks dabble about. I even saw two more sandhill cranes very near the road.
We are moving in and out of states much faster now, now that we’ve left the giant western states (I’m looking at you, Montana), so my next stop will be in Iowa for three days, then on to Illinois.