Transcript Exploring The Mississippi Bluffs on the Great River Road

Exploring The Mississippi
Bluffs on the Great River
Road HWY 61
Authored By :Shannon Quanrud
Day One……ReD Wing
As a couple John and I will arrive first at the Bed and
breakfast Golden Lantern Red Wing Inn, at 8 AM.
We get a quick lunch at Subway walking distance from the Inn.
Our first destination is the Falconer Vineyard that
makes up the Great River Road Wine trail, which is
walking distance from the Inn. This is where we will
have the opportunity to taste Riesling and Frontenac
wine. Since this was a package we purchased, we then
return back to the Inn to get our messages.
Next we walk to the Port restaurant which was
once a bank vault that now holds a collection
over 50 different wines. We have a great dinner
and walk back to our Inn, to rest for our next
DestinatiOn………..
Day tWO……Wabasha
Our second Bed and Breakfast we stay at is the American
Eagle Bluff Bed and Breakfast.
We will first visit the National Eagle Center since we
cannOt check in at the inn until 5pm. tODay’s event is
the Migration Celebration, which begins at 10:30.
Our breakfast that morning is a continental one from the
Golden Lantern Red Wing Inn.
While visiting the center we
will discover the centers own
eagles…this is haRRiet
Harriet, hatched in 1981, came to the National Eagle Center in 2000 after two years of
rehabilitation at the Raptor Center in St. Paul, MN. Her permanent injuries were the result
of a vehicular accident. Serious and irreversible damage was sustained on her left side; it
left her unable to fly and thus was unable to be re-release into the wild.
We get a bite to eat at the center for lunch. After our visit at
the center we head to The American Eagle Bluff Inn.
slippeRy’s Bar and Grille was referred to in the movie Grumpy
Old Men.
John and I have a great dinner riverside at slippeRy’s. We
purchase two t-shirts from their gift shop. They are the two
shown.
After dinner, we head back to the Inn where we enjoy the beautiful
view of the Mississippi and Chippewa River. it’s such a clear day, we
have an unobstructed view of 25 miles from our suite.
Day thRee…… WinOna
Our last bed and breakfast destination is the Alexander
Mansion, originally built in 1836.
We check in at 8 AM into the D.C. Alexander Suite. On the way we
get a bite to eat at McDonalds.
The Alexander mansion was originally built for a local judge,
Thomas Wilson. This mansion was built in the WinOna’s tuRn Of the
century lumber baron style. Then the Alexander family moved in
and lived there for nearly 50 years. Now the bed and breakfast
optly holds the Alexander name.
the Julia belle sWain cRuise……………
JOhn anD i Will begin OuR last Day tRansfORmeD back tO the 1800’s On
an authentic paddleboat, meandering along the Mississippi River
along the dramatic wooded bluffs of the upper Mississippi. We also
get to go through two locks and dams.
Lunch and snacks are served accompanied by music and a historical
narrator.
After our paddle boat tour, we come back to the Inn and check out
the tanDem fROm the innkeepeR…a bike fOR tWO. in aDvance We haD
them fill a basket for dinner from the local Acoustic café.
With our basket filled with dinner and a blanket, we take the tandem
on an adventure . We ride the path around the beautiful Lakes of
Winona where we find the perfect spot to take in the beauty of the
bluffs, soaring eagles and the activities all around us. Then its back
hOme tO Reality…..cambRiDge that is.
Total cost for our trip along the Mississippi Bluffs…………..
Costs of the three Bed and Breakfast Inns
Golden Lantern-$159.00 plus $99.00 for the Vineyard and message package.
American Eagle Bluff Bed and Breakfast-$175.00.
Alexander Mansion-$229.00
Total for the Inns……$.662.00
Cost of food for the three day trip
Day one food cost- Lunch @Subway-$10.00
Dinner @Port Restaurant-$95.00
Cost of fuel$32.00
Day two food cost- Breakfast-free, continental
Lunch @Eagle Center-$15.00
Dinner @Slippery’s-$50.00
Day three food cost-Breakfast @McDonalds-$6.00
Lunch on boat, came with admission
$662.00
Dinner-Picnic basket from Acoustie Café’-$25.00
$201.00
Total for food……$201.00
$32.00
$136.00
Cost of extra’s
Total cost of trip $1,031.00
Admission to Eagle Center-$16.00
T-shirts@ Slippery’s-$30.00
Tour boat-$90.00
Total for extra’s…..$136.00
Driving directions from Cambridge to Winona
Go North on CR-70
Turn right onto MN-95
Take MN-65 S ramp on right
Take I-694 E ramp
Take exit 47(I-35 E S)ramp
Take exit 107A(I-94 E, US-52 S, 10th St, Wacouta St) on left
Take I-94 E (US-52 S,US-10 E) ramp on left
Take exit 244(US-10, US -61 S) on right
Continue onto US-10 E (US-61 S)
Turn left onto US-10(Point Douglas Drive S)
Continue onto US-10
Turn right onto WI-35(Broad St. N, CR-Q)
Continue onto WI-35(CR-Q)
Continue onto -35
Turn right onto US-63
Continue onto US-62
Turn right onto US-63(MN-58, Highway 58 Blvd, Plum St)
Turn right onto US-61(US-63, Highway 61 Blvd, W Main St)
Bear right onto US-61(US-63, Highway 61 Blvd)
Continue onto US-61( S Lakeshore Dr)
Continue onto US-61
Turn left onto MN-60(Pembroke Av)
Turn left onto MN-60(4th Grant Blvd W)
map………