On day 89 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Prairie du Chien Wisconsin to Minneapolis Minnesota, the ride takes us through beautiful green Wisconsin along the Mississippi on the “Great River Road National Scenic Byway”.

The Great River Road National Scenic Byway follows the course of the Mississippi River for 3,000 miles, from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The scenic route passes through 10 states and hundreds of river towns. The “Great River Road” is perhaps the longest and most important scenic byway in America. The route includes natural, cultural, historical, recreational and scenic features. We drive part of this beautiful route from Prairie du Chien north to the terminus in Prescott Minnesota, over a distance of 285 kilometers.

A total of 29 lock and dam structures have been built along the Great River Road, these are true marvels of engineering. These impressive structures help boats and ships cope with the elevation change on the northern portion of the river, which has an elevation change of 450 feet between Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Granite City, Illinois. There is ample parking space at the “Lock and Dams” and there are also viewpoints. You can also take a tour of some of them. Learn more about the Great River Road at the links in this review.

Several “historic markers” have been placed along the route that explain important events along the Mississippi and there are several stops possible at viewpoints where you can enjoy the panoramas of the Mississippi and surrounding area, and you can also enjoy the birds that live here. to live. A number of these markers and viewpoints are included in the route with a waypoint and POI.

Consider visiting the Great River Road Interpretive Center or the Genoa National Fish Hatchery, which breeds 23 species of fish, including trout, pike and walleye. Guided and self-guided tours are offered. The area has 17 outdoor ponds and 6 race tracks. Due to its location at the confluence of the Bad Ax and Mississippi Rivers, the La Crosse Chapter of the Audubon Society considers this fish hatchery a prime location for bird watching. During a walk among the breeding ponds, inland waters and pools, there is a good chance that you will encounter great egrets, green herons, American bald eagles and spotted and red-headed woodpeckers. Established in 1932, the Hatchery's mission is to restore, conserve and enhance fish and aquatic resources by producing more than 35 aquatic species with varying life stages.
Visitors must first report to the office for orientation on the ongoing fish farming activities. Some activities and amenities for visitors include an aquarium with Mississippi fish, a boardwalk with wetlands and native prairies, including an outdoor classroom, a walking trail and a map of the facility, and culture buildings with multiple species of fish, mussels and amphibians.

The next stop is at the Dahl Auto Museum. Take a walk through time and immerse yourself in the rich history of the most common means of transport, the car. The Dahl Auto Museum celebrates the Dahl family's involvement as car dealers for more than 100 years and 5 generations. It also features the history of the automobile through the eyes of Ford Motor Company, an extensive mascot collection and many beautifully restored classic cars from the turn of the century to the present. A must for classic car enthusiasts.

In Fountain City, visit the Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden and Museum, created by Herman Rusch, born in 1885 to parents who emigrated from East Prussia to Trout Run Valley near Arcadia. In 1952, Rusch retired and to combat boredom in old age, he purchased the Prairie Moon Dance Pavilion and transformed it into a museum. Rusch filled the building with natural phenomena, curiosities, unusual machines and personal memories. Among them were a tree grown around a scythe, a washing machine powered by a goat on a treadmill, and taxidermy specialties such as a fox and a rabbit trapped in a hollow tree trunk.

In 1958, Rusch built his first concrete and stone planter, which led to two new, fascinating interests: the creation of enormous sculptures and accompanying flower beds. Rusch said he just kept building. When you start, you never know where it will end. Without any formal art training, he became a consummate craftsman and artist, searching local quarries for suitable stone and developing exceptional masonry skills.

In just one year, Rusch built a 250-foot arched fence that spans the northern perimeter of the property. The precisely aligned conical posts were built with alternating bands of chiseled white rocks and pie-shaped red bricks, while the arches were cast in concrete over the iron wheels of old grain drills that had been cut in half and stretched. This gracefully curved fence marked the beginning of what would become Rusch's 16-year effort to construct a colorful fantasy world with beautiful sculptures.

The next 250 kilometers to St. Paul we drive along the banks of the Great River, passing villages where we can stop to stretch our legs or have something to eat and drink. In St. Paul we visit Fort Snelling, a former military fort and National Historic Landmark in the US state of Minnesota, located on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. The military site was initially called Fort Saint Anthony, but was renamed Fort Snelling when construction was completed in 1825.

Before the American Civil War, the U.S. military supported slavery at the fort by allowing the soldiers to bring their personal enslaved people. Among them were African Americans Dred Scott and Harriet Robinson Scott, who lived at the fort in the 1830s. In the 1840s, the Scotts sued the state for their freedom, arguing that living in "free territory" therefore made them free, leading to the landmark United States Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford. Slavery ended in the fort just before Minnesota became a state in 1858.

The fort served as the main center for U.S. government forces during the Dakota War of 1862. It was also the site of the concentration camp where noncombatants awaited riverboat transportation during their forcible removal from Minnesota after hostilities ceased. The fort served as a recruiting station during the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and both World Wars before being decommissioned for a second time in 1946. It subsequently fell into disrepair until the lower post was restored to its original form in 1965. At the time, only the round and hexagonal towers remained of the original fortress.

There are now multiple government agencies that own parts of the former fort, with the Minnesota Historical Society managing the site. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manages Fort Snelling State Park on the bluff. Fort Snelling has been named a “National Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We will visit Minnehaha Park where the Minnehaha Falls and Minnehaha Creek are a major tourist attraction. Minnehaha Falls is a striking wilderness waterfall in an urban setting. Overlooking the Mississippi River. The waterfall is 17 meters high, has limestone cliffs and overlooks the river. The park contains oak, elm, silver maple, basswood, hackberry, and poplar trees, as well as native wildflowers and prairie woodland flowers.

We drive to Minneapolis via “The West River Parkway Trail”, this parkway is also known as the Mississippi River Gorge Regional Trail and follows the Mississippi River from Minnehaha Falls north to Plymouth Avenue and offers spectacular river views and access to downtown Minneapolis. Along the Parkway there is another option to visit the Mississippi Gorge Regional Park.

Stay in Minneapolis in one of the many hotels and this city offers historic sites and museums, award-winning restaurants and bars, visit the famous First Avea and enjoy unique attractions such as Topgolf, the Central Park Splash Pad and Historic Eidem Farm, or enjoy tried and true favorites like Dave & Buster's, WhirlyBall and Bowlero. Other attractions include the US Bank Stadium, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Mall of America.