Now wouldn't you believe it? Cranked the Chevy up
and started tooling down the road and we hear this clinky-clank, clinky-clank. Luckily, there was a garage over to the right and we pulled in.
The mechanic ambled out. raised the hood and said we had to replace the combobulator or some kind of a thingy-ma-gig. He said he had to send off to Raleigh and get the part which would take several days. We looked so downhearted, he said we could have a loaner until he got it fixed. So that's how we ended up with the old buggy above to start the tour.
We trusted the mechanic since he had such an honest face, wouldn't you? We took a picture of him before we left.
Well, shazam!--we made it. Had a nice rest last night and are anxious to get started on the scenic tour.
And a beautiful day it is for driving through nature's majestic handiwork. So what say we gas the ole buggy up and drive thru the country side?
First off, I guess, we need to take a look at a map to show where all the scenic byways are.
This is the Great River Road.
The southern portion of this long and diverse byway runs between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Our old buggy will take us along the Apple Blossom Scenic Drive.
Named for the many hillside apple orchards it winds through, the Apple Blossom Scenic Drive is a short but lovely drive in the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley.
Great River Bluffs State Park has camping and about 10 miles of trails through hardwood forests and hillside goat prairies, with several beautiful blufftop overlooks.
So let's park the car here and start the hike.
Wow! Look at this view.
St. Paul isn't too far up the road so why don't we stop there and meander around a while?
The original name of the settlement that became St. Paul was Pig's Eye. Named for the French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, who had led squatters to the settlement.
