I grew up on the St. Croix River, and went to college at the University of Minnesota, whose campus includes the National Park region of the Mississippi River. It’s safe to say I don’t shy away from the chance to recreate on any river. What I love about the Mississippi is that as it runs through the Twin Cities, this creates a wide range of ways to get involved with the River.
Last Friday I had the chance to participate in a sunset paddleboard adventure with Stand Up MN. Our journey began 20 minutes north of the St. Anthony Falls in Fridley, MN. We paddled down the river at about 5 miles per hour, learning about various elements of the river as we cruised along.
We saw some exciting things!
“Don’t get too close, last week someone got pooped on,” our guide Austin warned. I took note, and strained my eyes to see the successfully relocated blue heron island habitat after the 2011 tornadoes.
A burst of bubbles erupted from the depths of the water, a release of natural gas from the energy plant along the banks of the river. People waved as we passed the outdoor patio of Psycho Suzi’s, a local favorite restaurant.
And the Twin Cities River Rats practiced back flips off a jump on 1 ski!
Our exploration concluded with paddling into the depths of the storm water runoff stone masonry tunnel at Bassett Creek Valley Park. Here, a creek runs from Medicine Lake into the Mississippi River. We dared to drift about 30 feet into the pitch-blackness before fear and sensibility turned us around. The tunnel emitted a grumbling growl as cars passed overhead, which made us jump! That was our cue to go.
Then, paddling to our exit point we were lucky to spot a beaver too.
I was surprised by the amount of wildlife we saw in such a dense part of the city. It was also fascinating to see Minneapolis from the riverside perspective. There are so many things happening along the river we’re not aware of while going about our days on the city-side of things.
I’m excited for my next paddle experience on the Mississippi River – but this time it will be on a paddle boat instead of a paddle board! 1 Mississippi is participating in the Mississippi River Revue on 2 events in August. The first focuses on river industry, while the second looks at fun and games on the river.
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The August 7th jam-packed event includes live music by Dick & Jane’s Big Brass Band, action-art with artist Peter Haakon Thompson, and real-life barge workers who will share their experiences working on the river.
I anxiously await the ‘shout-boasting’ competition hosted by literary magazine Revolver to see who amongst our river workers will be deemed King of the River. The last Revolver event I attended was at Uppercut Boxing Gym in north Minneapolis, complete with writers sparring in the ring. Revolver never fails to create a fun, unique party atmosphere. The River Revue will be no exception, I’m sure!
So come out with us on August 7th for a one-of-a-kind experience on the Mississippi River with the River City Revue. You can sign up here. 1 Mississippi will be there and I’m looking forward to it!
Kelsey Reinke, 1 Mississippi Team Leader MN