Southern Minnesota

River Bluffs, Prairies and Lakes

Even though Minnesota lies halfway between the east and west coasts, it’s not one of the dry prairie states. Millions of years ago, retreating glaciers took care of that, leaving more than 12,000 lakes behind. So, there’s always water around the corner. Apart from that there is the Mississippi River Valley, cradling the state’s most scenic highway, its beautiful river towns, and the exciting curves in the ravines and valleys of the bluffs in the southeast region of the state.

Day 1: Mississippi Bluffs
Dark clouds hang over Rochester and intermittent showers fall as we close in on the city. It’s only 6 p.m. but it looks like midnight. Wet, tired and hungry, we finally check in at the Hampton Inn where the desk clerk says the next day’s forecast calls for more of the same. Fortunately, he’s wrong: The morning dawns with sunshine and blue skies all around!

In Stewartville, we turn left on Highway 30 and leave all the traffic behind us for an enjoyable ride through the countryside. East, past Chatfield, we come upon some hills and curves that make the ride on Highway 6 even more pleasurable. I could have been having so much fun on the Gold Wing that I wasn’t paying attention or maybe the map wasn’t accurate enough, but somehow we left 6 and got back on Highway 30. Seems we missed a turn to the right. Instead of heading for Lewiston and Winona, we’re approaching Rushford. It’s too late to double back; so, we continue north on Highway 43, right across the bluffs, into southeast Minnesota, the only mountainous part of the state....

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