I really only planned to hobble around and watch Sarah and Pam finish the race, but then I realized there were hiking paths down in the Mississippi River gorge. So after an awkward jump over the barrier saying 'path is closed'...I was off...and with no footprints in the snow, I was the only one there...
I could still see the runners, that's the 5K runners up on the Stone Arch Bridge...
The trail takes you below many of mills in the area, like this Pillsbury building. These mills would all bring river water into their mill and release the water back to the river below...
And I got some nice views of the Stone Arch Bridge...
I had never been below the bridge before...
Eventually, I went up onto the bridge, this was the last mile or so that runners had to run...me...I went to take a look at Saint Anthony Falls, which was the only natural waterfall on the Upper Mississippi before it was replaced by a concrete spillway in 1869 (because the falls were in danger of collapsing and Minneapolis needed it to power the mills).
And to see the now closed Upper Saint Anthony Lock. The Lock was closed last June due to a law signed by the President that was designed to prevent invasive species from getting to the upper Mississippi River.
Kieran wanted a picture of the Mill City Museum and the ruins nearby, which his class toured last May...so here it is...
Oh, plus the 10 mile race was still going on....here's Pam crossing the bridge...
And Sarah came by a few minutes later...
It was a fun morning...
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