Day 4: Madison to Minneapolis

Miles: 1,293

States: 9 (although we saw Iowa, but I'm not counting that)

Kids: 4

Today we took the scenic route along the Wisconsin then Mississippi rivers to Minneapolis. We stopped in La Crosse, WI for a scenic overlook on "Grandad Bluff." The scenes were nice, although perhaps not worth the extra three hours the route added to the trip time. Three cheers to Ben for driving the entire 7 hours.

I was surprised at the size and quality of the homes on the farms in very rural parts of the state. It seems farmers are - or were - doing pretty well for themselves. The landscape along the Wisconsin river was also interesting; there are huge limestone bluffs now covered over with foliage. The land here was shaped by the massive glaciers that created the thousands of lakes.

We met Jodi and Ethan at 5 in downtown Minneapolis and walked two blocks to a street concert in a park. It would be great to live in a city for these types of perks and events. We ordered pizza in at Jodi's apartment while she put Ethan down for the night. That boy is growing so fast. I saw him less than a month ago in New York and I swear he already looks older.

After dinner we drove thirty minutes to the St. Paul suburb of Mahtomedi where my Dad's sister and her family live. Their kids are also growing faster than I thought possible. It's so fun and easy to sit around chatting with the Wilsons. We swapped stories and chatted until now, and I'm completely beat. I'll upload photos in the morning.