The World on Wheels

Friday, June 7, 2019

Game Day and the Mighty Mississipi - Minneapolis, Part 4

I was hoping that this day would dawn clear. We’d bought tickets for our Minneapolis baseball game on the only day they’d be in town for our trip…the last day. Minneapolis has a completely outdoor stadium and a reputation for surly weather. We had one shot, and one shot only, to catch this game. No rain checks for us and the weather is promising “scattered thunderstorms.”

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Not to worry, though. The day did start sunny and stayed that way the entire day. Game time is 7:05 tonight, giving us one more day to explore the city.

The mighty Mississippi river is only a short block from our hotel, the Residence Inn at the Depot. We haven’t really had a chance to explore it, until now.

We walk over and emerge onto a large lock. This particular section of the river is the only spot, from way up north in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, where there are falls. A set of locks…one on each side…carries boats and barges over the falls, which have been shapen by man over the years to be more of a spillway now.

Just south of the locks and falls is the Stone Arch Bridge, a former railroad bridge that is now used by pedestrians and bikes. At a ½ mile long, it’s our ticket across the river.

Starting out at a set of flour mill ruins, the bridge gives us unparalleled views of the river and of the many abandoned mills set along the banks of the river here. It was because of the rushing water of the falls that they are here…the water powered the wheels that ground the grain.

Pillsbury Park on the other side leads us to Main Street where a block long collection of taverns awaits but we’ll save that for the game.

An old iron bridge leads us over to Nicolet Island, past a bed and breakfast, then onto the Hennepin Avenue Bridge where we finish the crossing back to walk along the river back to the hotel. Around 2 miles total.

A little rest at the hotel, then it’s off on the Hiawatha Light Rail line to the game. Target Field is new and beautiful. Access is wonderful. Tickets are a bit pricey but the food and beer prices aren’t bad. (You can see our entire stadium review at our Target Field entry in our Fields of Dreams series)

The Twins, not having one of their best years, take it as best they could to the visiting Chicago Cubs. It’s a back and forth game with a lot of action and several long home runs, and the home team finally edges out the visitors in the 10^th inning.

Coming back at night, looking out the train, my wife mentions we could have walked. Yes, but with all the drug dealers and hookers we saw, I don’t think that would have been the best choice we could have made either.

It’s the last morning here in the Twin Cities. We have an afternoon flight, giving us time for one more treat.

When we came into town, we had the incredible Jucy Lucy at Matt’s Bar. There’s also another claim to that special burger, the 5-8 Club…a former speakeasy south of town…that serves the Juicy Lucy. Of course, we have to try it and compare.

As at Matt’s, the place is packed and we have to hover over the tables to score one as someone leaves (you’re on your own here for finding a place to sit). We get one and look over the menu, which is extensive compared to Matt’s.

The burgers arrive and immediately we notice that the patties here are bigger than Matt’s. The onions are also sliced instead of diced. My wife likes this version better, I like the diced onions better, but they’re both very good.

With that last comparison in the books, it’s time to make the last drive to the airport, turn in the rental car, and take the flight home.

Hope you’ve had a good time, I know we did.

-Darryl

Photos by Letty Musick

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

FIELDS OF DREAMS - Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Right now, Target Field in Minneapolis is the third newest ballpark, behind the new Marlins Park in Miami and Sun Trust Park in Atlanta. It’s the home of the American League’sTwins, named after the Twin Cities…Minneapolis and St. Paul. An animated sign in right field illustrates this with two ball players, Minnie and Paul, shaking hands across the Mississippi River. It replaces the Hefty Bag…the derisive nickname of the unmissed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

The Twins have had some real superstars on their roster over the years. Kirby Puckett, Burt Blyleven, Harmon Killebrew, Kent Hrbek , and Frank Viola are some players that called Minnesota home. They’ve won three World Series titles in 1924, 1987, and 1991.

This year, 2013, they’re sitting in fourth place, a dismal 16 games behind the Tigers, led by longtime manager Ron Gardenhire and featuring such star players as catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.

Here are the stats…

Year opened: 2010

Surface: Grass

Construction cost: $545 million

Capacity: 39.504

Field dimensions: Left field – 339 ft.; left center – 377 ft.; Center field – 411 ft.; right center – 365 ft.; Right field – 328 ft.

Home teams: Minnesota Twins (American League, MLB) 2010 –present

Events attended: one game

The stadium sits in downtown, just north of the warehouse district about a mile and a half from the old Metrodome. It’s easily accessible by the Hiawatha light rail line and by the Northstar commuter railroad, both of which have stations at the stadium. It’s also served by various bus lines, has plenty of parking, and is linked to the downtown Skyway…an all-weather pedestrian bridge system in downtown Minneapolis.

Reflecting the area’s Scandinavian heritage, light rock and blonde wood are used extensively throughout the stadium, giving it a northern European look. Many seats even have wooden backs. It kind of looks like a stadium that was designed by Ikea.

While they don’t have kitschy little traditions like a sausage race, they do have others. One touching tradition is that a local veteran is selected to raise the flag during the national anthem. Here, Muriel Cantor, raises the flag. Muriel was an army nurse and the first American woman in Paris after its liberation in World War II.

Sight lines are excellent throughout the park. Many seats have shelves in front of them instead of cupholders. This comes in real handy to have a place to set your food, drinks, laptop (free WiFi throughout the park), and anything else you’d like to have handy.

Wheelchair accessible seats are available in all levels, from the first row to the upper deck. Tickets at this newer park are a bit hard to come by due to the many sellouts. It’d be best to have an alternate date in mind when you call (800) 33-TWINS for tickets. Prices are demand based, meaning they go up or down (but mostly up) based on the demand. Generally, they run $16 - $120. Our seats in right field cost $42 each…not the cheapest stadium around.

Another very visible accessible feature are the closed captioning boards near each foul pole where hearing impaired guests can follow along with the public address announcer.

Food runs from the typical hot dogs and other varieties of sausages to Minnesota favorites such as whitefish on a stick (very good, by the way). Beer selection is good but some popular brands, like Leinenkugel, can have very long, slow lines at their stand. Pricing is decent at $7.75 for a large, premium beer.

It’s a gorgeous stadium with very good access and amenities. It’s easy to watch a game here and, even though many wondered why such a weather battered city would not build an indoor stadium, a wonderful place to sit in the sun enjoying baseball as it should be.

-Darryl

Photos by Letty Musick

Monday, June 3, 2019

Hiawatha and Minnehaha - Minneapolis, Part 3

After being introduced to Jucy Lucy and setting sail on the St. Croix…or would that set paddle?...we’re going to be seeing the city by train today. That train would be the Hiawatha light rail line that cuts a north/south swath through the city starting at Target Field in the north and ending at the massive Mall of America to the south.

We’re going to start at the bottom and work our way up to the top.

Watch the Video!

Traveling south, we pass the airport…two stops on this line…and in the southern flatness of Bloomington a massive parking structure looms across a large parking lot and field. We don’t know it quite yet… I do have suspicions…but this is hiding the mall that sits inside of it.

The train pulls into the structure, which holds the end of the line station at Mall of America. An elevator ride takes us to an unlabeled floor (thanks to the kindness of strangers who told us which one) where an accessible bridge connects the parking lot to the mall and in we go.

The Mall of America is…well…a mall. A very big one, on four levels that go in a very big circle around the perimeter. What makes it unique is its position as the largest mall in the USA, and a couple of other things like having an aquarium in the basement and an amusement park in the center.

The amusement park is the big attraction. Not some kiddy carnival, it features some heavy duty rides. Roller coasters that drop vertical into loops and barrel rolls. Flying NinjaTurtles that dive and loop as you ride them. A log ride. A scary ropes course. And much more.

Prepared to be disappointed in it, I admit I was impressed by the Nickelodeon themed fun zone.

Other than that, it’s pretty much like any other indoor shopping center you’ve been too…let’s head back to the train.

Pulling out of the mall, we pass the Veteran’s Cemetery and the airport to get to our next stop. We’re having lunch at Minnehaha Park.

This large area south of downtown is a verdant, green expanse of lawn and trails stretching over 193 acres from Hiawatha Avenue to the Mississippi River. After crossing over from the train station, it’s about a quarter mile hike to Sea Salt, our lunch destination.

Just before we get to the restaurant, we hear the roar then step onto a footbridge crossing the creek that plunges 53 feet into a gorgeous grotto. This is Minnehaha Falls.

We stop to take in the view and to find a good wheelchair accessible spot for Tim to see the deluge as well. Along the north side of the grotto are several good spots for chair users to get a good view, not so much on the south side. The many stairs also means that wheelchairs stay on the top instead of hiking down into the canyon.

Sea Salt is just a few feet away with a large dining room but better is the outdoor areas where you can hear the roar of the falls and take in the scenery.

Ordering is at a counter and servers bring the food to your table. You seat yourself.

Letty has a crab cake sandwich which she devours and pronounces excellent. I’m not so much of a seafood lover and there is precious little of anything else on the menu. I take a chance and order a basket of calamari to share with Tim. It is excellent and the dipping sauce, combined with a few varieties from the huge salsa bar, makes the fried squid go down easily and tasty.

A little meandering back through the park and then to the Hiawatha Line for the next stop…Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

A farmer’s market is going on here in the few blocks of the mall where Mary Tyler Moore famously threw her hat in the air during the opening credits of the show.

A statue celebrates that particular moment in TV history on one of the corners.

Lined with top-tier stores such as Brooks Brothers and Neiman-Marcus, the mall is also home to the headquarters of Target. Their flagship store disappoints me by being as messy and understocked as any other Target I’ve been to.

The upscale shops and farmer’s market are also in contrast to a kind of hooliganism going on around us too. A group of guys rough-house on the corner, one being pushed into Tim’s chair (did him more harm than Tim). Ladies that can only be said to be “professional,” and a half-dozen police officers pummeling a suspect on the sidewalk while pedestrians calmly walked by.

It should be a nice area, and there is good shopping, but the street scenes are disconcerting.

We take it upstairs to the skyway, a series of interconnecting bridges that link most of the buildings downtown. Made for the extreme cold winters so people don’t have to brave the elements, it also comes in handy to feel a little safer walking around downtown. We have some coffee and ice cream before heading back to the hotel.

One more thing to do while we’re here is to go to the baseball game that is the reason for the trip. That’ll be in our next and final chapter…see you then!

-Darryl

Photos by Letty Musick

Sunday, June 2, 2019

THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Side Car

This is one of the classic, old-time cocktails like the martini or a Tom Collins. Made in the classic style, it's also only 154 calories so you can enjoy it without too much guilt. With only three ingredients, it's also a breeze to make.

Watch the Video!

INGREDIENTS (for two drinks):
3 oz. brandy or cognac
2 oz. grand marnier or triple sec
1 oz. lemon juice, fresh squeezed if available

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker 2/3 full of ice. Shake and strain into two cocktail glasses.

Enjoy!

-Darryl

Friday, May 31, 2019

River Cruising Along the Border: Minneapolis, Minnesota - Part 2

We’re waking up in downtown Minneapolis. A quick Marriott breakfast bar meal and it’s off…we’re out of here. At least for the day.

Jumping in the rental Ford Escape, it’s onto Interstate 35 heading north. Almost immediately, we’re crossing the Mighty Mississippi when Tim chimes in…

“Isn’t this the bridge that collapsed?”

Watch the Video!

Ah, yes…yes it is…and thanks for reminding me while I (who already has a bridge phobia anyway) am on said bridge.

It was a tragic day several years ago when the bridge here collapsed during evening rush hour killing 13 people and injuring another 145 due to bad design and too much weight. A little over a year later, the replacement bridge…the one we’re on now…was opened up.

Past that infamous river crossing, we continue north into lake country and head east toward the Wisconsin border. It’s a quiet, scenic road…many lakes, streams, farms, and a herd of buffalo.

It’s not long before we’re in the tiny village of Taylor Falls.

Parking’s easy and the ice cream hits the spot at Schoony’s. Afterward, it’s a short walk under the bridge to get to the office of Taylor Falls Scenic Cruises. The web site promised wheelchair accessible boats but the river is raging a little today and we’ll have to walk down a road to an alternate loading area.

We get there and there are stairs into the boat. The crew easily handles Tim’s manual chair that he uses for travel but I don’t think it would have worked if we’d had his power chair.

It’s a warm day so Letty and I pull a couple of chairs out from the cabin and set up with Tim on the open-air bow. Since most people want to sit on the upper deck, we pretty much have it to ourselves save for the elderly lady with a cane that occasionally comes out to sit there too.

The paddle wheeler shoves off and we’re on our riverboat cruise of the St. Croix River…Minnesota on the left and Wisconsin on the right.

The first destination is slightly upriver to the “falls,” which after years of floating logs down river have degraded to a short section of rapids. The boat turns around and we head downriver.

The scenery is, in a word, spectacular. The water, the color of tea due to the decomposition of leaves up stream, is clean and inviting.

The crew points out different rock formation as we go through the dells. Kayakers lazily float by wooded islands in the stream.

A bald eagle circles overhead looking for fat fish.

The weather is perfect, the water relaxing, and our batteries are fully charged at the end of the 2 hour cruise.

We spend a little time looking at glacial potholes…deep pockets scooped out of the rocks by ancient glaciers…near the parking lot before moving on.

Downriver we get to the larger town of Stillwater and have dinner at a place we saw on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives…Smalley’s Caribbean Barbecue.

The hostess is a little clueless at first but finally finds us a spot on the outdoor patio by the bar. The server makes up for her by being very gracious and knowledgeable.

We have some jerk wings, ribs, and their smoked jalapenos that come free and unlimited with each meal. They’re great but the reason they’re unlimited is because they are extremely hot and we’re panting all the way back to Minneapolis.

We've got more to see back in the city but that’ll be next time. Be sure to join us again for the next leg of our great Minnesota adventure.

-Darryl

Photos by Letty Musick

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

KARA AIELLO SPECIAL GUEST POST: Dog Sledding in Minnesota

Re-running this guest post about a winter adventure in the Great White North of Minnesota...

By Kara Aiello

I love to travel, I always have. Through travel I learn about new cultures and people, challenge fears and prejudices and I do so from the endurance and strength of my wheelchair. Although I have taken many trips that have excited me beyond the text of a book, there is one trip that I want to share that has been a dream of mine since my relatives in Minnesota took this trip back in the early part of the decade, Back in 2011, with the support of Wilderness Inquiry, an organization that specializes in trips across the globe and makes it possible for all people to travel, including those with disabilities, I flew out to Minneapolis MN to visit my family and embark on a dog sled trip up north near the Canadian border.

The dog sled trip was to be a four day trip with two days of travel through quaint towns and open Minnesota land-scapes. The two days in between would include dog sledding, hiking and challenging our grit and limbs to the midwest cold, by sleeping outside in 10 degree weather and jumping into a frozen pond before running to the safety of a warm sauna.

I flew out to Minneapolis on a Wednesday afternoon and met my cousin at the airport who took me to her home to prepare for the trip. I love staying with these guys as it makes travel all the more easy. I don’t have to worry about dragging gear across country for I get everything I need from them. Their middle name after all is “outdoors.” I find that when I stay with them to prepare for a trip, it becomes a night of entertainment with a comic twist that the camera would end up documenting. One picture taken as we prepared to pack was me wearing an oversized beaver hat and gloves to match. There was no way I was going to wear this on the trip, but the picture is forever on face book for a good laugh.

On the day of the trip, my cousin dropped me off at the Wilderness inquiry headquarters where I met fellow participants and crew who would be our guides on this trip. There were families and singles and people with and without disabilities. Some of the disabilities were visible to the eye and some were not. Their experiences were developmental or mental health and taking this trip allowed them a place to challenge themselves in a way that other life experiences may not have offered them. So we took off on our seven hour trip that allowed us the time to get to know one another and take in the colors and quiet living of the Minnesota landscape. Once we arrived, we unpacked our gear and headed to our home where we would live for the next four days.

This trip to our new home was an adventure in itself. Those of us who used wheelchairs were assisted into a one man sled that was sturdy and comfortable. Our gear was placed in these sleds for transport as well. Our guides who would become close friends tied themselves to the sled and would become our human sled drivers and take us to home base. As we traveled, I felt a sense of excitement and awe at being able to do this. I love feeling the cold wind lap across my face and the smoothness of the ice and snow under the sled.

We traveled across frozen lakes and when we came to a steep hill going upward, yes upward our human guides ran with all of their might and power up the hill and man did we fly. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. Once we got to the top, I could only imagine how fast they would take us going back down the hill. After all, this was a rush for them as well as us. Once inside, we were introduced to more staff that would prepare our meals and were shown where we would sleep the next few days. It was a large cabin like structure with a ballroom size mess hall with army style tables and a small fire place with couches and chairs that made for a cozy evening after being out in the cold. We unpacked our gear, had dinner and then met with the team and two of the dogs who would be taking us on our adventure over the next few days.

One of the dogs that came in was so friendly and sociable she had to make sure she greeted each and every person that was in the room about four or five times. The other dog that came in was very shy and kept to herself. But I was excited to have my picture taken with her even if it was more stressful for her then me.

On Friday began the day of dog sledding and hiking. Although many opted for the hike, I was one of the few who begged to stay back so I could prepare for the dog sledding. One group went in the AM and I went in the PM with another group. It was both exciting and nerve wracking to hear about the AM group’s trip with the dogs. The hills were steep some said and there were nooks and crannies that could cause the sled to tip over especially if the dogs slowed down. Now just to give an image, I live with brittle bones from birth and here I was, ready to embark on this trip…am I crazy? Yes I am but I was up for it. When it was my turn to go, I was escorted outside and helped into my travel sled to escort me to where the dogs are.

Once in the sled, my guide would take me down snowy steps with the help of others and I found this to be rather smooth, not rough at all. Then we embarked up steep snowy white hills that glimmered when the sun hit it just right and helped us to see for miles around. We got to where the dogs are and I transferred into my dog sled and was warmed with blankets and pillows to cushion any hard blows below the sled. One by one, each dog was attached to the sled and once attached the dogs came to life with excited howls and barking and if not kept under control would have taken off without the rest of the dogs or the guides ready to lead.

Once all were attached we were ready to embark on our 2 ½ hour journey through the wilderness.

My sled started slow as we began traveling through the woods with the pathway very narrow and steep. The dogs knew what to do and where to go as my guide directed the speed of our movement which was about 7 or 8 miles an hour. At times our travels were on flat snowy runways and across large snow covered lakes. At other times we would travel up and down mountainous inclines that felt more like a roller coaster ride. Nature was everywhere with birds chirping and the son peered through the trees as we traveled. On one adventurous move, we had to literally jump over a snowy groove in order to get the sled over a mound of snow. I was amazed at how cushioned the jump was and once down we were on our way again. The trip included moments of comedy too as the dogs would tend to get over excited and get their ropes twisted around one another. When that happened, we would need to take a five minute break and get the dogs untangled. To end the adventure, we had to tackle a death defying hill that came up just past the cabin and would bring us back to home base. The hill was so steep that I felt I was looking down at a ski slope as we began to head down the hill. The guides had to hold on to the dogs hard as we headed down the hill full force. Let’s just say it was a terrifying rush and I’m glad we made it out alive.

In the evening, we settled in for dinner and reminiscing of the days travels. We also prepared to embark on our next adventure which took us out into the elements to sleep over night in 10 degree temperatures. In order to survive the night, we wore layers of clothing and had special mats and sleeping bags that kept the heat incased within our own sleeping bags that we took with us. We also were given candy bars to eat in the night should we become hungry. I never knew that we burned calories when our bodies were cold. We slept on an open frozen lake near the cabin and our eyes were treated to millions of stars in night sky. I slept OK for my first adventure but not like I was used to and did not eat like I should have. The next morning I was starving and also came to see that some of our group became so cold they had to go back inside and sleep in the warmth of the cabin. I went back inside and devoured a full breakfast of eggs, bacon and anything else I could get my hands on. Yumm.

Later in the day, I was treated to a hike in the afternoon that was a surprise highlight of my trip. Although I am very independent when back home in my every-day world of accessibility, I had to allow myself to be OK with depending on other’s to assist me when traveling through the deepness of the snow. But in allowing myself to do this, I also opened myself up to a world that I would never be able to get to with my wheelchair unless I put skis on my wheels. I was escorted in my sled through open frozen lakes and snowy woods and taken to a part of the woods that felt like a winter wonderland. We entered a woodsy door that took us into nature at its most raw and beautiful. There was snow everywhere on trees, logs and ground. We did not know where the ground started and ski ended. We came across a frozen waterfall and river that was partially flowing and breathtaking. I felt exhilarated and free as we embraced nature around us. It was a memory I will never forget.

Our last adventure was one I somewhat participated in. A group of us went out to where a frozen pond was poking out through the ground and people took turns jumping into the eye opening, jaw dropping icy cold water. Once out, people would warm up in a Luke warm sauna that was right next door to the pond. Although I did not dive in with everyone else, I relaxed in the sauna and tried to get warm when the door would open up to the outside and people would come in and spray me with the icy cold water.

On the last day of the trip, people participated in a last day hiking and then we packed our gear and said goodbye to our hosts at the cabin. Once outside we embarked down a steep snowy hill with a speed that felt like 90 miles an hour. We then crossed frozen lakes again which took us back to our cars. We drove home for seven hours and reminisced about out adventures and once back to home base, said our goodbyes and promised we would meet once again for another Wilderness Inquiry trip in the future.

Story and pictures by Kara Aiello - Used with permission.

Monday, May 27, 2019

Malls, Baseball, and Waterfalls: Minneapolis, Minnesota - Part 1

Behind us is all the fun, food, and beer we had in Milwaukee. The wonderful Ambassador Hotel and the delicious pannenkoeken that we had for dinner last night at Benelux. Ahead of us lies the drive.

We’re on a wide open interstate in Dairy country. As we make our way out of Milwaukee, it’s nothing but rolling green hills, an occasional rain shower, and lots of cows. This will be an all day drive so we settle in for the long haul.

Watch the Video!

A few hours out, we hit the biggest vacation destination in these parts, Wisconsin Dells.

I had tried to see if any of their waterparks had any sort of wheelchair access before we went but no luck…not even a pool lift into a lazy river.

It’s touristy…very touristy…as in wall-to-wall tourist traps and curio shops. Even in my wildest dreams I didn’t imagine it would be that bad. For us, it’s just a snack stop along the way where we can get a quick bite to eat, gas up the car, and go to the bathroom.

Just before the border with Minnesota on the St. Croix River, I make one more bathroom stop at a restaurant that also gave out samples of some truly delicious local cheese. Since you needed to be a customer to use the facilities, I got a couple of hunks of cheese and some full-strength, old fashioned milk…the kind that comes in the glass jar and has a thick plug of cream on the top. Those will come in handy later for snacks to go with the summer sausages we picked up at Usingers back in Milwaukee.

A few minutes later, we’re crossing the Mississippi River and easily find our hotel, the Residence Inn at the Depot, in downtown Minneapolis.

Upon checking in, my wife notices a little sign on the counter…like the kind they use to announce conferences and such…except this one says “Welcome Darryl M…The Residence Inn Depot’s Guest of the Day.”

Kind of cool…the manager tells me they pick a guest at random each day for the honor. I get a little swag bag with a bottle of water and a couple of granola bars.

After unpacking, we have one more trip to make today.

Tim said one thing that we absolutely had to do while here was try a Jucy Lucy. He saw it once on the Travel Channel and had been dying to have one.

We drive to a neighborhood in the southeast part of the city…one that seems to have seen better days…and find the last place to park at Matt’s Bar.

It’s a dark, narrow, divey place on 35^th Street and we squeeze into one of the nominally wheelchair accessible tables. Just in time too…a few minutes later, the place is full with about 20 people waiting to get in.

We all order the specialty…the Jucy Lucy…along with some Grain Belt beers. The Jucy Lucy (yes, that’s the way they spell it) is just a cheeseburger but instead of a slice on top of the meat, the cheese is stuffed into the inside of the patty so when you bite it, hot, melted cheese oozes out.

Here at Matt’s, the cook works in a microscopic kitchen at the end of the bar, churning out dozens of them on a flat top about four feet wide. The meat is cooked with diced onions and served basically with the burger, onions, and a bun. It’s up to you to add condiments from there.

We dig in and, yes, they are delicious. A perfect little welcome meal for a friendly dive here in Minneapolis.

We feel honored…

More to come, stay tuned as we dig deeper into Minnesota’s big city. Will we have fun? You betcha!

-Darryl

Photos by Letty Musick