Day 395: Friday, October 4, 2013

Port to Port: Lacrosse to Winona, Minnesota

Underway: 9:13 am      Motor Off: 2:45 pm      Miles Traveled: 28      Stayed At: Free Dock

Mile 697 to Mile 725: We are back in Minnesota again, on Aurora, since last fall. We are less than a week from our starting point in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to Sarah, we can’t get back before Wednesday (she has a business trip) so we won’t which means we will have to dawdle for a day or so. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can have a little pizza party on the dock like when we started. Should be another fun docktails.

Today didn’t look promising yesterday. The forecast was for rain and wind all day which is not enjoyable so why do it. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather so far so one ugly day is not an unexpected hardship. Luckily, it was overcast with low clouds all day but the rain and thunder headed farther south so it was actually a wonderful travel day sans sunshine. The low clouds made the hills and cliffs even more beautiful covering the hilltops and valleys in wispy white blankets. The locks were a breeze and it never rained or thundered.

We anchored last fall just north of Winona but decided, with the weather forecast, that being at a dock was a good idea. Plus, we were bummed last time when we stopped in Winona to get gas in the morning when we found out they have a nice park/wharf where you can stay overnight right downtown. So that’s what we did. We explored downtown, got gas, went out to eat and were back at the boat before dark. Tomorrow we are aiming for Wabasha before the long trek up Lake Pepin that is around 20+ miles long. Only a handful of hops left. After living life to the fullest for the last year+, what are we going to do next?