OCR Text |
Show Family WeeklyMarch 28, 1971 A Trip Down the Mississippi b Your Car Bv R. "Paf spirit. The Mississippi valley is as reposeful as dreamland, Wliite nothing worldly about it . . . nothing to hang a fret or worry upon." ark Twain once wrote of the Mississippi river towns, -They are comely, all well built, clean, orderly, pleasant to the eye, and cheering to the Today you can travel through these towns built on hilltop and river plain along both sides of the great river. The O Great River Road, longest parkway in the world, is a series of connecting highways bordering the Mississippi river and extending into the Lake of the Woods region of Canada. e scenic It is 5,600 miles of parkcorridor and the only north-sout- h way through the heartland of Highway markers (a green toll-fre- mid-Americ- o j X a. "-- - '1 ' A-- j..-.-- ," 33 ' ' :( v have to offer? If you're a city dweller, countryside. The route passes from ths lakelands of the north through the cornfields of the Midwest to the marshes of the South. River, pastoral, and floral scenes can be found its fall length. Do you have the camping bug? Roadside parks, campgrounds, picnic areas, and resorts dot the highway on both sides of the river. If you're a sportsman, this is where, if the big one gets away, there are plenty more to take your bait. The Lake of the Woods region in Canada h teeming with game fish and the Mississippi is well stocked with pan fish, pike, pickerel, walleye, and the famous Mississippi catfish. In short, the Great River Road offers comone of America's most sought-afte- r modities one which can't be purchased: serenity. More than 80 lookouts at elevations of 400 feet or more give you an opportunity to stop and survey scenic, breathless beauty. For the history buff, there are more than 1,000 historical markers noting early pioneer trails, museums, and mansions. Because of the length of the highway, it is best to divide it into three sections: the Lake of the Woods, upper river,, and lower river. The dividing points are St. Louis and the Canadian border. Many vacationer? leisurely travel a different section each year. Going up or down one side, crossing one of many bridges, and returning on the other side. i " steamboat pilot's wheel) aid you in following the route. What does the Great River Road The Great River Road in the north begins where it joins with the Trans-CanaHighway at Kenora, Ontario, da 1 J ' . ci i; ' , y y 9 o - fur-tra- de ff o ''' The Great River Road parallels the Mississippi River, offering travelers such scenery as 4 From Kenora the road runs south to Fort Frances and west to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where one can tour through historic Fort Garry, the only fort of the era still intact on the North American continent. South from Winnipeg into Minnesota is Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi and the only point along the route where you can step across the river on steppingstones. Downstream, the river runs between bluffs, and the road, etched at the base, allows a panoramic view from either side of your automobile. The stretch of river from LaCrosse, Wis., to Keokuk, Iowa, is unexcelled in beauty and historic lore. Below LaCrosse, at Prairie du Chien, historic tree-cover- ed bluffs near La Crescent, ' Minn. |