So we survived the rain and cooler temperatures tucked comfortably in our slip at Red Wing Marina with as much ice as we needed! The only real excitement we had was a southbound 12 barge tow that missed the turn just above us and spent the next half hour backing and repositioning himself so he could make the corner. Supposedly Red Wing Bend is one of the toughest corners on the river for the big guys.
The new day dawned with cool temps and overcast sky’s as we made ready to continue our journey. Only two things were missing. Diane and Denny who were joining us for a couple of nights. Right on time they arrived and off we went.
Cloudy day on the river.
A fixer upper on the banks of the Mississippi.
Lock 3
Our luck at the locks continued as we arrived at Lock 3 and found no other traffic in the area.
Once through the lock it was a scenic cruise along the Wisconsin shoreline to Prescott, Wi. where the golden hued water of the St. Croix meets the muddy water of the Mississippi River creating what looks like a milkshake being blended together. Our course had us departing the Ole Miss and heading up the Croix. Destination…Hudson, Wisconsin and the St. Croix Marina (www.stcroixmarina.com).
St. Croix Marina, Hudson, Wi.
As we pulled up to the transient dock I saw a face I recognized from Florida. Jon Market was there with his boat and helped grab our lines when we got close to the dock.
Turns out Jon had just purchased the boat and was beginning to personalize it.
It didn’t take Denny long to get into full relaxation mode once we were tied up.
St. Croix Marina offices.
One of the main reasons for choosing Hudson as our stop was our previous experiences at the San Pedro Café (www.sanpedrocafe.com). The food has always been good as well as the margarita’s and the thing that we love the most is their flourless chocolate cake with a bit of habanero tossed in to give it a little kick.
San Pedro Café. An easy walk from the marina.
Happy Camper’s!
As usual we gorged ourselves at the San Pedro and had to waddle slowly back to the boat. Fortunately or unfortunately, (depending on individual perspective), we had enough energy left to play a game of Cards Against Humanity before we all passed out.
Our Thursday morning departure was delayed while the women strolled back downtown to check out the shops. Finally sometime after the lunch hour we could release the lines and get underway. However the wind must have been ordered by the Hudson Chamber of Commerce because it was pushing us hard against the dock not wanting us to leave. Fortunately Vagabond has a strong bow thruster which enabled us to get away unscathed.
In need of a pump out Kim opted to make the short run to Bayport Marina and take advantage of their protected harbor to get this task completed.
Hudson RR Bridge.
The women were still in a food coma from the night before.
Entrance to Bayport Marina
Bayport proved to be the top of our trip North. After relieving the pressure on Vagabond’s holding tank the bow was pointed South. A part of the trip that was always a bit of a let down for me in previous years when I was still gainfully employed.
With only a short distance to go to Afton we cruised at a slow pace enjoying the scenery and lack of boat traffic since it wasn’t a week-end.
The beautiful St. Croix.
I thought it only fair to warn Gordy & Kathy of our intentions to check out their establishment that evening in hopes that they would be around. Well it was only a few minutes after we had pulled into Cary’s slip at the Yacht Club that Gordy showed up. He had been there once already to leave a splitter for us for the power receptacle and came back to see if we had made it in ok. We shot the bull for awhile before duty called and Gordy was off.
Our itinerary called for lounging around the dock before making the short walk to the Afton House for dinner. (
www.aftonhouseinn.com)
Afton House Inn.
While Kim was checking on our reservation Pam & I started exploring and found Kathy in Swirl, their wine bar, enjoying Ladies Night.
Swirl.
Kathy & Pam.
The place was jumpin with people inside and out enjoying the weather and the wine.
We had a delicious meal topped of with Bananas Foster prepared tableside.
We ended the evening by joining the proprietor’s outside for an after dinner drink before heading back to the boat. Thanks again Gordy and Kathy for your hospitality! Afton and The Afton House just became a mandatory stop for us on any future St. Croix trips.
The next day after returning the borrowed splitter we departed the Afton Yacht Club under overcast sky’s and a brisk southwesterly breeze. It wasn’t long before we left the golden waters of the St. Croix and rejoined the muddy Mississippi.
The Mississippi below Prescott, Wi.
A small dredging operation mid channel.
The bottom is mostly sand in this area which is loaded into the barge and taken a few miles downstream where it is scooped out and deposited on an island and spread out by an earth moving machine. The eventual end result is a nice sand dune for the public to use.
Meeting a chemical barge below Prescott.
All too soon we were reluctantly pulling back into Red Wing to drop off Denny & Diane. The girls went to the grocery store while the guys moved Vagabond to the sea wall. Re-provisioned and good byes said we pulled back into the channel.
A tidy looking cabin below Red Wing.
Just a few miles below Red Wing the channel dumps you back into the vastness of Lake Pepin.
Point No Point in the distance.
Once we rounded Point No Point we felt the effects of the wind as the waves turned into small whitecaps. Further down the lake we pulled in behind Long Point to anchor for the night and escape the effects of the wind and waves.
Anchored in the lee of Long Point with Maiden Rock in the distance.
Legend has it that Maiden Rock got it’s name as a result of Princess Winona jumping to her death from it’s cliffs. Apparently distraught after finding out that her father, Red Wing, Chief of the Dakota Tribe had ordered the death of her lover who was a member of the rival Chippewa Tribe.
Long Point sunset.
The wind was still blowing the next day when we retrieved the anchor and made our way the short distance to Hansen’s to top off the fuel tanks. Mission accomplished Vagabond headed back into the Lake with a destination of Pepin, Wi. and the Harborview Café (www.harborviewpepin.com). Always one of our favorite stops
Checking out the menu which is posted behind the bar.
The menu written in chalk.
You can tell by the clock we were early.
The view of the harbor through the front windows.
Vagabond secure in Pepin Marina.
We’ve stayed in Pepin Marina some years back. A comfortable marina until the BNSF train goes through. There is a crossing at both ends of the marina thus the train whistle at each crossing. And the trains run about every half hour, 24 hours a day!
With a deteriorating weather forecast we wanted to complete our Lake Pepin crossing before it got too snotty so off we went.
A few whitecaps
A northbound tow.
It’s only a few miles across the lake to Reed’s Landing where the lake funnels back into the much narrower river channel and protection from the wind. With the forecast in mind the decision was made to spend a couple of nights at Parkside Marina in Wabasha to wait out the weather.
The wind increased during the night and the rains came although we missed the brunt of the storm. By morning all that remained was the wind. 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35. A good day to stay in port. Of course after a lazy morning laundry was on the menu as well as a stroll around town.
Every day starts with coffee.
The downtown area of Wabasha is struggling with many empty storefronts. We did manage to find The Olde Triangle Pub open and stopped in for bloody Mary’s and a bite of lunch.
Cheers!
Room for more.
We made our way around town with one more stop at an ice cream parlor before returning to Vagabond by way of the grocery store.
Buildings of Wabasha.
This couple looks a little stiff!
Once back at the boat Kim & I took a walk around the marina.
The travel lift. Yep the cab is mounted backwards on the chassis.
A couple of comfortable Adirondack’s to sit in and watch old man river go by.
The view of the channel from the Adirondacks’.
A nicely kept older 36′ Egg Harbor for sale.
As with a lot of river marinas there is an area where the forgotten boats sit. Rotting in the weather awaiting their fate. Parkside is no exception although there weren’t as many as we’ve seen in other marinas.
