[Mpls] Colors and Moods of the Mississippi River Gorge

[Jay Clark]

Saturday around dusk I ran along the Mississippi river.  The fall colors 
along the Mississippi river are at their peak, and the scene I saw was 
so beautiful that I feel compelled to try to entice you to come over and 
enjoy the scenery for yourself.

As I ran along the bluff, I felt as if I were swimming in a sea of 
translucent, glowing leaves, with breezes rustling through the branches 
and sunbeams dancing along the footpath.

I crossed the Ford Parkway bridge at about 6:25, just as the sun was 
setting.  The west bank was already shrouded in shadows, but the eastern 
bank was ablaze with color.  The reds and yellows of the sumac, maples 
and beechwoods were bolstered by the deep orange glow of the setting 
sun.  This wide ribbon of warm colors was framed by the deep cool blues 
of the Mississippi river and the Minnesota sky.

As I ran along the St Paul side of the river, I saw many smiling faces 
of people who had come out to enjoy the foliage and the sunset.  I saw 
one group of people who had set up a card table and folding chairs, and 
were enjoying a tea party as they watched the collage of colors along 
the Mississippi.

As my creaking bones, aching muscles and gasping lungs slowly dragged my 
haggard body homeward, sunset deepened into twilight.  Just when the 
yellow and red leaves faded, and the show seemed over, the cirrus clouds 
high overhead blazed in pastel shades of pink and orange.

I grew up in New England, and this is the one time of year that my soul 
yearns to be travelling along the roads and the landscapes of my youth.

I have learned to deeply appreciate the somber tans, browns and purples 
to be found in Minnesota's prairies, cornfields and oak forests.

But Minnesota's subtle hues cannot match the spectacular explosions of 
colors performed by New England's maples.

With one exception.  I can tell you first hand that the vivid colors and 
the stunning vistas to be found along the Mississippi river gorge 
between the Ford Parkway bridge and the Franklin Ave. bridge are the 
equal of any scene you will find along any of Vermont's country roads.

I urge you to take a few minutes out of your busy day and come over and 
enjoy our little hidden urban cornucopia of color, before the next gust 
of wind blows it all away for another year.

If you want to experience the river gorge in a completely different 
mood, I have another suggestion. Around midnight on the night of the 
full moon, stroll about halfway across the southern walkway of the Lake 
street bridge.  You will see two moons: one up above hanging up in the 
sky, and one far below reflecting off the waters of the Mississippi 
river.  The entire river gorge is lit up a deep, soft, stunning 
grey-blue.  You  will not find a more tranquil scene, and any stresses 
and worries you may have will be carried off by the gentle summer breezes.

Jay Clark
Cooper