From the bluffs to the banks

This morning the baby and I took a little motoring excursion.  We took Kellogg Blvd. out of downtown St. Paul, heading NE to Mounds Blvd, where we headed toward Indian Mounds Park. I haven't spent anytime here before and the topography is stunning.  Through the swirling snow we climbed up steep hills that would fool you into thinking that you had left the state.  To our east, the hills were dotted with lovely older homes and to the west a commanding view of the river, skyline, and the banks below.  As we drove further east/south, the view became more surreal--with the wide expanse of railyards and the curve of the river making me feel far from home.  We flipped back around on CR10 to Warner/Shepard/Great River Road.  We descended down to the river flats, traveling alongside the gorgeous beige limestone bluffs encrusted with ice waterfalls. All the while I thought that this would be a ride more appreciated at a bicycle's pace than at 45mph.

images: Mounds Park, from the Margaret Marriott Collection. Shepard Road, from Twin Cities Daily Photo.