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Capitol road trip
Minneapolis, MN |
Minneapolis, MN
With the goal of visiting my family in the Twin Cities for the weekend, I spent the rest of the week meandering along a crooked path instead of shooting up I-35 (which I could do in my sleep by now). A long time ago I set out to Volkswalk or at least visit all the 50 state capitols, so I chose Jefferson City, MO as the focus of this trip.
The journey took me through Tulsa, OK before winding through the Lake of the Ozarks area of central Missouri. I expected a quiet drive along the waterfront but forgot that the Midwest is a lot more built up than the wide open spaces of the Pacific Northwest! After a couple hours of looking I did manage to find a free Roadside Park with a view of the lake.
The start point for the Jefferson City Capitol Walk is the hotel where I spent the night before. I quickly discovered that Jefferson City resembles Madison, Wisconsin in that all the hills go up! The impressive Capitol building sits on a bluff above the Missouri River.
The walk also took me past the Governor’s Mansion, set in the colorful Carnahan Memorial Gardens. Near the river sits the Jefferson Landing Historic Site which was the original townsite. I always wondered why this little out-of-the-way place became the state capital…it appears that it was chosen because it was halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis. Not very poetic but it probably avoided years of argument between the two big cities!
After passing this cute little courthouse in Bloomfield, IA it was time for a weekend in Minneapolis. Not much time to take photos, it was mostly having great talks with my brother and sister and lots of eating out with friends and family in great Twin Cities restaurants. One of the highlights was getting to take my niece Jenna to her piano competition. She is officially taller than her mom now, and gets prettier, smarter, and more talented every day. Another highlight was U of M Gopher baseball in the sunshine. Here are my sister Sara and nephew Ryan enjoying the sunshine.
Andrea Travels 