Day 23: 9/18/06

We were so happy to paddle around the corner of an island between St. Paul and Hastings and find the S.S. Minnow. Unfortunately, Gilligan and the Skipper were nowhere to be found. A number of "shipwrecks" like this one littered the riverbank just south of St. Paul. Tis a shame.
Passing through Hastings, MN we encountered rain, but it had mostly cleared up by the time we had reached Prescott, WI, home of a fellow Mississippi River traveler. Directly upriver from Prescott, the St. Croix River enters the Mississippi. We witnessed an interesting sight at the confluence. A "seam" forms between the rivers, with a very noticeable difference in water color. Hopefully in the picture you can distinguish the dark, clear water of the St. Croix from the murky, light brown of the Mississippi. The color difference is due to where the respective rivers originate. The Mississippi/Minnesota river system flows through many urban and agricultural areas (with lots of sediment runoff) while the St. Croix comes from the northern forests (with relatively little runoff). Another stark reminder of what we've done to the river and how we can improve our ways! Friends Nelson and Tracy visited us at our campsite and drove us out to get a warm meal. We camped this night on the shore between the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant and Treasure Island Casino. Who could ask for anything more?