Today we crossed the Mississippi River. That’s a huge milestone, at least psychologically. Truth is, we’re not even at the halfway point yet – but the Big River has always been an important marker for folks heading West (or East), and so it is with us. Though the changes will be gradual, I expect everything to become more spread out. Soon we will need to carry a day’s worth of food, then two. Then maybe three or four. But for now, we should be okay — at least until we get to the Badlands.
Anyway, we’ve been looking forward to this crossing for a long while — and until we were actually across, I wasn’t sure we’d have anything to show for it. The weather forecast called for heavy rain, and I thought I might have to put away my camera. But the rain held off, and the early morning crossing yielded plenty of good shots. Even got buzzed by a bird of prey.
And then we found ourselves in Wabasha with time on our hands, so we visited the National Eagle Center — and learned that our bird of prey was a bald eagle. Pretty awesome to see one in flight on the Fourth of July. The Center is also home to several permanently injured birds, and I am grateful to the naturalists and staff at the National Eagle Center for allowing me to record a short video — and for general helpfulness.
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