Continued from last week’s Walking the Grand Rounds in Minneapolis: Part One
Refreshed and recharged after lunch at the Sea Salt, it’s time to resume our walk.
This is our third excursion along the Grand Rounds. It’s become a ritual undertaking of our more recent Minneapolis pilgrimages. Our route is always the same. We seem to arrive at the Sea Salt for lunch – and happily so. But we know there is a great deal of walking ahead before we return downtown to the Normandy Inn.
By that time, we will have walked 37 kilometres. That is a long day’s walk, even by our long distance walking standards. And it’s worth noting that the Grand Rounds offers about 80 kilometres of walking paths.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options for undertaking manageable portions of the Grand Rounds. For example, the Metro Blue Line LRT running from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America has a stop near Minnehaha Falls. A walker with limited time could do the 15 kilometre Mississippi River portion from downtown to Minnehaha Falls in the morning, have a delightful lunch at the Sea Salt and return on the LRT. Walkers looking for a slightly longer walk could start at Minnehaha Falls Park and continue 22 kilometres west on the Grand Rounds circuit.
That is what Gail and I need to walk this afternoon. Those final 22 kilometres. Continue reading