Extra water for Minnehaha Falls

It rained a little this morning and was dampish when I drove to Wooddale for my Saturday tennis session. It improved later in the day and by evening, it seemed like late summer again.

After tennis I stopped at home and the Prairie Princess was getting ready for a road trip to the north. I was still a little sweaty after ninety minutes of tennis ball smacking, and perhaps a little aromatic. As I hugged her goodbye she hesitated and told me, quote - "You don't smell as bad as that French guy I danced with last night." That, of course made me laugh out loud, and made me feel appreciated, all in one fell swoop.

Later I went to Minnehaha Falls to see if the recent rains had increased the flow in the creek. The falls were roaring, about the same volume as this spring just after the snow thaw. It was a pretty sight.

I also walked down the creek to the Mississippi and watched the flow of the creek along the way. I also stumbled upon this bench along the way. It's nestled in vegetation and probably doesn't get much use, but well worth adding to the portfolio of benches that have appeared in the several blogs in the last few months.

Oh, yes, the falls. There was mist and a nice flow over the precipice. The trees are beginning to have a trace of color, too. Summer is history.

When I got to the end of the walk to the river, I encountered some fishermen trying their luck in the Mississippi. These guys weren't the only ones fishing, but probably the most interesting looking. I took the photo from the bridge at the mouth of the Minnehaha Creek.

On the way back to my parked auto I had to climb a long flight of stairs up to the upper level of the park. It's a climb that I sometimes use as a test of my fitness. If I can walk up without stopping, I feel like I'm doing pretty well. Today I counted the number of steps for the benefit of people who like to know the number of steps in various staircases. Today's count for that climb was 134.