Just 30 miles from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Winona is a lovely small city on the banks of the Mississippi.
We had lunch at the Boat House, on the river. Very good hamburgers. Enormous and tasty crispy chicken sandwich. Good fries, with a variety of dipping sauces available. Darlene’s IPA was very good, as was Daphne’s bloody Mary.
We love scenic overlooks, so after lunch we headed to Garvin Heights Park, high above the city. We saw some hardy folks hiking all the way up the hill, but we drove to the top and walked a short distance to the overlook area. Well worth a stop.
From Garvin Heights we went south to Great River Bluffs State Park, which has more great views, although it is about a 1.5 mile hike, one way, from the parking area to get to the overlook. The trail is not difficult, fairly flat, but it does have a lot of protruding rocks and tree roots, which Daphne found out when she caught one with a toe and took a tumble. Fortunately no damage was done other than getting some dirt on her jeans. Darlene wasn’t quite so lucky when she slipped getting on a shuttle bus at Zion National Park a few years back.
The moral of the story is that it is always a good idea to watch where you are stepping. And if you make a mis-step, there are very helpful YouTube videos that show you how to wrap an Ace bandage.
Since Daphne was not injured, we were able to continue with our trek and were rewarded with great views. (And, thankfully, we did not encounter any rattlesnakes.)
We made one more stop at a scenic overlook on the drive home.
On the Road With Daphne & Darlene 