Many B&B’s along the river offer amazing views, but one in St. Paul has more than just a view — Liz Miller’s Covington Inn puts guests right on the Mississippi River in a repurposed towboat. The Covington is a former Lower Mississippi towboat living a second life. Originally christened the Codrington of Canal Barge Line…
Emil in the River
When I see a photo of the Mississippi River around St. Paul it very often brings back a towboat memory. The view from Dayton’s Bluff in winter makes me remember a big adventure that lasted an extremely short amount of time. Right down there late winter or early spring of 1992 the towboat Lois E…
Piloting with a Paddle
Programs to share cars and bicycles have become pretty common in larger cities, but for the last two summers Twin Cities’ paddlers have been able to use a credit card to rent a kayak, paddles and personal floatation device (PDF) from a locker on the banks of the Mississippi River. The first Mississippi River Paddle…
A Pirate Prowls the Urban River
A few seasons ago, a pirate ship appeared in the port of St. Paul. Not so much a river pirate as a Pirates-of-the-Caribbean variety. After several hundred passengers on boats I captained asked me, “Have you seen the pirate boat?” or “Are we gonna see the pirate boat?” or “Where is the pirate boat?” I…
Corps’ and Twin Cities’ Mutual Inspection
The largest towboat built in the U.S., the MV Mississippi, docked at St. Paul’s Lambert’s Landing over the first weekend in August on its mission to educate the public about the role the Army Corps of Engineers plays in flood control, maintaining a commercial navigation channel and — in these enlightened times — partnering with…