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Minneapolis
Travels alongside the Mississippi
    There is a chain of lakes, in the metro area, along with a large scattering of parks. A new light rail system attemts to link it all together.

	A look towards downtown, from one of the surrounding lakes.
	The Metropolitan area is dotted with a collection of small lakes. many of these are connected by rivers or creeks, and most have beaches, and marinas.
	Pleasant drives, and secluded neighborhoods, make the lakes area a premier living space for local residents.
	Above: The Como Park Conservatory. Left: This zebra is a part of the small, but very pleasant Como Park Zoo. This is an old fashioned zoo, which has been saved from closure on several occasions, by public support.
	Taking a break, and why not? There are no lions or leopards to worry about here.
	A giraffe looking just a bit stressed out, by the constraints of the enclosure.
	One of the two Como Park Zoo polar bears.
	The smarter of the two polar bears decides to cool off, as visitors admire his odd mixture of strength and grace.
	Though in nature this would be the food supply for the polar bears shown above, here penguins are part of the exhibit.
	Well Hello there.
	It was a fairly warm day for a polar bear, and the animals kept themselves in the water, or soaked
	One of the downtown stations for the new Minneapolis light rail system. the system is integrated with the bus system, and both use the same transfers, and charge the same fare.
	Our train pulls into the station. Light rail is remarkably fast, compared to taking a bus, or even a car around town.
	The inside of one of the trains. The cars are comfortable, being about halfway between riding in a full sized train, and riding in a bus. There are hooks, and carriers for bicycles inside.
	Passing the HHH dome, on the way to the park. The Twins play here, which is sort of a sentimental thing for long time Milwaukee residents. Back in the sixties, and seventies, before Milwaukee got the Seattle Pilots, and changed the team name to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Twins were our team, often playing at Milwaukee County Stadium.
	Left: A peek into the driver's compartment, and out through the front window. Light rail travels over some old rail beds, some city streets, and some old bus paths. Below: The old train station at Minnehaha. This was a whistle stop from Minneapolis, back in the old days. It is preserved, and partially restored, The station is open to the public as a sort of museum.
	Waiting for the train back into downtown.
	Left: The Fort. Snelling train. Below: These trains are on opposite tracks, moving in opposite directions. It's nearly impossible to tell though, because the trains have an operators station on each end. when they get to the end of the line, they are simply reversed, with the operator trading control stations. Like a modern politician, they can reverse themselves at any time, and it is impossible to tell the back end from the front.
	Left: Back at our station, in downtown Minneapolis. It is just about dusk, and we had a great time on the train, and at the park. This was to be our last day in town. Below: The train moves off, as the sun sets. There is little traffic, because this was Labor Day monday.

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