Marcia Frost

With the Mississippi River still running low from the lack of rain, we ended up with a day without a port. As much as I wished we hadn’t missed Dubuque, it was nice to have some time to rest and enjoy my American QueenVoyage . I have always liked small cruises and I think I like them even more now that I travel in a scooter. It doesn’t take long to find your way around and the elevators hardly have a wait. Lynn and I took our time in the morning with a room service breakfast. It was a day full of exploring what the boat had to offer. I went around the ship from the outside first. It was interesting to see the calm Mississippi river and its small islands as we went through. A steamboat goes a lot slower than a cruise ship and you get to really take in the scenery. The weather was about 70 and there was plenty of shade around the boat.     I settled in for awhile in a rocking chair on the Porch of the Riverview Bar and watched the Mississippi go by. After lunch, I ...

Lynn and I woke up to another beautiful day on the Mississippi River. We had lucked out with this late summer weather in the Midwest. We were ready to explore La Crosse, Wisconsin, after having breakfast and lattes at the Front Porch Café on the American Queen. I loved being on a small boat. There was never a wait for the elevator and we never saw a crowd anywhere. It made traveling in a scooter so much easier. This was the first time in La Crosse for both of us. We didn’t know much about it, but were ready to learn. The pier was welcoming, with beautiful sculptures and manicured grass and flowers. We got onto the hop on, hop off tour bus, complimentary to all American Queen guests. The bus guides, including Tour Director Lucy from our ship, told us about La Crosse. When settlers came over to the U.S., this land was already occupied by Native Americans, specifically the Sioux, Ojibwa, and Ho-Chunk tribes. It became one of Wisconsin’s largest cities by the second half of the 19 th ce...