cars,buses, and ferrys

We've had some problems with our internet of late. We switched to DSL and had some issues getting it going, but we are back on track now. It's been an interesting week for work. As most of you know the MNDOT inspected our main bridge that crosses the Mississippi River last week and decided to do an emergency shut-down because they were worried about corrosion and possible collapse like the other bridge in the twin cities last year. Well, that's great for public safety and everything, but for us Wisconsinites that work in MN it makes it hard to get there. The next nearest bridge is in La Crosse, so now my commute goes from about 40 miles roundtrip to 95 miles. Not fun. Winona has come up with a way to try and help out now. They have come up with a Park 'N Ride Bus and Ferry System. This is quite an interesting way to get to work. I tried it for the first time yesterday. I drive 3.5 miles to the Park 'N Ride Lot and get on a bus that takes me up to the bridge on the river. Then they have 2 ferrys that shuttle people over the river. Then you get on another bus that takes you around town to work. It takes about 45 mins to drive now or this bus/ferry system a little over an hour. It takes alittle longer but it definitely saves on gas. 7 miles vs 95 miles adds up quick at $4 a gallon. They are charging $15 bucks a week for a pass so that's not bad. I'll probably try to take that most days unless the weather is really bad.

This is the line of people waiting to get on the ferry at the dock on the Wisconsin side. The "Island Girl" is like a party boat/yacht that does sight-seeing and dinner cruises on the river normally, but it got pulled to do some ferry work back and forth all day long.

This is coming into the MN side and there's our shuttle bus getting ready to take us to work. I now know what illegal immigrants must feel like coming across the Rio Grande looking for work. It's not a bad temporary fix, but hopefully they'll be able to repair the bridge shortly. Their supposed to know by the end of the week.

Here's the bridge that's getting all the attention. You kind of hold your breath as you drive over it and hope that Honda uses the same seat cushion manufacturer as the ones they put on air planes.

This is the other ferry called the "Mississppi Explorer". It's kind of a glorified pontoon boat.