Connie & Jim's Local Excursions
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Why Local Excursions?
Once Connie and Jim recovered from their medical emergencies which brought them to Rochester MN, they began in 2023 to take local excursions in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to familiarize themselves with their new localities and to explore these great Northern states. Jim started taking pictures in 2024 thus the lack of travel photos from 2023.
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Sources of Local Travel Tours (Note: number after date identifies source of tours)
1. Rochester Public School's "Effortless Bus Excursions"
This program provides one day trips to both interesting sites as well as to local musicals and plays. The tours begin and end in Rochester and it is amazing how many people take advantage of this fantastic opportunity provided them by the public schools at reasonable fees.
2. JAG Tours
This company headquartered in Rochester, MN our hometown, provides a wide range of fully escorted tours for its customers.
3. Friends & Family
Thanks to generous Friends and Family, we are able to do some local excursions
Dates starting with most recent: Sources, Locations and Pictures of Local Tours
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June 19, 2026 (1) St Paul, MN, Mississippi River and its Lock & Dam #1
This cruise began In St. Paul at the Harriet Island Park, on a Padelford Riverboats' Boat. It took along the Minnesota's Mississippi River State Park the first Lock and Dam on the river. We passed a number of significant sights along the way including: caves, large bridges, Pike Island and Fort Snelling. You will see that once we got to the lock the entry to the the next section of the river was filled with water to rise us to the level of the river above us so that we could enter the river safely. We hope you will click on the link below to see our pictures.
See photos at: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/yzgBzg
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You can see more or our excursions on our website at: Coping.us or: https://coping.us/ourlocalexcurisons.html
(Again just copy the link onto a blank webpage to activate this link)
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June 12, 2026 (1) Stillwater St Croix River Cruise
This cruise began and ended in Stillwater, MN on the St Croix River on Friday June 12, 2026. This was our second Stillwater Cruise which we first took on October 9, 2025 (see below). See the photos at: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/8qXpm8
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April 10, 2026 (1) Spring in the City
The Tour was focused on three sites in Minneapolis MN. 1. The Bachman Greenhouse, 2. The Walker Gallery Sculpture Garden and 3. The Como Zoo and Conservatory. See photos at: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/5SisS4 (Just copy this link onto a blank webpage to activate the link)
Websites for sites visited:
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October 9, 2025 (1) St Croix River Cruise, Stillwater, MN
This Tour began on the Minnesota side of the St Croix River in Stillwater, MN across from the shoreline of Wisconsin. It was on a large river ship with a huge Paddle Wheel in its back. We had lunch on the ship and arrived and returned by Bus. We were on the water for 2 full hours. You can learn more about the Stillwater river boats at: Home | Stillwater River Boats. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/Dusk8NP7lXb (Just copy this link onto a blank webpage to activate the link)
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September 27, 2025 (1) Explore Amish Countryside in SE Minnesota
We started out in Harmony, MN and ended in Preston, MN with visits to shops, farms and craft sites of the Amish who moved here in the 1970's. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/z7BtV9cq2Wb (Just copy this link onto a blank webpage to activate the link)
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September 25, 2025 (1) Duluth, MN Trip
We went to Duluth on Thursday Sept 25 and first visited the Glensheen Estate there followed by and fantastic walk along the Lake Superior Coast in Duluth. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/T63wHnLo2Wb (Just copy this link onto a blank webpage to activate the link)
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August 28-31, 2025 Trip to South Dakota with JAG Tours (2)
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August 28, 2025: Leave Home of Rochester for first stop Rapid City SD
1. Dignity of Earth & Sky, a surprise stop in Chamberlain, SD. High on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River is this 50 ft tall, 12-ton stainless steel sculpture. This statue sculpted by Dale Claude Lamphere was installed in 2016. Lamphere said: “My intent is for the sculpture to stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred, and in a sacred place.” A portion if the proceeds from tourist purchases are used to sponsor native-led cultural events in South Dakota honoring the courageous and resilient women of the Lakota and Dakota Nations. This site also honors the team of Lewis and Clark who encamped on this site. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/w42GqxZWjWb
August 29, 2025: From Rapid City we went to 4 stops.
2. Custard State Park – is the country’s second largest state park. It is home to wildlife whom you will see including antelope, deer, prairie dogs and over 1,300 bison herd. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/OaZfif3ilWb
3. Crazy Horse Monument - Mission is to protect and preserve the cultures, traditions, and living heritage of all North American Indians – Never Forget Your Dreams says Sculptor Korczak Zielkowski. There are years to go before this sculpture is completed. The site also contains Zielkowski’s house and his collection of beautiful collectables. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/4ywWxicklWb
4. Mount Rushmore – In the Black Hills of SD, Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created carved likenesses of Four United States Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. From 1927 until 1941 with over 400 workers, Borglum carved the memorial to the history of America. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/7uRHSmBllWb
5. Black Hills – This vast setting is home to amazing collection of wild animals and wonderful natural sights. Most of the sites we visited today are located in the Black Hills and our journey after our visit to Mt Rushmore took us through additional scenic sights of the Black Hills. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/yqspSscmlWb
6. Deadwood – This is where we stayed overnight. It is the location first settled by miners over 150 years ago. It has an interesting history with gambling and other adult-only activities. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/EBzokKFtlWb
August 30, 2025: From Deadwood we went to 3 stops.
7. Tatanka State Museum – This site was originally created by Kevin Costner with a fantastic sculpture of Indians searching for Bisons. This site is dedicated to preserving the history of the regions native Americans and it does a fantastic job of doing so. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/JwaOPhvnlWb
8. Wall SD Drug Store – Wall, SD is the site of this “Drug Store” which is more like a mall with a fascinating history and incredibly large collect of stores of all varieties. See photos at:
https://link.shutterfly.com/rcppXgfolWb
9. Badlands National Park – The Badlands are made up of striking geologic deposits which contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as rhinos, horse and camel once roamed in this region. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairies where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live. It was designated a National Park in 1978. We drove through the entire park before arriving at our Hotel in Oacoma, SD. See photos at: https://link.shutterfly.com/mi6XtuRolWb
August 31, 2025 – Our Bus took us back home to Rochester
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May 21, 2025 (1): St Paul, MN - Gangster Tour
Oct 13, 2024 (3): La Crosse, Wisconsin - Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Oct 11, 2024 (1): Tour of St Croix River at Hudson, Wisconsin
May 24, 2024 (1): Other Views St Croix River at Hudson, Wisconsin Tour canceled due to high winds and surf
Oct 4, 2024 (1): MN Arboretum, Chaska, MN
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