MNEVO Fall EV Cruise to Winona Saturday 10/11

[Jukka Kukkonen]

It’s hard to believe it is already October. First, thanks to everyone who volunteered at the State Fair. Over 50 of our members shared their experiences and knowledge at our display, participated in an EV panel or drove their EV in the State Fair parade. Your time and effort are so valuable because all these conversations help people decide to drive electric. We have heard so many stories about how people visit our display, talk with one of you there, and that encourages them to test drive and buy an electric car. This is how we can make a difference.

As I have mentioned, it is a bit harder to organize our meetings these days because our group is so big and many organizations who have hosted us in the past are not doing evening events anymore. But this month we have a treat that combines MN Scenic Byways, wonderful fall colors, many sights to see and experience on the way and back, plus a tour of a great museum. I’m honored to announce that The Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona mmam.org has invited us to visit them on Saturday 10/11. For now, I would ask everyone to mark this on your calendars and start making preliminary plans for the trip. We will soon provide more details and tips on things to see on the way.

MNEVO Fall EV Cruise to Winona Saturday, October 11
Preliminary schedule:
In the morning: Leave at the time that works for you. The earlier you get on the road, the more you can experience.
Morning-afternoon: Take family and friends with you and enjoy a leisurely drive and fall colors, with lunch at a nice restaurant along the way. Stay tuned for more information on recommended sights and stops for your trip.
1:00 - 2:00PM Social hour at the MMAM parking lot
2:00 - 3:30PM Museum tour + more time to socialize
3:30 – Driving back home at your own pace, checking out any sights that you may have missed on the way to Winona.

Destination: The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, 800 Riverview Drive, Winona, MN 55987

We are not planning to organize group drives in either direction but instead give people the flexibility to travel on their own schedule and check out the sights that they find interesting.

Watch for more information coming soon – but, in the meantime, mark this on your calendar and start talking with your family and friends.

See you in Winona,

Jukka

Jukka Kukkonen
MN EV Owners coordinator
651 428 3155, ju...@shift2electric.com 
www.MNEVOwners.org , www.facebook.com/groups/mnevowners/
MNEVO is a chapter of EAA www.ElectricAuto.org 

[Jukka Kukkonen]

I hope many of you have marked this Saturday on your calendar. I have done this trip with my family every fall for the last 15 years so here are some of my highlights of things to see and do on your way to Winona. This list assumes that you are leaving from the Twin Cities.

Routing recommendation: Head to Prescott and take the scenic route on the Wisconsin side to Red Wing.

Red Wing:
There are many things to see in Red Wing, but my favorite ones are Barn Bluff and Memorial Park.

Barn Bluff
If you are looking for a vigorous hike and great views Barn Bluff is an excellent choice: https://www.redwingmn.gov/344/Trails-Information

Memorial Park
Memorial park is on a high bluff too, but is easier to access since you can drive up and park on the top. Remember to take your disc golf gear with you https://www.redwingmn.gov/406/Memorial-Park

Lake City:
Frontenac State Park https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00160#homepage

Chickadee Cottage Café https://www.chickadeecottagecafe.com/

Pepin Heights store https://fergusonsorchard.com/lake-city-home/

Wabasha:
Wabasha has always really nice fall decorations around the city so I would recommend a walk around the town
https://www.wabasha.org/septoberfest/

National Eagle Center https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/

Kellogg:
LARK Toys is the #1 Toy Store in Minnesota. It even has a hand carved wooden carousel and mini golf course.
https://www.larktoys.com/

Winona:
Hike the Sugar Loaf Bluff:
https://www.cityofwinona.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Sugar-Loaf-Park-52

MMAM Waterbar
MMAM has a new café Waterbar that offers light cuisine (sandwiches, soups and pastries) if you are looking for an easy lunch. https://mmam.org/waterbar

At 1PM we will gather out on the parking lot of The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, 800 Riverview Drive, Winona, MN 55987 mmam.org.
From 1-2PM we will have a social hour outside in the parking lot. MMAM will also invite locals to join us there to see different EVs, so we might have a chance to do some education at the same time.
At 2PM MMAM folks will introduce us to the museum. They have kindly offered us free admission.
(In case of rainy weather we will switch the order of activities at the MMAM so that we will start with the Museum at 1pm, followed by social hour after 2:30PM hoping that the weather has cleared up by then.)

3:30 – Driving back home at your own pace, checking out any sights that you may have missed on the way to Winona.

If you want an alternate route back, you can cross the river to Wisconsin in Wabasha and take the Great River Road toward the Twin Cities. Along that road you can find Villa Bellezza Winery https://www.villabellezza.com/ which also has 22 Level 2 charging stations available for their guests.

Bring your family and friends with you. This trip has something for everyone.

See you in Winona,

Jukka