So far, the Minnesota River sounds like a filthy ditch where you wouldn’t venture without a 9mm Glock and a vial of holy water. This is not entirely fair. As mentioned earlier, the river boasts an extensive wildlife refuge. It is not the only place in the metro to appreciate nature, but it is one of the few places to watch a bald eagle glide from branch to branch without the intrusion of an apartment building or semi-truck or strip mall in the background. If you are lucky, you can behold the grace of an egret standing in silent vigil in one of the shallow ponds and lakes found in the river bottom. Or a beaver might surface and smack the river with its tail, furious that the water STILL tastes like atrazine and sewage. (So much for quitting the filthy ditch theme.) None of these sights are unique to the Minnesota River Valley, but it is here where you stand a good chance of seeing them all in one place.