Dear Answer Man, there was a yellow and blue helicopter hovering over downtown Rochester this afternoon (Tuesday), and I'll assume it was landing on Methodist Hospital, though I couldn't see it down. Maybe it landed in the parking lot by old Lourdes High School? In any case, I didn't know that Methodist has a helipad. How frequently is it used? Seriously, I work downtown and don't recall ever seeing a helicopter land there before.
Seconds after receiving this email, I dropped everything and took a stroll around the Methodist area. Lo and behold, I caught a glimpse of the gaily-colored chopper — not one of Mayo's fleet — just barely visible atop the Charlton Building in the Methodist complex . Yes, they have a helipad up there , but I'm quite confident it's not as well-used as the one at Saint Marys, for obvious reasons — they have to dodge the Gonda Building, for one thing.
I'm checking with Mayo communications for more details, but timeliness is next to godliness, so I won't wait.
FYI, I'll add a link online to a 2009 document that outlined how helicopter pilots were to contact Mayo if they wanted to land on one of the hospitals. I'll assume there's a more current chopper protocol, but it's still interesting.
Dear Answer Man, please gaze into your crystal ball and let us know what the parade route will be in Stewartville now that the usual route is under construction. — J. Engel
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I gazed, and I discerned the route of the Fourth of July parade.
It starts at 6:30 p.m. on Sixth Avenue Southwest, just north of the high school, and goes east on Second Street Northwest past the cemetery, up and along Lakeshore Drive, north on U.S. Highway 63, east on Sixth Street Northeast, south on Second Avenue Northeast, west on Minnesota Highway 30, then goes south on U.S. 63 and hits the homestretch on Third Street Southwest.
I'll link to a map on the City of Stewartville's Facebook page.
Not cowed by livestock
Among the thousands of Answer Man readers who were amused by my item the other day about cow-tanking was Paul Schouweiler, of Kasson, who sent this with pics:
"Dear Answer Man, thank you for your recent article enlightening us loyal readers of the thrill of cow-tanking. I am sharing a few photos (from 1944, if the notation on the back is accurate) of my older brothers and sisters experiencing this semi-ancient sport. They did have to share the pond with the cows and a few ducks. I'm not sure if the swimming was voluntary."
