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I sit here in a motel in Mitchell, South Dakota tasting internet access for the first time in about 48 hours. You’d think I’d have the DT’s, but I’m doing ok. Our trip started bright and early Sunday morning. We basically drove straight from Cincinnati to Lanesboro, Minnesota, stopping only briefly for lunch (Hardees new “thickburgers” are tasty!) and a few quick pictures of the Wisconsin Dells. Oh, and I tried to visit a cheese factory, but it was closed. I’ll have to hold off on my cheese curds obsession until we again cross through Wisconsin. And I can’t forget the Culvert Man! After checking in to the Coffee St. Inn, we walked a few blocks towards the Root River for dinner at “Riverside on the Root.” Tired after a long day of driving, we just wanted food, any food. But we were very pleasantly surprised by an excellent meal. I had a delicious grilled Walleye, which came with a salad with spicy green chile ranch dressing, garlic mashed new potatoes, and homemade baked beans. The Walleye was grilled to perfection, flaking away with each stroke of the fork and melting in my mouth. Shelly, on the other hand, went with the raspberry chipotle pork chop. This turned out to be a boneless, marinated pork chop that was then grilled to sear in the flavor. It was enormous, and full of flavor. I found myself slightly jealous, but still enjoying plowing my way through the large Walleye fillet. To accompany our meal, we each tried a glass of the local winery’s Rhubarb Wine, which to our surprise was actually quite delightful. Unlike the overly sweet novelty “wines” that you usually expect to find, this was a fine glass of slightly sweet white wine with just a hint of rhubarb sass.
After taking our leave of Lanesboro this morning, we had planned to stop in Wykoff, Minnesota to have a look at “Ed’s Museum,” but Ed’s Museum was nowhere to be found, so we ploughed forward to Austin Minnesota, home of Hormel Foods. And the Spam Museum. Yes, you heard me right — the Spam Museum. Hormel has graced the streets of Austin with a fine monument to that glorious luncheon “meat” we lovingly call spam. It’s a large, fully interactive museum replete with movie theaters, a game-show, a replica of the Green Midget Cafe….and of course a large gift shop. Our mascot for the trip, “Spammy,” joined forces with us at the gift shop and is excited to continue the trip with us. Not far from Austin, we came upon Blue Earth, Minnesota, home to a 60ft. tall Jolly Green Giant. Having stood between his legs, I can verify that he is *not* anatomically correct. You know you were curious. While in Blue Earth, we had lunch at a cute little root beer stand where we enjoyed burgers and, or course, root beer. Next up was Pipestone National Monument. Pipestone National Monument is an old Indian quarry where the Indians would dig up pipestone for use in making their pipes. It’s a gorgeous area with rock outcroppings and a burbling stream running through the center. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop. Near Pipestone National Monument we stopped at Devil’s Gulch, a narrow canyon made famous when Jesse James leapt the breadth of it to avoid capture by “the law.” We stopped in Sioux Falls intending to grab some burgers at the Hamburger Inn, but it was closed so we wound up at a 50′s style diner instead, where Shelly had an above average open-faced roast beef sandwich, and I had a rather average patty melt. (At least it was on pumpernickel.) From there, we counted Wall Drug signs as we made the drive into Mitchell. (12 and counting.)
Tomorrow: Mitchell Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Badlands, Wounded Knee, Mt. Rushmore
Notes: Neglected to bring a data cable for the camera, so photos will have to wait until I have a chance to pick one up.
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