Exploring the Wonders of Minnesota
Three horses carrying strangers slowly came into view. The riders eased up the reins and dismounted near the First National Bank. A passer-by paused and looked at the strangers: it was rare that three well-dressed strangers would come to remote Northfield, Minnesota in the year 1876. The men entered the bank and several more strangers …
Continue reading “Hometown Pride: The Defeat of Jesse James Days”
“So that’s the boat?” “Yeah, we get on board and then they take us on a three-hour boat tour of the Apostle Islands.” “A three-hour tour? Seriously?” “Yeah, the captain said they have had no complaints. He sounded trustworthy. Name of G-something.” **glaring** “At least the boat isn’t called the Minnow?” – We depart Minnesota …
Continue reading “A Three-Hour Tour: Sightseeing in the Porkies and the Apostle Islands”
We went to Iowa last February for vacation. When I told people in Minnesota ahead of time, people were incredulous. “Why would you ever want to do that?” asked one person from Iowa, “There is nothing to see there.” Even while we were there, people tended to assume that we were either locals or we …
In northern Minnesota on the banks of Lake Superior lies Duluth. To get there you take I-35 north until the highway ends. In between the Iron Range of mountains and the windswept Lake Superior, it is a gateway to the wilderness that attracts adventurers in the summer and becomes a frozen shell of itself in …
It turns out there are Swedish centers of culture other than IKEA stores and ABBA reunion tours. Scandinavian culture has been an important theme for us recently, with us writing about our Norwegian feast at the St. Olaf Christmas Festival and our Finnish food with friends in St. Paul. Before Minnesota, I knew very little …
Continue reading “A Scandinavian Celebration: The American Swedish Institute”
National parks and monuments mean a lot to Katie and I, so we make a point to see as many as we can. They have been responsible for some of the best adventures we have ever had and they are also responsible for why we found ourselves last fall in the middle of Northeastern Iowa …
Continue reading “Large Piles of Dirt: Seeing Effigy Mounds”
Last October, Katie and I visited western Minnesota, where evidence remains of three people groups who had been there: the Native peoples who congregated in Pipestone, the German immigrants who established a settlement in New Ulm and a little girl who lived on a prairie. There are fascinating places to visit that visitors can only …
Continue reading “Little House in the Quarry: Visiting Western Minnesota”
Adventures in Gopherland