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”
Our exploration of the North Shore of Lake Superior could easily be six posts, but Katie and I have a limited time left in the state, so here are our adventures in one, long blog entry. – We depart Minnesota at the end of July, so we went on a trip earlier this month to …
Continue reading “Lighthouses, Waterfalls and Fur Traders: The North Shore”
A few week ago, we travelled to Michigan and met up with my family who came from New York State. We wanted to see one another but not be vectors of any virus, so we quarantined before and afterwards. In Michigan we mainly stayed at a vacation home that my dad found. Our week was …
Continue reading “A Beach Holiday: Lake Michigan with my Family”
If we had a bucket list for what we wanted to do while we lived in Minnesota, it would include attending a live game for every major sports team. The Twin Cities have an MLB team, an NFL team, an NBA team and an NHL team. In fact, it appeared in early March like we …
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 …
The pop culture picture of Minnesota is probably best encapsulated in the image of someone ice fishing while wearing buffalo plaid and a trapper hat. The image is inspired by several cultural depictions. One is certainly “Fargo”, though the city of Fargo, while on the Minnesota border, is actually in North Dakota. A more Minnesotan …
Continue reading “Flannel, Hotdish and Trapper Hats: Attending Wabasha’s Grumpy Old Men Festival”
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”
Showing off your area to friends from out of town is fun, even when it involves eating pickled herring. As I mentioned last week, we had several visitors over last October to whom we showed the city. A week after my parents visited, we were joined by our good friends Jameson and Christine. We wanted …
Adventures in Gopherland