October 21, 2011

A visit to Minnesota (Part 2)




Keltie blended in beautifully with the leaves.

This water was irresistible for the dogs since it was so warm out.
Keltie wasn't accustomed to all those leaves being in the way!
Blanca and Keltie have a love/hate kind of relationship.


After a wonderful day spent in the woods we got back on the road to see where it would take us next. Lucky for us we found a winery out in the middle of nowhere. Considering Minnesota has unique conditions for growing grapes, they aren't exactly known for wine. This place was really neat and had some interesting varieties. We got to try 16 different wines and they even gave us a cheese sampling. If you're ever in the area it would be worth a visit to Whitewater Wines.



The next random stop was in Wabasha. This little town is FULL of character. They have their own claim to fame too. This is where the films Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men were shot.

The decorations in the town were too fun! They even had a random display of pumpkin/gourd creations that were entered in a contest. I love finding little towns like this, especially when it's unexpected. 



Is this supposed to be a grumpy old man?


This was the winner for the size contest. This weighed almost 700 pounds!




Which pumpkins are your favorite? Its hard to choose but the one with the mustache and the pipe is my favorite!

Unfortunately the next day we had to head back to Nebraska. The plan was to have brunch before we headed out. We got sidetracked before brunch though because I just had to stop at the Cheese Mart. Boy am I glad I did! This place had every kind of cheese imaginable and you could sample ALL of them. They even had Bacon Smoked Cheese that was absolutely divine. The Northern Midwest has been holding out on us other folks! I grew up in Virginia and I had never heard of a cheese curd before. I think I'm discovering that cheese is the secret that keeps the people in the Northern Midwest thriving during the harsh winters. It's worth visiting the Northern Midwest just for the CHEESE!


These will make the perfect snack for the drive home!


We ate brunch at a delightful restaurant in Rochester called Pannekoeken Family Restaurant. Their specialty is the Dutch pancake called a pannekoeken. They have many different flavors both savory and sweet. When your order comes out the server is supposed to come running out chanting "pannekoeken!" They run because when the pannekoeken comes out of the oven it's so fluffy and they don't want it to deflate before it gets to you. We had a lovely table outside on the corner so our server was a little shy and brought ours out more in a trot and a whisper.

If you're ever in Rochester, MN you should try this place.
I love places with charm!
Apple

Bacon
Pumpkin.  It was so YUMMY! 






Minnesota is a great place to visit, we were sad to leave. The drive home consisted of lots of farm land. It's interesting to see these giant modern windmills pop up in the middle of all that land. I was happy we had some tasty snacks to enjoy during the drive.

I'm so hungry right now...

This might look like an ordinary muffin but it SO wasn't. It's was a moist, triple berry delight!







1 comment:

  1. As a Minnesotan working in Minnesota, I especially loved these beautiful glimpses of home. Your photos capture the spirt of the place beautifully. Thank you for sharing them.

    ReplyDelete

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