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April 20, 2005
We were only gone a week, but when we left spring was just at it's peak, and now it feels as if summer were just around the corner!!! There was a light dusting of green all over everything when we drove in yesterday evening...on the vehicles and carport, on the front porch, even on the front door handle!!! Pollen everywhere! The air even looks a bit green. Tera says we are in the Emerald City, like Dorothy in the Land of Oz. The boys are out mowing right now (don't you love the smell of fresh cut grass?!?!) and it's a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid to upper 80's. But let me tell you about our trip!!!!
We left home Wednesday, April 13th, after several very hectic days of getting ready. You would think that we would have that whole packing/preparing routine down to an art by now, but no...there is always that dreaded list ~ "Things To Accomplish Before We Leave Town". And as if there wasn't enough to do just for the week ahead, all of my "Things To Accomplish Before I Die" (or more to the point "Things I Should Have Gotten Done Yesterday") items kept popping up and distracting me from what I really needed to be doing. Anyway, we pulled out of here not too much later than our scheduled departure time, with all the chores delegated to our terrific neighbors who make it possible for us to leave. Thanks, guys!!!!
So, early (but not TOO early) Wednesday morning we all loaded up in the van (yes, only one vehicle this time, and a little trailer for our clothes and sleeping bags) and headed north, took I-35 up toward Topeka, Kansas, skirted around Kansas City, cut through the corner of Missouri and hit Iowa. That was when it felt like the adventure was beginning, since none of us had ever been to that state before. I heard once that Iowa was nothing but cornfields, one after another after another after another, so that is what I expected to see. Imagine my disappointment in not seeing one single green and growing corn stalk! I guess April is a bit early for corn, but still!!! (silly me!!!) John was very impressed with the farms and the rich, brown earth of the tilled fields. He's becoming more of a farmer all the time. Mom found a Panera (Dad's favorite restaurant) in Ames, Iowa and we all enjoyed salads and sandwiches for a late lunch/early dinner. Then we continued north and arrived in Winona, Minnesota around 5 that afternoon.
Our time in Winona could be a story all in itself. You see, Mom had information that led
her to believe that her grandfather was born in Winona, MN in 1866. She had never met him,
and we know very little about him because her father, his son, was adopted and never spoke
of his birth family. Mom was so excited to be able to go to the actual town and do some
research and possibly find a key to unlock some of the mystery of our genealogy. She had
done some internet "foot work" and found a quaint cabin for us to stay in during our time
in Winona. So there we were, the expectant travelers, driving past fertile farms and
picturesque old barns (I loved the barns!!!!) winding our way down into the river valley
where the fabled Winona is nestled. Then we saw the turnoff to our cozy abode... "COMPOST
SITE".
"There it is!!!" said Mom.
Just a bit of friendly advice...don't be too sure about staying in a place that lists their compost site as their number one attraction!!!
We pulled into the drive and were greeted by all sorts of farm animals ~ chickens, goats, even bunnies hopping around freely. After inquiring at the door, Dad was given directions to the cabin and we made our way down the road to a clearing, parked, and then followed the short foot path to the charming little cabin in the woods. The design was really neat, and we could have all stayed there rather comfortably, except that there had been cats inside, and some of us are allergic to cats. So we left and the couple that had moved up to the main house so that we could stay in the cabin were able to move back home for the night and the none too friendly "hostess" didn't seem to mind that we left. We missed out on the experience of following the handwritten directions on the notepaper on the counter that instructed where to put each pan under which leak in case it rained, and all the other interesting little encounters that could have happened in that dirty little cabin in the woods. Tera did finally stop coughing when we got far enough away, and we all got a good laugh out of it!!! Instead we had a wonderful and spoiling, though somewhat generic, stay in the Holiday Inn in town.
Mom couldn't wait to begin her "treasure hunt" the next morning and we all started out for the museum and historical society right after our morning Bible time. It was an interesting, well put together museum with loads of information, and the people were incredibly helpful and friendly. They even had a gift shop and used book store right in the building there, and yes, of course, I found some old books to buy!!!( I couldn't pass them up, even if we were very cramped in the van and I don't have anyplace to put them here at home either. I just LOVE old books!!!) Mom went through the museum but skipped the books and the gift store as she headed down to the Archives on the floor below. There, oh, so excitedly, and with lots of help from a wonderful woman named Lore, she found....nothing. No records, no references, no....nothing. Poor Mom!!! She did learn that there is a Winona, Wisconsin right across the river, and that threw an interesting kink...I mean twist into the possibilities, but Winona, WI is very small, only 4 houses or something like that and no records. Poor Mom...
Tera and I stayed at the museum with Mom, but the other six found the perfect spot for the volleyball net (surprise, surprise!!!) and enjoyed that and tennis, until we came with the picnic food. The weather was fantastically spring-like, and we hear that is quite unusual for this time of year...seems Old Man Winter is normally still holding on a bit this time of year. After lunch, we drove up the hill to a lookout where you could see the whole town of Winona. Winona is known as an island city and I hope you can see why from the pictures. We came down and crossed the Mississippi River into Wisconsin for a bit of exploring and saw the cutest little houses, even their doors seemed tiny, built right on the river from the banks of Leach Island. They must be summer homes, a whole community of them, and I expect inhabited by tiny people, or even elves!!! After that we dropped Mom and Tera off at the library (Mom was still hoping to find something to help her out in her search). Some of us went back to the hotel to nap, and some walked around Winona Lake. We had heard of Jefferson's Pub and Grill and decided to try that for dinner. There was a 45 minute wait before we could be seated, so we walked down to the riverside and enjoyed the sunset on the "mighty Mississip". The food was well worth the wait...the best onion rings we had ever had! And their hamburgers and milkshakes were yummy, too!!!
Friday morning we left Minnesota for the weekend and headed for Chetek, WI with a few stops and photo opts along the way. The dairy farms look just like postcard pictures and we were so impressed by how neat and clean everything looked. Must be the Scandinavian influence, ya!!!
The weekend conference in Chetek ~ which is pronounced something like shTAK for you southerners ~ took place at Luther Park Bible Camp, an unbelievably beautiful location right on a lake, and was a blessed time filled with sweet fellowship, informative and encouraging speakers, and inspiring music from the Upton family of Tennessee. You should check out their website at www.maaziahmountain.com and if you ever have the opportunity to hear them, don't miss it!!! They are an incredible family with amazing harmonies, unforgettable songs -the ones that they have written and the ones that they have learned from others- and a heart for Christ that just emanates from all they do. Now, Shaina and Laiel, I know you will be reading this and I know you'll be embarrassed, but what I have written is absolutely true, and I'm sure Katie and Amy will back me up in what I say, won't you, girls? Unfortunately the pictures that Jeremy took of the concerts were too dark, so I can't post any here. Sunday morning early, when the whole camp was covered by a gray, enchanting mist, Mom went outside and noticed a baby owl at the bottom of the pine tree outside our cabin. How special can it get?!?!?!
Another of the many highlights of the weekend was meeting the Christianson families, and we were invited out to see their farms Sunday afternoon after the conference. Mr. and Mrs. Christianson raise Shires on their place, along with an assortment of other animals, and give sleigh rides in the winter. That would be sooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!! It was interesting to hear that he uses essential oils and diatomatious earth for his horses...and they look so healthy!!!
Cheyenne and Katie Christianson and their 7 children have an organic dairy farm not far from his folk's place and it was intriguing to hear that their cows are completely grass fed...no grain! We have enjoyed the milk we brought away with us, and are looking forward to hamburgers tonight, right from their farm. It made our trip to Wisconsin extra memorable to be able to visit these farms and become friends with the wonderful families that run them. Thank you!!!!
There was no way we wanted to go that far north and be that close without visiting Lake Superior. It was magnificent. So BIG!!!!! And so cold! The air temperature was 34 degrees, quite chilly, and the lake water was numbing. But now we can all say we've been there!
We drove a little way up the North Shore, then back down through Duluth and toward St. Paul. After a few more hours of driving than we had anticipated for Sunday night, we spent the night in Moose Lake, Minnesota, and got to St. Paul midmorning on Monday. Then the Dahlby genealogy started, and Tera and I were able to visit the neighborhood that our great-great Grandfather, Ole Lindberg started a church in. His house is gone and we couldn't find Swede's Hollow where the church stood long ago, but we realized that we were very near our friend Dan's house and decided to call him to see if we could drop by. Turns out we were only a few blocks away and, boy, was he surprised to suddenly see all 10 of us right there!!! Good ol' Dan knew right away what we were looking for ~ he had played in Swede's Hollow when he was a kid. So we took a walk through our ancestor's community...though now Swede's Hollow is a park with no structures at all. Interesting!!!
Have you ever heard of Penzey's spices? We have ordered from their catalog for years and enjoyed their spices and delicious recipes. Imagine how excited we were to be able to visit an actual Penzey's store in St. Paul!!! You can smell the spiciness before you even enter the store and it only gets better from there. Jars and jars...more flavors than you've ever heard of line, the shelves and the aromas are intoxicating. Tera and I tried to decipher the difference between the kinds of cinnamon, and were surprised when we could!!! That was a really fun stop (for most of us...Dad napped out in the car!) and the lady was so nice and helpful.
Cabela's, not far from the Twin Cities, was our next stop, and after everyone had looked at the stuffed animals, live bait, aquarium and sporting goods we drove toward Ames, where we intended to spend the night. An FFA Convention had all the hotels booked for a couple of towns in a row, but we finally stopped for the night in Grimes, Iowa. Seemed like we would never get home Tuesday...as if the road just kept stretching out before us, or our wheels were spinning and we weren't making any progress. Know what I mean? Finally, finally we pulled into our drive and our journey was over. Lots of good memories though, and now we can add three more states to our list of "Been To"!!!
So now we are home in Emerald Oz Land. It didn't rain at all while we were gone, but we still have tulips and irises blooming. Jesse's longhorns ran away while we were gone, but he was relieved to find them only as far as our back pasture. His three horses are all doing very well, and the dogs were ecstatic to have us home.
So there it is, our NorthWoods Adventure!!!
Till next time,
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