By the way, the entire route map can be access thru this link to the Google Map I created for the trip (2009 MN Fall Trip).
OK, on to Day 3... Here's the map for Wednesday's travels. Here's a map of Day 3:
Like the previous two days, I was on the road by 6:30. I wanted to take a quick drive thru downtown Duluth, just to see what it was like. Before I had gone a mile, I came across the following restaurant:
I don't know this for a fact, but it appears that "The Luces" have invested heavily in Minnesota and Wisconsin with pubs and eateries. This is the second siting of a Luce establishment this year. It probably beats investing in the stock market!
Time to gas up, get the morning coffee/donuts, and head south. I decided to take Hiway 53 thru Western Wisconsin. This took me over the Interstate 535 "Blatnick Bridge", which crosses over the other entryway to Duluth Harbor.
Since it was still dark, all I could see were the freighters being filled along the Harbor. What surpised me was the wind! As I climbed the tallest portion of the hiway, the crosswind was "pushing the car"! Between the rain coming down, the darkness of early morning and not being able to see much, and the wind, it was a pretty unnerving experience. All I could think of was what this would be like in the middle of January, with snow and ice!
I settled in for my drive toward Spooner, WI... It was divided hiway (1st since monday). I know, no big deal, but after 2 days on two lane roads and few cars, it seemed awfully different. The rain was light but consistent, so I figured there'd be limited sightseeing/photo ops today. Guess what... I happened to run into ANOTHER CASINO.... an oasis in an otherwise dreary day. The St. Croix Casino and Hotel was in Turtle Lake, WI.
It was weird.. the parking lot along the road was pretty empty (alright, it was only about 8:30-9am), but the sign was lit, so I drove around back, and sure enough, everyone was parking back there. OK, I have to check it out. Nice little casino. Not many there, other than us AARP members! I left my normal "contribution" to their slot machines, hit the McDonald's drive-thru for coffee #2, and was back on the road in an hour. The good news was that the rain had stopped. So, I may find a few scenic opportunities...
Wisconsin cities along the route included Menomonie and Wabasha, Wisconsin. The hiway from Menomonie to Wabasha ran along a valley near a riverbed, with picturesque farms and hills. Here are a couple shots along the way..
There's something about these smaller cities that is attracting. They're clean, not real large, and filled with people who reflect the Midwestern image and work ethic. Here's a photo of the Welcome sign as I entered Wabasha, MN after crossing over the Mississippi River.....
By now, I was entering the "end of vacation" phase, and was ready to get home. After one more stop in Cresco for my last "vacation coffee", it was back on to Hiway 63. My last photo shows a city park in Cresco... another one of those great, small, Midwestern towns...
I arrived back in Waterloo about 3pm, to find the temperature almost 70 degrees! I quickly got out of vacation mode as I noticed the leaves and grass in need of mowing. Back to the daily routine.....
I am already contemplating next year's fall trip(s). Maybe a trip around Lake Michigan? Door County again? Maybe North Dakota? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!
As I mentioned earlier, I took several other photos which were not posted in this blog. If you are interested, here's a link to the 2009 MN Trip Picasa Album.
- Rick Smith
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