a big horse

Oh, look what I found.  It's a giant painted horse...Swedish style.  It's called a Dalecarlian horse and it is named after its' region of origin in Sweden.  You can find this horse just outside of Cloquet, MN

northwoods

It was Sunday and we wanted to attend church.  We were able to find a church about twenty miles or so south of Duluth.  It is a small church in the country that is attended by some very warm and friendly people.  And, it was communion Sunday, too.  PTL

grand rapids school

In northern Minnesota somewhere between Duluth and Bemidji lies the town of Grand Rapids.  We passed through there on our way across the state this summer and decided to stop in the center of town and visit this beautiful old school building.  The central wooden staircase was exceptionally beautiful.  I can just picture the students running up and down these stairs.  More than that I can picture some daring students sliding down on the stair railings.

The building today houses small boutiques and galleries in the former classrooms.  Fortunately the old school building was left intact and the beauty of the interior still remains.  The polished wooden floors, the chalk boards and the old cloak rooms attached to each classroom brought back some fond memories of my grade school days.

It makes me happy to see older buildings being taken care of and being put to good use again.  What a wonderful old building.  And, if walls could talk....

Herman the German

In southern Minnesota in the town of New Ulm there is a large statue that has been erected in a park high on a hill overlooking the city.  The statue is known as the Herman Heights Memorial and is commonly referred to as Herman the German.  The statue commemorates the Germanic victory over the Romans at the battle of Teutoburg Forest.  The leader, Arminius, lead the troops in the battle and it is he that is captured in sculpture atop this 102' memorial.  You can climb the spiral staircase to the observation deck where views of the river valley await.  It's a nice place to visit when you are in this  part of southern Minnesota.

der glockenspiel

In southern Minnesota there lies a town called New Ulm and it is known for its German influence.  Right in the middle of town is a large clock tower and glockenspiel.  The clock rings on the hour and the doors on the tower open to reveal moving characters mounted on a rotating carousel.  It is a lot of fun to sit on the park benches that outline the plaza and watch and listen to the music and dancing of the mechanical characters.  This day was a perfect day for viewing, too.  What a beautiful blue sky!

arctic cat tour

This was another fun day on our Minnesota tour.  We were in Thief River Falls and decided to take a tour of the Arctic Cat facility.  The tour was supposed to be a one hour tour but because we had such an enthusiastic tour guide, the tour turned into a two hour tour.  Wow, we were all happy and our host was terrific.  He showed us all of the steps it takes to build a snow mobile and we also saw the off road vehicles being constructed.  We saw everything except the "secret stuff".  What a great tour.  And, the town of Thief River Falls has a very nice small town America downtown main street, too!!  The town resides in northwestern Minnesota.  Go there.

d q at night

I spent a lot of time in Minnesota this summer.  Over the next few days I will highlight some of the things I saw along the way.  You can't fully appreciate Minnesota without stopping by one or more (I vote for more) Dairy Queen ice cream stands.  This drive-in is located in Paynesville.  I have been here many times over the years and I am reminded of a lot of good times spent coming and going along Highway 55 on our way to the cabin.  Enjoy!!