July 28, 2012

When we returned home from the fair Saturday we had “popcorn & movie night.”   Everybody showered early and we watched ”Cars” from Grandpa’s movie collection (the kids stuff was just too weird).  On Sunday headed back to Bunker Hills.  (Sunday evening was “Cars 2”).

Oh, I do need to correct one error from my previous post.  The playground we stopped at was in Dennison Minnesota not Dundee.

On Tuesday we moved to Frontnac SP near Frontnac Station Minnesota, which is southeast of Red Wing.  It is a beautiful area with high bluffs and deep valleys cut out by glaciers.  The park is rather large but only a small portion is developed.  Again there lots of trees which make it a challenge to back into a site but they are very nice once you get landed. 

After getting set up we took a drive to Wabasha hoping to find the homes of the moron and the puttz across from the old “Glitner” place.  Unfortunately most of the film was made elsewhere (Debbie knows the details if you are interested).  The writer was from Wabasha so the names of the places are real.  There is a Slippery’s Tavern but it looks nothing like the movie.

Wednesday we took a drive to Red Wing and found a nice restaurant for a very late breakfast.  Next we visited the Red Wing Boot Museum.  It was quite interesting.  They still make boots here, there are two large facilities along with factories it two other locations that I don’t recall.  Unfortunately only their work boots are made in the USA, their other shoes and boots are imported.  Next was a visit to the Ufa Da Shop.  As usual our return to the park was by a very indirect route.  Whenever we’re ready the GPS gets us back to our campsite.

When we got back Darby and I took a hike, only about a mile or so but there was a steep drop down the bluff to get a good view of In Yan Teopa Rock.

On Thursday we took a ride around Frontnac.  It is actually two “towns,” sort of separated by the park.  Frontnac Station is along Hwy 61 and was originally a trading post operated by James “Bully” Wells. In 1854 Israel Garrard came to the area hunting a never returned home.  He purchased 320 acres from Wells and following the Civil War platted the town of Frontnac with two brothers and a step-brother.  Their graves are at the far end of one of the strangest cemeteries we have ever visited.  It is situated on a long narrow strip land between two creeks with graves on either side of the road.

At one time the town had a resort / hunting lodge but today all that is there are a number of old homes on nice big lots platted by the brothers.  It is surrounded Frontnac SP on three sides and Lake Pepin (Mississippi River) on the east.

On Friday we moved to Rice Lake SP.