Aug 06, 2014

Thumbnail is a shot of a great neon sign on the picture theatre in Fargo.This is one of many such signs in Broadway. Really enjoyed seeing them.

 

And a shot of St Mary's Cathedral on our way out of Fargo on Broadway which I took Norm on to see all the cute flower baskets, neon signs and Art Deco buildings.

 

Where yesterday's geography was undulating plains with intensive broad acre agriculture disappearing off into the distance to low lying ranges. Today we have ventured into Minnesota the State of 10,000 Lakes, or so their vehicle registration plates say and I could believe it. We seemed to climb up onto tableland which is incredibly green and lush with lakes from tiny to huge and every size in between scattered randomly across the land and as a result there is much less intensive broad acre farming but still a lot of farming and the trees aren't just growing along the waterways. Quite lovely really. This was our first stop out of town in a place called Detroit Lakes so I guess the lake is called Detroit Lake but who knows?  By the way, the black line on the top left hand side of the screen is a stick hanging on a spiders web.

 

Next stop for lunch was a quirky little town called New York Mills where we had lunch at a Subway store situated in a tin shed! Looked the same as any other Subway inside thankfully. This is a shot of some of the main street, very cute.

 

And a little out of town when we were making sure the few bits of compilations of old farm machinery really was the Sculpture park we found this sorry sight, a poor old barn has finally succumbed to lack of maintenance neglect and time. Going on the condition of the little house next to it I suspect the smaller one will suffer the same fate. Norm said sometimes at the end of the day he feels like the barn looks ... can't be pleasant.

 

After we booked into our accommodation on Gull Lake we headed off to visit the Crow Wing State Park which was a nice spot for a picnic or camping or fishing so long as you can keep the mosquito repellent handy. There used to be a town here called Crow Wing and was the site of a great Indian battle between the Dakota and Ojibwe in 1768 to gain possession as it was a prolific fishing and hunting area situated on the Mississippi River where the Crow Wing River merges with it around the Crow Wing Island. Ultimately fur traders set up here and a thriving industry with timber and trade and Ox-wagon crossings developed however when the railroad eventually got here they decided to cross the Mississippi at Brainerd which ultimately led to the demise of Crow Wing. This is a shot of the Mississippi and while it might not exactly be 'mighty' yet it was running strongly and clearly had fish in it which were jumping. Glad the mosquitos are a bonus to some. The park reflected a lot of what we had seen on the way today and I'll sum it up by saying "Uhm thinkin there's a lot'a huntin an fishin done in these hiya parts".

 

As we were heading back to Gull Lake we took a shot of this Art Deco inspired hotel in Brainerd and this was one of many buildings of this era.

 

And another of the water towers in Brainerd.

 

And a shot across Gull Lake from our accommodation. This is a huge resort which is used summer and winter and caters well for families and sports enthusiasts. They have accomodation for 1,000 people and their best season is summer but they also have snow boarders and ice fishers here in the winter with 2 feet of ice on the lake in winter!!!

Bits and Bobs:

A Travel tip learn't by sheer frustration for all those who have wrestled with feather pillows which seem to flaten the instant your head settles in them and when you put one on top of the other they just manage to wrap themselves about your face in an attempt to smother you. Norm having come across this problem on several ocassions stumbled on a soloution some days ago when in frustration he shoved a second pillow into a pillowcase with another pillow and lo and behold, it was solid enough for him to enjoy a good nights sleep!

 

And this shot shows you how the City of Fargo keep their flower baskets looking good.

Last Night's Accommodation:

Radisson Hotel Fargo, 201 Fifth Street North Fargo, ND 5812

A lovely hotel, comfortable room and bathroom, furnishings well proportioned, undercover parking available for $3.00, Included wifi which worked well, on-site bar, lounge, business centre, day spa and restaurant. Lovely comfortable spaces to relax in and Staff very helpful. Breakfast not included but a reasonable cost. Definitely the quality we have come to expect with the brand. Very good value.