On The Road Again

Recently, I fired up my Suzuki V-Strom and set off into our great State looking to collect the remaining 6 locations I must photograph to successfully finish the Grand Tour of Minnesota motorcycle challenge I’m participating in this year.  My first stop was Little Falls where Charles Lindbergh’s boyhood home still stands, nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River.  What you don’t see in this picture are the swarms of ravenous mosquitoes that descended upon me in search of my sweet, sweet type “O” nectar.  Despite my wearing a full riding suit, full faced helmet, and having a neck gaiter pulled up over my nose, three of the blood-thirsty platelet thieves got inside of my helmet and found the only sliver of flesh available: around my right eye.

The scene of the attack

The aftermath.  Yes, I tend to react badly to mosquito bites.  I wouldn’t survive 5 minutes in the Boundary Waters.

As I was riding to my next stop, I rode past this church.  It just looked so… picturesque, that I had to turn around and take this photo.  

Our Lady of The Hills statue.  Located in Ottertail County, near Inspiration Peak, the second highest point in Minnesota.  (Eagle Mountain, a destination I visited last month, is the highest point in Minnesota).

The sculptor, Bill Danelke, was diagnosed with cancer in a gland under his jawbone as a child.  His mother told him he could get help if he prayed to the Virgin Mary.  He did, and his surgery was successful.  Bill promised to thank the Virgin Mary by building a statue on Leaf Mountain.  50 years later, his vow became a reality. 

Disregard the finger in this photo.  My hand was probably still swollen, and about as worthless as a club, because of a mosquito bite.

Inspiration Peak - The second highest point in Minnesota.

Nyberg Park - A collection of sculptures by Ken Nyberg are scattered around the town of Vining.  The park is located just off the parking lot of Big Foot Gas and Grocery, where they had no stickers for my sticker boards at home, but they had a pretty decent two-piece broasted chicken with mashed potatoes and corn special.

They don’t have to make sense to be interesting.

Mac the Knife takes a shine to the silver spoon.  The fork is forever not famous.

They have a yearly watermelon festival out here, and it’s kind of a big deal, hence his motivation for this sculpture.

Full disclosure:  One of my Grand Tour of MN locations is the Bigfoot thing in Remer MN, the alleged home of Bigfoot.  This is not Bigfoot.  This is Big Foot.  There is a difference.  Another sculpture by Ken Nyberg in Vining.

Self portrait sculpture of Ken Nyberg by Ken Nyberg.

Ken Nyberg’s daughter was an actual astronaut.

The broasted chicken special I mentioned previously.  Would I ride over 200 miles again solely for this?  Probably not.  But honestly, it wasn’t bad.

When you ride into Ottertail, it is required that you visit the Otter.  

When you ride where friends live, its nice to reconnect with a friend you haven’t seen in years.  It’s just good for the soul.

Collecting another location for the Grand Tour of MN.  One of the popcorn showers caught up with me here, and gave me a good soaking as I walked back to the bike.

More storm showers blooming all around me.

Sometimes it’s okay to stop and let a downpour blow across the road a half mile or so in front of you.  Better to appreciate from a distance than to experience from within. 

If you’re looking for pizza in Bemidji, look no further than Dave’s. Been serving good pizza since 1958.

This is why I can’t sleep tonight.

Thanks for looking!