After enjoying the 2022 Grand Tour of Minnesota (GTMN) last year, it was a no brainer that I’d sign up this year as well. The GTMN is a motorcycling event put on by Team Strange, a motorcycling group that has been putting on events for as far back as I can remember. I have participated in several of their events, including the Minnesota 1000 which requires registered motorcyclists to find and photograph provided bonus locations throughout the 5-state area inside of 24 hours. That one was grueling but super fun. This year’s GTMN requires registered riders to ride to 20 specific locations scattered throughout Minnesota which are chosen by the organizers of the tour. Each rider is issued a numbered “passport”, and the riders must visit each of the 20 locations and take a picture of the location along with their individual “passport”, preferably including their motorcycle in the photo, to show proof of their visit. The tour started May 1st, and photos must be received by November 30th to be considered a finisher. Today I visited two of the locations. Here are some photos of things I found along the way.
My first stop on the way to a GTMN site was Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona where the grave for Steven Taylor can be found. Taylor was believed to be one of the 83 soldiers who attacked the British fort Ticonderoga in 1775. At some point after that war Taylor and his family moved to Minnesota and ultimately was buried here. As such, he is considered to be the only Revolutionary War soldier to be buried in Minnesota. His grave marker is a model of Fort Ticonderoga and was erected in 1933. More recently, some controversy has developed regarding the validity of Taylor being one of the 83, so maybe he wasn’t there, but maybe he was. Anyway, he lived to be 100, so that’s something.
The perfect scene: Horses in the yard of a 2-story 1800’s brick home. Wiscoy Township, southern Minnesota.
The road that goes by Swede Bottom Cemetery
The Swede Bottom area near Houston Minnesota
This is Mill Road near Schech’s Mill in Sheldon MN. There’s a sign stating “Minimum Maintenance Road” not far from where this photo was taken, and I initially considered turning around. But, I asked myself what would Itchy Boots (an adventure motorcycle Vlogger I follow) do? The challenging portions of the road weren’t long, but they were pretty technical considering the relatively large and heavy adventure bike I’m on (as opposed to an actual high-clearance dirt bike).
I carry a satellite tracker on my rides so that if the worst-case scenario presents itself I can summon help even if there isn’t a cell phone signal.
No wildflowers were harmed during this ride.
An old abandoned schoolhouse in Black Hammer MN.
The hinge of one of the doorways on the schoolhouse. Doors are cool, and to think of the number of times a door swung on this hinge is even more cool, at least to me.
The troll sculpture in Spring Grove MN. It’s kinda creepy that his beard is hairy.
That’s the grave and monument of Colonel William Colvill in the background, which is one of the 20 GTMN locations. It’s located in the Cannon Falls cemetery where several of my paternal relatives are buried. He came to Red Wing MN from New York in 1854, and held several jobs there including his own law practice, county clerk, and the editor of the Red Wing newspaper. In 1861, he answered the call of Goodhue County to form a voluntary infantry unit. Colvill quickly rose through the ranks until finally becoming a Colonel commanding Company F of the First Minnesota Regiment. He fought in several historically significant battles of the Civil War, including The Battle of Balls Bluff, Antietam, and Gettysburg. During the battle of Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg, Colvill continued fighting after being shot in the shoulder, but he fell when shot a second time, shattering his ankle. There is much more very interesting history about Colvill, but ultimately he died in his sleep in 1905 and was buried here alongside the grave of his wife. The statue was placed and dedicated in 1909.
An actual Civil War cannon at the base of Colvill’s statue.
I hope you enjoyed this photo blog! Thanks for looking!
