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road to dl
Now a day behind schedule because of The Incident, we’re caught between the urge to hurry and the need to slow down so there will be no further mistakes. Up at 5am, we make our way carefully across...
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detroit lakes minnesota
Ralph’s mother, a travel writer, has a lovely home on the water in Detroit Lakes—an unpretentious town with an intimate community surrounding two appealing little lakes where families from Fargo and...
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journey to the center of america
The wind blew so hard driving into Pierre South Dakota we nearly ran the DWR into a pasture. (Fun fact: it’s pronounced “peer”). Other drivers passed blithely by without seeming to notice but I was...
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vinegar museum
How did Roslyn, South Dakota get to be the vinegar capital of America? “Yes. Ok,” replied the amiable host at the International Vinegar Museum, who earnestly launched into his docent’s speech....
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water carnival
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota: population 7,000 and change. Small enough for residents to know everybody’s business, big enough to support a community event like the annual Water Carnival. Look up...
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flea market
Maybe it’s because I came up in the suburbs of the west coast and have never seen oddities like weatherworn drake decoys and antique muskie lures. Maybe it’s the way said items were displayed. Maybe...
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o canada
For those entering Canada from North Dakota: take heed. There will be no gas on the way. We coasted on fumes into Pembina, the last chance for everything before the border crossing at Emerson where...
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road to ohio
From the moment I was informed by the nice gas station character that filled the trailer tires that 38 tornadoes just had their way with my eastern destination states, the hostile spring weather has...
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john wayne’s birthplace
As I can’t resist a “world’s largest” or “home of” roadside attraction, I swerved off the highway in Iowa and followed signs to Winterset—birthplace of John Wayne (American). There I encountered...
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looney daze
The state fair may be legend, but Minnesota’s podunk summer festivals—Detroit Lakes’ Water Carnival, the Audubon Pet Parade (which took ten minutes, beginning to end), and “Looney Daze” (sic) in...
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world’s largest
Spend any time at all on the American highway and you’ll see one: the world’s largest [fill in the blank]. The Frazee, Minnesota turkey. The Vergas, Minnesota loon. (Giant fowl are popular in...
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kool-aid
Are you returning home from Alumapalooza westbound on I-80? After 13 hours on the road you’ll need a break. Take the half hour detour to Hastings, Nebraska, home of Kool-Aid. Deep within the...
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jamestown
Those taking a more northwesterly route home on I-94 from Alumapalooza won’t visit Hastings, but they might Airstream through “The Buffalo City”—Jamestown, North Dakota. One could fall asleep at...
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wisteria
Wisteria is hard to describe. The website explains it as a “special place…an event site, campground, nature preserve, and residential community nestled in the Appalachian foothills of southern...
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birthplaces of the quasi-famous
I tow on county roads and off-brand highways whenever possible. If you’re not in a hurry to get to Point B, avoid the mega freeways; that’s the best way to spy a sign that reads “Welcome to [Podunk]:...
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