Profile
Photos
Comments
My trip to Minnesota was great. I left Friday at around 9 a.m. but didn't arrive at White Bear Lake, MN until 6:30 p.m. that evening - why you ask? Well, I was detoured twice off the main highway, the second detour led me onto a rural hwy that totally got me lost. Instead of driving West towards MN, I (confusingly) was driving South, but thankfully I figured it out after an hour and a half, and began my trek in the correct direction towards MN. Along with the detours and my direction issues, the weather was pretty awful on Friday to drive through - lots and lots of rain! It could have been a lot worse though.
So I finally arrived safely at my destination and drove into the hotel's parking lot. At first, I was momentarily alarmed when checking in, when they couldn't locate my reservation, but thankfully they did find it and I was able to settle into my hotel room for the night. I telephoned my cousins who I was meeting with that evening and we decided they'd pick me up for dinner and drive together to an Asian restaurant a few blocks from my hotel. I was hungry so it was great timing. My cousin, his wife and I had a very nice chat, took about 1 1/2 hours of sipping tea, munching on very yummy (expensive!) Asian food. I'd never been to a Chinese/Vietnamese/Indian fusion restaurant before - the blending of tastes in their food were very good! We sure enjoyed it!
Then they drove me back to my hotel for the night. We decided that he'd pick me up and drive me to their home the following morning. So they dropped me off and I got into my room, got comfortable, and crashed for the night. It felt so good to just relax! Here are a few pictures of the hotel I stayed in and my room:
I'd highly recommend Americinn to everyone - wonderful staff, inexpensive, clean, free WiFi and very spacious rooms, and very spacious!
The following morning I ate at the hotel. They offer to their patrons a free full-service breakfast between the hours of 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. - eggs, homemade waffles, bacon, sausage, cereals (hot and cold), biscuits and gravy, fruit, bagels, yogurt,muffins, donuts, freshly brewed coffee, etc. I was impressed! Then once I had my fill, my cousin picked me up and we drove an hour to their home in Sun Fish Lake, MN. He and his wife live on a lake and own 3 acres of property. When we arrived the weather was a bit icky - rainy and overcast, but it got better soon after. They gave me a complete tour of the house along with some interesting tidbits about the 70 year old home. The home was originally owned by two married doctors in the 1950's, and they added quite a lot of unique additions to the house - like a huge indoor doorbell chime, a couple secret rooms, a clothing chute to the basement, and decorative tiles throughout the house. I personally LOVED the house - found it's uniqueness and character very appealing. My cousin and his wife kept many of the 1950-style of the house in tact (due to lack of finances) but I'm happy that they didn't upgrade it just yet. The rooms (including the kitchen) are huge! I'm so disappointed in myself for not remembering to take a picture of their kitchen...oh well. Here is a photo of their parlor (my favorite room in the house):
They also have two of the cutest dogs in the world. Oliver is their newest addition - he's a 1 year old pug. Such a cutie!
After the tour of the inside of the home was completed, they took me on the outside tour. Wow! 3 acres of property really is a lot of property....had no real awareness of the majesty of the number. It takes a lot of care to keep the property looking so great. Here are a few photos of the property and the lake:
Later that even he drove me back to my hotel. I had such a wonderful weekend with my cousins! I really couldn't have wanted anything more from my visit.
On Sunday I headed back to Wisconsin via La Crosse - what a lovely drive it was!
I love my family but I'm glad to be home again!!
