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Monday, September 13, 2010

Minneapolis, MN


Wow what a great trip it's been so far. We left Blue Springs on Thursday September 9th, which was also Peter's 24th birthday! Here's a short video clip from before we took off.


We stopped for lunch in Des Moines, IA and ate at the sculpture park. Here are a few photos.







We finally arrived in Minneapolis with my Uncle Rod and Aunt Sue at their lovely home.



We had a fantastic dinner and crashed after a long day of travelling. On Friday we bought some stuff at REI for our outdoor kayaking trips up North. We then hooked up with Sue who took us to a fantastic apple orchard called Pine Hill. We sampled some delicious apples and bought some Sweet Tango's which were developed at this orchard and were the best tasting apples I think we've ever had. Here are a few pics.

















We also went to a free zoo in Como and then had real Minneapolis eating adventure. We went to both restaurants that claim to have the original and best Juicy/Jucy Lucy burger. If you haven't seen it featured on Man vs Food it's two hamburger patties with cheese on the inside so that it is hot and melty when you bite into it. We first went to the 58 club and the four of us ordered different types of Juicy Lucy's with different chesses, seasonings, and toppings. We then shared each other's and compared to see which we preferred. I got the original with American cheese and Peter and I both thought it was the favorite compared with the other flavor combinations. We then went just down aways to Matt's Bar and ordered their Jucy Lucy. It was filled with young and old, and the cook was huddled over the hot tiny grill while everyone waited for their order. Matt's Bar does not give you cheese or topping options, strictly American cheese only.

After eating both burgers from both places we all agreed that we preferred the 58 Club's Juciy Lucy! We liked the taste and quality of the beef more, the cheese and options more, and overall experience more. We can see why Matt's is so popular especially for the bar crowd, we just thought the meat was a bit overcooked and the cheese all melted out without leaving much flavor. But don't take our word for it, try each yourself and form your opinion. 

This post is getting a bit long so I'll just summarize the rest of our time. We loved all the free museums and stuff to do in Minneapolis and just how many lakes and nature areas there are to explore. It's been a great way to start the trip and we just love our hosts to death.


Rod and Sue with their therapy dog, Samson, at the St. Croix river shore.







There was a big bash Sat. night for the birthdays of Sue's parents, and since Peter's birthday was recent, he got to blow the candles too :)










Sunday we spent visiting a couple of small towns along the St. Croix River, north east of the Twin Cities.



An old timey draw bridge over the St. Croix. Wisconsin is on the other side of the bridge.
                                                                                  

At Taylors Falls there are a lot of rock formations and "glacial potholes," cylindrical holes drilled down into igneous rock by glacial movement over the topography.


Some glacial potholes are up to sixty feet deep!



Next up: camping along Lake Superior, Wisconsin (and hopefully some cheese!) and then more camping in Michigan!  Pray for good weather!

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