Chico and I left Golden on Thursday morning, headed for Rochester, MN. It was a long day in the car, but we made it to a motel in York, Nebraska. On our morning walk, I saw a very interesting load in the parking lot.

Carriages, and a lot of I’m not sure exactly what.

Another day of driving took us to Rochester, MN where my friend Susan L lives. About four hours north of Rochester is Chisholm, MN – the small town where my mother was born and spent her childhood. Susan had arranged a hotel for us about an hour south of Chisholm and we went and made a weekend of it.

It was a nice drive, on smaller roads, through farm country.

Rochester wasn’t the greatest place for Chico’s morning walk, so when we saw a sign directing us to a county park, we went there.

And Chico and I took a walk

almost to the treeline there. Chico could run free for half an hour, and that makes his day SO much better.

The hotel was called the Sawmill Inn, and we had the impression that it was in the woods. It wasn’t. Grand Rapids, MN has spread far enough that there was a giant Target store right across the street. The room was quiet, there was a pool and whirlpool,

the food was very good. This is Walleye Pike and steak, with a side of wild rice. The Caesar salad was consumed prior to the photo session.

We wanted to go to Chisholm when the library was open, so we had a leisurely Saturday afternoon and evening in the whirlpool, and on Sunday, we went exploring. The hotel directed us to an access point for the Mesabi Trail, which runs for miles.

We walked for an hour or so, and then came back. You can *just* see the gate that marks the entry to the trail.

An exploratory drive around town lead us to a sign marking the “edge of the wilderness.” Grand Rapids is right on the Mississippi, at the point where there are falls that end the navigable part of the river.

Scenic drive? Let’s go!

Scenic yes, but also a bit bleak this day.

Another dip in the whirlpool and early to bed.

The next morning, after an especially hearty breakfast (this is the amount I *couldn’t* eat),

we headed out to Chisholm.