Travels With Connie #74 Grand Rapids Minnesota

Sometimes I know exactly where I am going. In that case it’s easy, pick a route and go.

More often I have an idea where I’d like to end up, and generally speaking a direction to go.

Once in a while I just follow the front wheel and see where it takes me.

Sometimes it's like you rode into the twilight zone, you know? I spent 2 pretty long days after I left Glacier National Park riding across the very northern part of the Great Plains. I didn't take many pictures, because the scenery didn't vary much, and it was pretty wet. Yep, I rode in and around and through thunder showers. I had a couple hours of dry out and could see a huge thundershower in front of me. I pulled into a place just as it started to rain again.

Turns out, that place was Forest Lake Motel in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It was right on main street (which was also Highway US2), was a Mom and Pop place and looked right. Besides, it was starting to rain.

I always say I'd rather be lucky than good. Worked out for me again. The guy in the office couldn't have been nicer. I asked about wi-fi and he introduced me to his IT guy. She was his daughter just home from High School :) Wi-fi was good, I got a stand alone unit down by the lake, far away from the Highway as you could get on the property.

It's a beautiful little burg, about 10,000. A really good looking steak house (I didn't try it, I may have been slightly underdressed) and a perogy joint right across the highway. Perfect. The motel even had a private fishing dock on the lake. Wi-fi worked perfect until about 0300 when a huge thunderstorm took out the power. Power was back in maybe 5 minutes but Wi-fi never returned. I'm guessing the IT guy was sleeping.

Oh, yeah. Twilight zone. I did a little research on the place and it seems to have an inordinate number of famous people. Judy Garland was born here. Hugh Beaumont retired from Leave It To Beaver to raise christmas trees. 7 NHL players grew up here. The first non city Public Radio Station was founded here and is still in business.

All in all, Grand Rapids, Minnesota was a pleasant stop on the trip east. That huge overnight thunderstorm was the last one I'd see for a long time, I headed east in bright sun and pleasant temps.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

All words and photographs in this post are mine. For better or worse

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