Bob's Cabins and Mt. Rushmore

This happened sometime ago, but somehow I just haven't found the motivation to blog about it until now. Last October, we took two of the most stereotypical of American vacations imaginable: a trip to a cabin 'by the lake' and a road trip to Mt. Rushmore. These trips displayed the great diversity of experiences the Midwest has to offer.

We booked two nights at Bob's Cabins on Lake Superior, which are located about 6 km from Two Harbors and about a two-hour drive from our apartment. On Sunday morning we packed up the car and headed North. After about 90 min of driving and climbing what must be the only hill in all of Minnesota, we descended into Duluth and got our first glimpse of Lake Superior.

It was like looking at the ocean; we could not see the other side. We continued through Duluth, arrived at the cabin late on Sunday afternoon, and then were informed of the different activities and amenities the site had to offer. One of the things on offer was a library of board games. Micah was super-excited about the fact there were board games, despite having no idea what a board game was. Nevertheless we got out 'Hi Ho Cherry-O' and 'Chutes and Ladders' from the library; I didn't think I had played either of these, but it turns out 'Chutes and Ladders' is rip-off, albeit a more logical one, of 'Snakes and Ladders'. 'Hi Ho Cherry-O' was fun but Micah wasn't all that interested after one game. The cabin itself was small and cozy, with a small gas burner for cooking, two double beds and a single bed.

 
It took Micah a while to get the idea of Bob's cabins; there really wasn't much to do, but that was the point: it was about 'being' not doing. We went for a walk along the rocky shore and threw rocks in the water, swung on the tyre swing, read books and played games together. It was lovely. In the evening I forgot how to light a fire and the wood was wet and cold, so we ate our dinner inside the cabin. Micah's bed was in a separate room to ours, but without a dividing door. Nevertheless, he didn't give us any trouble.

 

We spent the majority of our second day in Two harbours, which is an interesting and windy little town. The second night I managed to light a fire using only one match and we ate hotdogs by it, while the sun set. After a few s'mores we put Micah and Reuben to bed and Amy and I enjoyed watching the moon over the lake from the warmth of the cabin.

Our next trip took place later in October. Mt. Rushmore is a nine-hour drive from our place, so we drove there over two days. We stopped at Sioux Falls, a small city just over the Minnesota-South Dakota boarder, which is about 4 h from our apartment and about 5 h from Mt Rushmore. Upon the advice of the receptionist we decided to have dinner at the Fryin' Pan in downtown Sioux Falls. She gave us a map, and I thought it looked walkable, so we tried. It took us an hour of walking to get there! The map only had the major streets so what appeared on the map to be a three- or four-block walk was actually closer to 14 or 15 blocks! We caught a taxi home after our very late dinner. All this was too much excitement for Micah, who entered hyper-mode and wouldn't sleep. We thought that given his excellent behaviour in a shared cabin at the Lake, we would have no trouble in a hotel room. But at 10:30 PM after trying to get him to go to sleep for three hours, we were almost ready to give up and go home. But we stuck it out and he finally went to sleep around 11 PM. We were all tired the next day, but we soldiered on. South Dakota is a really boring place to drive through; there are a few tourist attractions, such as the Corn Palace, with it's murals made entirely of corn cobs...

...and this giant bison.

But, apart from that, there is nothing to look at; just fields and fields of corn, soy bean, sunflower and wind turbines. And advertisements for Wall Drug. The highway is dominated by these. Starting around 300 mi before the actual store, we began to see ads for this place. A tourist trap of the best kind. It's hard to describe Wall Drug; you sort of have to see it for yourself.

It's a pharmacy/gift shop/playground/museum/restaurant. That's the best way I can put it.

Micah slept a little better the second night of our holiday, which we spent in Hill City. On our third day away we finally went to Mt Rushmore. Even Reuben is the only American in our family, we felt patriotic, looking up at those giant presidents' heads. Then we felt sad for all the suffering that had been inflicted on the Native Americans by the early settlers. This feeling was heightened during our trip to the Crazy Horse monument, which will be several times bigger than Mt Rushmore when/if it is completed.

We had initially planned to leave Hill City that day and then spend another night in Sioux Falls. But we were too tired to drive back after a whole day looking at faces carved in rock, so we rebooked our accommodation so we could spend two nights at Hill City. The next day we packed up and headed home. We stopped briefly at the Reptile Gardens and saw, among other cool things, a kookaburra and one of the crocodiles used in one of the James Bond movies.

We continued driving all day and got back to our place just after midnight. It was hard, but it was kind of fun and it was easier than stopping for another night. Furthermore, South Dakota is actually more interesting to drive through at night.

I think that the best and most lasting memories are formed when you do something crazy/difficult. Some people might think we were crazy to attempt what we did with a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old, but the memories will stay with me for a long time.

You Won't Believe What These Guys Did With Some Bits of Wood and a Ball made of a Cork Core Wrapped With Yarn and Covered With Two Pieces of Animal Hide

They played baseball.

For a while now, I've been fascinated by America's fascination with baseball. I'm told its the national pastime. Not the national sport, but the national pastime, because that's what it does: it passes the time. Lots and lots of time. My sister attended a game that went for seven hours. I heard of a recent game in Japan that went for five days!

I went to see the Minnesota Twins play the Detroit Tigers. You can see on the left of the photo above the Twins old logo: two guys shaking hands with a river between them; one representing Minneapolis and the other St Paul. We got some really great seats, and because the MLB season is so long, we got them quite cheap too.

The game went for about four hours. It's certainly not an exciting game, although it has a few seconds of excitement every hour. Still, I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the experience. We went and got some food, chatted, and generally enjoyed each others' company, all while keeping one eye on the game. I guess its similar to going to a test or one day cricket match. I wouldn't know, since I've never been to the cricket.

Raleigh, NC

Recently I attended a conference in Raleigh, NC. The city of Raleigh was a weird hybrid of old, dirty, run-down buildings and clean, hip, mostly overpriced food outlets. For example, I found a shop that was very white and clean and shiny (kind of like and Apple Store), but they were selling bottled fruit/Veggie 'smoothies'. I had a free taste of one that was just watermelon juice and basil; it was not unpleasant but I could have bought a whole watermelon and a basil plant for less than the cost of a bottle of this drink.

Before traveling to Raleigh, I was sure that Charlotte was the capital of North Carolina. Turns out I was wrong. This picture was taken inside the capitol building. It was the Senate meeting room for some time, and it was the room in which William H. Holden, the governor of NC at the time, stood trial for impeachment; apparently during the civil war, he was quite critical of the Confederacy's stance on slavery, which made him quite unpopular in Confederate NC. William Holden was the first US state governor to be impeached and removed from office.

 

I visited a number of historical sites, including the capitol building, the Raleigh City Museum and the North Carolina History Museum. Here are two of the interesting facts I learned.

1. The 19th amendment (the right of women to vote) was passed and became national law in 1920. However, NC did not ratify the amendment until 1971. They 'tabled' the bill for more than 50 years!
2. NC would not ratify the US Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added; but this did not occur until after George Washington was elected president. So, NC had no part in electing the first president of America.

I also visited the science museum. Possibly the best thing about the science museum was the presence of actual scientists, in actual white coats, doing actual science in the museum! The other great thing about all the museums in Raleigh was the low entry price of $0; all the museums are supported by generous donations from patrons.

I can't finish a post about 'the South' without mentioning the food. It's very good. They love their barbecue. I went to a renowned BBQ place called The Pit. I got the Carolina Classic

It's pulled pork and southern fried chicken with Brussels sprouts and fries on the side. The sauce you can see is southern BBQ sauce. It would be enough to make a Hobart hipster cry tears of joy.

Portland, OR

Recently, I attended a work conference in Portland, OR. Having seen the show Portlandia, I was fairly excited to see how reality stacked up against the TV version. It was actually surprisingly similar. Portlandia is a caricature of Portland. There were indeed many tattoos, midriff tops, druggies, hipsters, homeless, craft breweries, specialty chocolate shops, farmers' markets and quirky restaurants, bars, and cafes. It was in Portland I finally found a coffee place that comes close to Yellow Bernard Quality. It was called Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and it was almost too portland for Portland.

 I ordered a latte. It passed the test, so I ordered their cold brew. It was also excellent. My only complaint was the vinyl records were playing too loud. The soap in the bathrooms was in a sauce bottle. The hot water cylinder was covered in 'art'.

I also sampled Voodoo Donuts, which was way over-hyped. They were donuts. Good donuts. But not worth lining up outside to get them!

I decided to spend some time in Washington Park. In the Forestry Center, they were having an exhibit of the art of Dr Seuss. It was really interesting to see how his career progressed and learn of his involvement in projects other than children's books.

From Washington Park I followed the 4T trail back to the city and catch the aerial tram down the hillside. It was beautiful, but really poorly signed. It was meant to be four miles. But I think I walked about 10.
I still rode the aerial tram though.

I really like Portland. I could live there.

Weird Foods VII: Tater Tot Hot Dish

About a week ago, we were treated to a traditional mid-western meal, cooked by one of our wonderful and generous friends. She made us tater tot hot dish (hot dish in Minnesota = casserole in Wisconsin).

I can't remember all the ingredients but I think it had minced beef, a can of mushroom soup, a can of mixed vegetables and, obviously, tater tots.

To me, it tasted very similar to shepherd's pie or cottage pie, only slightly more creamy due to the addition of canned soup. It sounds like it is easy to make, is probably pretty good for you and was delicious. I give tater tot hot dish a solid two thumbs up.

Weird Foods VI: Bridgford Monkey Bread

Today's weird food, as I understand it, is a favourite American breakfast bread.

Apparently it's great microwaved, but I like my breads a little crusty rather than rubbery, so we heated it in the oven.

The best way I can describe it is a cross between a dumpling and a doughnut covered in sweet cinnamon-flavoured sauce. It is easily pulled apart into bite-sized chunks. As with most of these 'breakfast' foods, I think monkey bread is very tasty, just not for breakfast. At least, not on a regular basis.

I Don't Understand People

Recently I took my parents-in-law on a cruise on the St Croix River.

It was lovely. We watched the paddles turning controlling the boat's speed and direction, chatted about all manner of things, had a buffet lunch and watched the shoreline go by. But there was one thing I did not understand. A lot of people on the cruise were not even paying attention to their beautiful natural surrounds; some of them were sitting inside playing hangman. Others were on their smartphones on Facebook or checking emails.

I think this kind of behaviour illustrates something I've been thinking a lot about lately. People in the modern Western world are addicted to distraction. We've lost the ability to be 'present'. We are continually thinking about what we're going to do next instead of  concentrating on the task at hand. We are more concerned with checking Facebook than interacting with the people right there in front of us. We only enjoy our food inasmuch as it makes a good picture on Instagram. Most of us can't just sit back, relax and soak in the natural beauty on a cruise up the St Croix River. And I believe we are the poorer for it.