
I think this is one of my longest lags between posts. It's been a busy week and I have some more great discoveries to share. But before I get to that, I want to share with you what I am currently working on.
I didn’t know what to expect of this mid-west city. I had heard wonderful things but was apprehensive to totally embrace the idea of Minneapolis as a bustling metropolis. My introduction to the city was a Wal-Mart, a so-so lodging and the Mall of America (crazy!) But once inside the city center, I was instantly hooked. People looked happy and healthy – walking, biking, and running along one of the city’s many beautiful parks. At noontime, café patios were filled with workers taking a break. My husband found a pizza place uptown called Pizza Lucé that served GF pizza. For the first time in years, I ordered bruschetta. Together, we munched our way through an entire half loaf of GF French bread, smothered in olive oil and fresh cut tomatoes. The entire meal was divine. Fresh, local produce is everywhere in this state, and the idea of eating local has really taking off. After a brief detour to Minnehaha Falls Park, we sadly said goodbye to one of our favorite stops on this cross-country tour.
Traveling thru northern Montana is a little like driving thru the desert – lots of wide-open spaces, endless sky, deserted, dry, and not densely populated. After breakfasting at a picnic table at the local elementary school in Conrad, MT and endless pit stops at towns too small to warrant a place on the map, we arrived in Havre. Our goal was to get to a museum on the famous dinosaur trail that runs thru the sate of Montana. Imagine our dismay when we drive up to a shopping mall – the address matching that of the museum (see photo left). We parked the car and entered what can only be described as the saddest mall in America, which was home to a dollar store, an army-recruiting center, a natural/Wicca shop, a Sears, an army surplus-type store, and the beloved museum, which was closed. The museum was a small room located in the far back corner of the mall. Basically, someone decided to rent out the space to store his or her oddball artifacts. Not a great find.
The Badlands are otherworldly – what I imagine the surface of the moon might look like. For miles, we’d been driving along a typical South Dakota skyline, and then suddenly they appear, like large lumps of clay dropped from above. They form a majestic, mountain-like border that weaves and wraps along the Badlands Loop road. They say after 10 photos it all starts to look the same, but I disagree; each one makes its own special statement.