Garage sales: lost in suburbia

Followed “garage sale” signs into a neighborhood of a 10-year-old homes in a strange town on our way up north.

Picked up a couple little things. Then got lost. Couldn’t find our way out of the twisting and turning maze of how housing developments are built these days.

After three passes by the same parked truck, without a GPS to talk us through it, and even the sun hiding behind the clouds, I did the next best thing. No, it wasn’t asking for directions.  Just started following another vehicle, hoping it was headed “out” and not home.

It was, and we were saved.

So why do they design housing developments like a board game instead of the traditional square-block method with numbered and alphabetical streets so you can find your way in and out?

They’ll probably talk about the pleasing appearance of curved streets and irregular sight lines (but not that there are only two siding colors to pick from). My theory is that they can get even more homes per acre squeezed in, and thus it’s more profitable.

Travel: Kettle River

When you think of Hinckley, MN, what comes to mind? Grand Casino. Tobie’s – the famous “halfway to Duluth” point. The fire museum.

But there’s another less-noticed, nearby treasure: the Kettle River.

We took a wide western loop on back roads to get there for a Columbus Day weekend trip, traveling on a rainy
Saturday. Due to the late season this year, we just managed to catch what seemed to be the last day of colorful leaves.  By Sunday night, Monday for sure, the trees were noticeably more barren than just 24 hours before.

Instead of hotels, we gone the private rental way the last few years and have never been disappointed. vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner), lakeplace.com, homeaway.com – they all work basically the same. Rent a private property for your vacation instead of a commercial site.

In this case, we got a cabin on 25 acres abutting the Kettle River for about $170/night. There even was a canoe to use, though we didn’t take it out. The leaves were in full color, so we made several hikes into the woods right on “our property.”

We also followed the Kettle River in Banning State Park (more in another post shortly) as well as in Sandstone.
Tried a little fishing, but didn’t put in the effort to give it a fair shot. The currents were a bit odd, as our bobbers tended to drift upstream instead.

The Kettle was a nice memory place as that was one of our stops on our very first trip to Duluth long ago. And it remains a nice get-away place to visit, especially with the privacy of a rented cabin.

Travel: Winona MN

Two ways to get to Winona from Twin Cities:  buzz 52 to just past Rochester and take a left, or go to Hastings and follow the river for the scenic drive.  Hwy 52 is several miles longer, but overall faster because you can go freeway speed, even 70 mph on the I-90 stretch. Couple minor road work areas at present, but no detours or delays.

Ran 5 miles around Winona Lake, two minutes faster than last year. Most of the north and west sides have a nice, fresh topcoat of tar – as smooth as tar ever gets. Quite a few people out for a early holiday morning.

Checked out Airport Lake at the west end. Got one sunny in a fairly short period. For the adverturesome, Airport Lake has a couple of swinging ropes where you can climb a tree and then Tarzan yourself into the lake (at least the college kids do that).

Travel: headed to Winona

It's time for what has become our annual Labor Day trip to Winona, MN to meet our son for his birthday. Two more times (he's a student at Winona State).

It appears the Quality Inn, where we stayed the last two years, has closed, at least temporarily due to bankruptcy. It got some awful reviews online, but we found it acceptable because of its low rate, not to mention the coupon for Perkins.

So this year it's the Americinn. Super 8 had the best price. Americinn has a pool. Review to come after the trip.