To celebrate my 79th Birthday, Ramona & I took a road trip to Lake Pepin, just a little over an hours drive from our home and a beautiful drive along the Mississippi.
We left home in late March (on my Birthday), driving, first the Hastings, a town on the Mississippi, where we stopped at the Legacy Cheese Shop, We were told that they created their own wonderful cheese but, on arrival, we found that they had stopped making cheese and, now were selling products created by others throughout Wisconsin. I was disappointed by the false advertising on their website but was pleased to purchase a fine 7 year aged cheddar that we brought to the condo that we had rented for the next three days.
Continuing on our journey, we next stopped in the beautiful town of Red Wing, again, on the shores of the great Mississippi River. Here we stopped at a pre-planned Butcher Shop to purchase a great New York Filet Steak & a couple of brats. These were planned for our two nightly dinners. Our rental condo provides us with a wonderful outdoor grill, a luxury we no longer have since moving out of our beautiful home into an equally beautiful condo, but, less the ability to have my own grill.
It still being too early arrive at out condo, we chose to cross the Mississippi at Red Wing and take the riverside roadway in Wisconsin to Stockholm, a wonderful old artisan town on the opposite side of this massive river from Minnesota’s Lake City, where we would be staying.
Although, Lake City was but an eyesight distance, it would take us another half hour to find a bridge that would bring us back to the Minnesota side of these waters.
In Stockholm, we visited the General Store and Pie Shop where we purchased slices of pie to each of our tastes.
Then, on to our destination where we found accommodations that went beyond our expectations. Our one bedroom suite was but a few feet from the incredible shores of the beautiful Lake Pepin, a large parcel of water that is really part of the Mississippi River itself. Soon we were out for a long walk along its shores, then back to have martinis on our patio overlooking the Lake, followed by a grilling of our tasty steak on the condos provided grill.
Because we were vacationing during the Covid pandemic, we had brought much of our own food with us. We had a full kitchen, so, the next morning, we had quiche that Ramona had made at home and we could easily heat up for our breakfast. Of course, we included Carmel rolls that I usually have when I first arise each morning at home.
We then enjoyed another long walk in the area, took in the local sites, and then returned to our rental, again enjoying our refreshments while gazing at the activities upon the Lake Pepin waters, and then grilling the brats we had purchased the previous day.
Next morning we packed up and headed back toward our home. On our way, we stopped at a recommended, and wonderful, Ma Pa Cafe in fond du Lac, a short distance from our rental and on our path towards home.
Since 1985, Ramona & I have traveled the world. What a great pleasure it was to experience a journey close to home. No exhaustion when arriving at out destination and none when getting home. So much beauty, so much to enjoy, so much to discover - so close to home.
What’s not to love?