Retama Friends...

July 22, 2014...continues

This morning, after parting ways with our Alaska travelers, Mark and I headed towards Minnesota to continue our summer adventure.

  We arrived at the

Dakotah Meadows RV Park, located at Mystic Lake Casino near Savage, Minnesota.

I have to admit, it was really nice to have a concrete pad and green grass at your doorstep.  I did however, keep my eyes open for a moose!

July 23, 2014

After a good night's sleep and with no early morning travel plan, it was time for

a much needed hot bath!

  Although this was not our main reason for stopping here...it was really nice to have this wash bay at the campground to get one more layer of Alaska dirt washed away.

But, our real reason for continuing our adventure through Minnesota was to catch up with Bob and Kathy Barnett, and Niles and Sue Deden, our Retama friends.

  However, when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find Laura and Bill Disbow, also Retama friends and neighbors, parked just down the road from us at the campground.  We got to visit with them just briefly, as they were leaving to continue their travels on to North Dakota.  We also, found that Eddie and Mary Catherine Sligh were passing through for an overnight stay on their way to the FMCA Rally in Oregon.  What fun...more friends!

This evening, Bob and Kathy invited us to their

home in Savage.  We shared a wonderful dinner while enjoying their

 

beautiful back yard.

Thanks,

Kathy and Bob, for a great evening.

July 24, 2014

 

Thursday came, and, it was time for us to move on.  Our travels today took us away from the

busy city life.  We traveled over the

  country roads and through

miles and miles of roads lines with corn fields and soy beans.

Then,  some 50 miles down the road, we reached the beautiful little town of

Red Wing, where Niles and Sue call home.

  Well, actually, they live several miles out of Red Wing on the

farmland that has been called home to the Deden family for several generations.

  And, while this home sets high on the bluff, we parked the motor home at the shed some two miles

in the valley below.

From here we could see

 

the childhood home of Nile's mom.

We made ourselves at home, and then headed out to see the town.  Back in Red Wing, we made a stop at the

at the home and museum of Red Wings shoes.

 

This machine is still used today to make the famous 3 stitch that is on all Red Wing shoes.

The guys had a great afternoon of

 

shoe shopping and even stopped for a photo opt by the world's largest boot...size 638 1/2 D. It is 16 feet tall and 7 feet wide.  It stands on the first floor, but reaches the second floor where the museum is located.

We also took a drive down to the Mississippi River riverfront and the

boat village.  Our drive then took us to the top of the bluff overlooking

town and the bridge that leads to Wisconsin.

July 25, 2014

We were up early this morning, and ready to head out for another day of sightseeing.

Today,our drive took us around

Lake Pepin, which is a very wide place in the Mississippi River.

We also, traveled across to the Wisconsin side of the river.  We drove to the top of the bluff high above the little town of

  

Alma, Wisconsin.

What  a beautiful view!

From here we also watched as some small boats

entered the lock, as they make their way up river.

Time for lunch...and what a great place...

The Nelson Creamery, Nelson, Wisconsin.  We had deli sandwiches, soup, and of course, who can go to a creamery without having ice cream.

  And, oh, yes, we also

purchased several kinds of cheese!

Another great day in our ongoing summer adventure.

July 26, 2014

Today, we off for a real country adventure in Meisville, Minnesota at the annual

 

Little Log Cabin Village festival.

Bob and Kathy drove over to meet us for the day.  Also, we had a added treat, Ken Stadt, another Retama friend, meet us for breakfast.

After breakfast, and while the guys were off looking at guy stuff, the girls enjoyed the

beautiful flower gardens.  We also watched the

local blacksmith at work.  And,

 

Kathy and Sue showed off their strength!

There was the

one room school house,

 

quilt store, and

old barn.

Soon, it was time to meet the guys for the

antique tractor parade.

What a fun day in rural Minnesota.  And, what an awesome weekend with

Niles and Sue.  Thanks for sharing with us!

July 26, 2014

Once again, it is time for us to move on.  Today, our journey will take us into Illinois, to visit with Bruce and Linda Hall, more Retama friends.

We enjoyed the beautiful

farmlands all the way from Minnesota to Illinois.

We crossed the Mississippi one more time and headed down one more

country road.  This one led us to the outskirts of

the little town of Aledo, Illinois, where we found Bruce and Linda waiting for us.  They escorted us on to our

RV site and home for a couple of days...which is a lot they own just a couple of blocks from their home.

Bummer...something happened to my camera card and my pictures didn't come through.  So, you are just going to have to take my word, that we had a great visit and dinner at their beautiful home in town.

July 28, 2014

Today, we drove to Linda's hometown of Roseville.  We enjoyed lunch and a tour of town.  After, a long scheduled dental appointment for Bruce and Linda, we headed back to Aledo and on to the river.  We had a fun evening at the local casino where we enjoyed dinner and played a few pennies and quarters.  Linda was a real winner!

Tomorrow will be a travel day for us, so, after a fun day and evening, we had to say our good-byes to

Bruce and Linda.  Thanks guys we had a really great time!

We have enjoyed this last week, visiting with friends that have all become like family to us.  We hated for our stays to be short, but, it is time for us turn this motor home South...for yet another summer adventure.

Again, thanks to each of you for sharing your towns, your homes, and your time with us.  See you in the fall on Lark Drive!