Raodtrippin'
Oct. 14th, 2024 08:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseI am an expert come-along friend. One of the things I specialize in, as your come-along friend, is a keen desire to see really weird things and to try to talk you into following me on some odd adventures along the way.
Today, Indigenous People's Day, my friendnaomikritzer has a gig at a library in Luverne, Minnesota. She and a couple of other writes (though not me) will be talking to whoever shows up at the local library. Laverne is not all the far from the Twin Cities, but the timing of the event made it difficult to make into a workable daytrip (for a late riser.) So, we headed down yesterday.
I pulled out my handy-dandy Roadside America map and had us make a few stops along the way. The one place that I knew that Naomi needed to see, if she had not before (and she had not!) was the candy store in Jordan, MN This candy store bills itself as The World's Largest, but I have noticed some signs now proclaiming only to be Minnesota's largest.
Image: Me and Naomi next to the sign proclaiming the shop to be Minnesota's largest...
The internet is pretty sure that the actual largest candy store in the world is b. a. Sweetie in Ohio. There is another in the running in Dubai. But, the one in Minnesota is well worth the stop, regardless. They have a whole section on nostalgia candies, imported candy, as well as things that aren't candy at all, like local apples, beef jerky, sodas, and more. The only thing we did backwards here is that we probably should have stopped for lunch BEFORE braving the massive crowds.
Generally, however, well worth the detour.
Pickings were a little slim on Hwy 169, but in Saint Peter, MN, we stopped at the Saint Peter's Pearly Gates.
Image: A bad selfie of me in front of the Pearly Gates
I jokingly noted that I now have the perfect obituary photo. Though most people who know me at all would be vey surprised to imagine that I'd be standing in front of the Other pearly gates, as I'm pretty sure they officially bar pagans and dykes. What's amusing about these gates is that they're just there to be a photo op. They are next to a park building in Levee Park, which otherwise has a very nice view of the river (the Minnesota, I think.) Naomi, who plays Pokemon Go, was not at all surprised to discover that this spot was a gym and was able to take it over and leave behind a ghostly pokemon. Seems very appropriate, IMHO.
We had to skip the two story outhouse, but did see along the way the last Big Boy and the sign for the Jolly Green Giant.
The final stop was off Hwy 60. It's called Curt's Aluminum Statues. We managed to miss getting in, as they have Thursday-Saturday hours, but we were able to park and walk around the exterior. This is fully my kind of weird place. It should be noted that all of the statues are on sale (and Naomi said she would actually have priced a set of gnomes.)
Image: The "Oh Dear Driving School" with a taxidermy deer at the wheel, the VW Bug is painted to resemble a ladybug (sort of).
It was a little disappointing not to be able to go in, but we could see a lot of it by walking around the exterior.
Luverne itself is apparently the home of a large collection of nutcrackers (over 5,000?!) in its historical society. We may try to see those, but a lot of museums are closed on Mondays, generally, and, of course, today is a Federal Holiday (though not one celebrated by Minnesota.) Their website claims they have Monday hours, but we'll see.
But, I will also be doing some research for what we might stop and check out on the way back.
Today, Indigenous People's Day, my friend
naomikritzer has a gig at a library in Luverne, Minnesota. She and a couple of other writes (though not me) will be talking to whoever shows up at the local library. Laverne is not all the far from the Twin Cities, but the timing of the event made it difficult to make into a workable daytrip (for a late riser.) So, we headed down yesterday.I pulled out my handy-dandy Roadside America map and had us make a few stops along the way. The one place that I knew that Naomi needed to see, if she had not before (and she had not!) was the candy store in Jordan, MN This candy store bills itself as The World's Largest, but I have noticed some signs now proclaiming only to be Minnesota's largest.
Image: Me and Naomi next to the sign proclaiming the shop to be Minnesota's largest...
The internet is pretty sure that the actual largest candy store in the world is b. a. Sweetie in Ohio. There is another in the running in Dubai. But, the one in Minnesota is well worth the stop, regardless. They have a whole section on nostalgia candies, imported candy, as well as things that aren't candy at all, like local apples, beef jerky, sodas, and more. The only thing we did backwards here is that we probably should have stopped for lunch BEFORE braving the massive crowds.
Generally, however, well worth the detour.
Pickings were a little slim on Hwy 169, but in Saint Peter, MN, we stopped at the Saint Peter's Pearly Gates.
Image: A bad selfie of me in front of the Pearly Gates
I jokingly noted that I now have the perfect obituary photo. Though most people who know me at all would be vey surprised to imagine that I'd be standing in front of the Other pearly gates, as I'm pretty sure they officially bar pagans and dykes. What's amusing about these gates is that they're just there to be a photo op. They are next to a park building in Levee Park, which otherwise has a very nice view of the river (the Minnesota, I think.) Naomi, who plays Pokemon Go, was not at all surprised to discover that this spot was a gym and was able to take it over and leave behind a ghostly pokemon. Seems very appropriate, IMHO.
We had to skip the two story outhouse, but did see along the way the last Big Boy and the sign for the Jolly Green Giant.
The final stop was off Hwy 60. It's called Curt's Aluminum Statues. We managed to miss getting in, as they have Thursday-Saturday hours, but we were able to park and walk around the exterior. This is fully my kind of weird place. It should be noted that all of the statues are on sale (and Naomi said she would actually have priced a set of gnomes.)
Image: The "Oh Dear Driving School" with a taxidermy deer at the wheel, the VW Bug is painted to resemble a ladybug (sort of).
It was a little disappointing not to be able to go in, but we could see a lot of it by walking around the exterior.
Luverne itself is apparently the home of a large collection of nutcrackers (over 5,000?!) in its historical society. We may try to see those, but a lot of museums are closed on Mondays, generally, and, of course, today is a Federal Holiday (though not one celebrated by Minnesota.) Their website claims they have Monday hours, but we'll see.
But, I will also be doing some research for what we might stop and check out on the way back.