Vacationing At Home

Originally the plan for this summer was to take a vacation someplace out west where there are mountains.  But we soon realized that I would not be physically capable of doing the driving and hiking that would go with that type of vacation.  For the same reason, riding in TRAM was not going to happen either.  Funny how things have a way of working themselves out, usually for the better.

Plans developed where the Andersons's would come and stay with us during TRAM week. As none of us were ready to give up TRAM cold turkey, we were going to spend a few days volunteering for that event, plus spend some time enjoying Little Falls.  As "Sis and Bro" have opened up their home to us while I've received treatment in Rochester, we looked forward to sharing our home as well.

Our volunteering would involve being bell ringers (and horn blowers) to greet the riders as they approached Rest Stop #3 each day for the first three days.  Hearing the bells at Rest Stop #3 signals the riders that rest is coming and they have completed at least half of the day's ride.  That can trigger a very welcome jolt of adrenaline and smiles.

Rest Stop #3 on Day 1 at Clotho, west of Long Prairie.

Bell ringers and horn blowers cheering on the riders.

Marty, a Krebs Cycler teammate, waves his appreciation.

Of course, we couldn't participate in TRAM and not invite our friend and teammate, Percival P. Krebs!  Percy was so eager to join us that he thought that a homemade fishing license would qualify him to drive a vehicle.

Never give Percy the keys to your vehicle!

Fortunately we were able to get Percy back in the role he excels at: greeting riders and putting a smile on their faces during a long ride.

Day #1 with Diane, the human Percey lives with.

Day #2 with Krebs Cyclers' Jackie, Diane, Andy, and Dennis.

Day #3 Percy reminds riders to use sunscreen and offers candy for energy.

While TRAM (The Ride Across Minnesota) is a bike ride, what makes it special is the people involved - riders, volunteers, and MS staff.  Besides our volunteering we were able to spend time in the host towns with our Krebs Cycler teammates and enjoy their company.  With this year's donations, the Krebs Cyclers passed $500,000 in donations collected for MS since our team was formed.  That's pretty impressive!

During one of our drives to the rest stop of the day we came upon Nyberg Park, filled with huge, whimsical sculptures created by a gentleman named Ken Nyberg.  A small sampling:

Common bug killing tool.

Looks like the knife cut in on the dish.
(Anyone remember their Mother Goose rhymes?)

After three days of getting our TRAM fix it was time to explore Little Falls.  While Mary and I attended a birthday party (name and age withheld to spare the aged 😉), our guests took in the Fishing Museum.  We then headed to the Lindbergh Center to learn about the time Charles Lindbergh spent growing up in Little Falls.  Our visit included a tour of the Lindbergh house, a short film on the life of Lindbergh, and the checking out the exhibits in the visitor center.

Lindbergh's Sexton Six Automobile

Part of the tour of the Lindbergh House was the garage, where Lindbergh's restored car resides.  We learned that the engine on this car depended on gravity to get gas to the engine.  When you go up hill, gravity is going the wrong way.  Lindbergh's solutions?  Drive the car in reverse!

The Spirit of St. Louis flies again!

One of my bucket list items has been to canoe the Mississippi River, which is located just 1.5 miles from our home.  So this particular Sunday there were ten of us that utilized Shirley Mae Outfitters to be able to canoe seven miles on the Mississippi.  It turned out to be a beautiful day on the river!

The journey begins!
We started out at Fletcher Creek north of Little Falls.

Our group navigates around one of the islands on the river.

A stop at Belle Prairie Park for a picnic lunch.

Taking a break on a sandbar.

Mary is happy.  We might get to do this again!

Five days of fun spent within a short distance of home.  Saw lots of new things I have never seen before.  And best yet, I got to spend it with some wonderful people.  What a great way to experience precious vacation moments!  😃