Hearts in Hawai'i
Our 2024 Minnesota State Parks Trip--Day 1
6/10/2024
First, a disclaimer
Our reviews of Minnesota State Parks are based on what we experienced and the trails we hiked. In our case, this means that the more strenous and lengthy hikes would be left off. Your experience, of course, can and likely will be different. I will blog about some of the other hikes and trails each park offers in addition to those we hiked.
Let's Get Going!
One of the (maybe the only) drawback to going on vacation is having to board our two dogs. We've come to trust and really like Susan and Randy Ketcher at Birch Hill Kennels and it's been our go-to place for Kimo and Kona's "staycations" since 2014. Still, and this is especially true for me, when you're around them so much, it's tough to be without them even if only for a week. But taking them with us on this trip wasn't an option for a few reasons. Knowing how much they like Birch Hill made it bearable to be without them for this time.
The Fairfield Inn has a 4 p.m. check-in and it would take less than four hours to get there allowing for a lunch stop and bathroom stops so we didn't leave Proctor until noon. There were the usual number of summertime construction slow downs on the way, but no serious back-ups. We got through the cities and to Rochester by 4 p.m.
Our Rochester hotel
What would be our home for the next week is very nice! It appears newer especially from the cushiness of the carpeting in the hallways and our room. Our room faces to the north quite close to the US 52/US 14 interchange but traffic sounds are mostly muted in our room, save for the occasional semi truck jake breaking near the exit ramps. This didn't affect our enjoyment nor our sleep in the least.
After getting things unpacked (Patty doesn't unpack her shirts and shorts, preferring to take them our of her suitcase and iron them each morning) we headed out to dinner--there is a Godfather's Pizza less than two miles to the north. Perfect! It somewhat flies in the face of our normal policy to not visit chain restaurants while visiting a new location, but we were tired from travel. We wanted something easy. We wanted something tasty. Godfather's hits both those notes. The Duluth area at one time had three Godfather's locations but all have closed in the past 30 years. A Godfather's Express has recently opened just eight miles from our house which features most sizes of their pizza (The Jumbo size isn't included) and this is a welcome addition to Duluth's list of take out food locations.
One of our favorite pizzas; certainly the best chain pizza!
View from our room
Back at the hotel, I find myself struggling with the TV remote. These are basically disposable remotes with no battery which can be replaced. It makes sense because many people were probably pilfering the batteries from the remotes prior to check-out. But these remotes kind of suck. This was true in Door County, Sioux Falls and Rapid City so I didn't expect much different here. Some of the buttons don't work right or are difficult to press.
There is a seperate bedroom/living area, not connected by a door so this is really just one bigger room which is convenient. There is a TV in each room but due to the lack of a door between the rooms, we generally had the volume up in one room while the TV in the other room remained muted with closed captains on. It works but it's not optimal.
There is a mini-fridge, a basic microwave and a coffee maker (one of those one-cup things which we wouldn't use during our trip). Free coffee is available 24/7 in the hotel lobby and it's quite good.
It was an early night for us. The free hot breakfast is served starting at 5:30 each morning (6:00 on weekends) and I like getting down there straight away.
Previous: 6/3/2024--Our 2024 Minnesota State Parks Trip--Prologue
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