As Good as Place as Any

We have a rule where we only put a sticker on our USA state map if we actually stay in that state. Minnesota was the next state along interstate 90 so we checked the map and headed towards Minneapolis. As the summer break is over and kids are back at school we have found that it is not as important to book ahead. Unfortunately our theory proved us wrong in this particular instance - every park we called in the Minneapolis area was full - ie no room at the inn! It was looking like we might have to do a Walmart stop! As Minneapolis was not an option we started contacting parks further down the highway - still with no luck! Finally one kind park owner just outside the town of Rochester offered us a spot in their car park for the night with the option of moving into a real site the following day. As it was getting late and after a full day on the road we accepted their very kind offer. Luck however was on our side, when we were just two blocks from our destination we received a phone call from the park owner telling us that they had a last minute cancellation and we had a spot for the week. Yah!

It's 5 o'clock Somewhere



On our way to Rochester that night we passed a sign for the Spam museum - yes, correct - a Spam museum. How could we resist?! The next day we drove the 50 miles back to the little town of Austin which, as we learned is where the first tin of SPAM was manufactured. Admission to the museum is free and there are many displays outlining the history of this iconic food item. Did you know there were 7 types of Spam? Seriously there are and we left with 3 of them. It was a great trip down memory lane and many people our age will also remember Spam and appreciate the irony of it all.

Yes There Is A Spam Museum


A Lot of Spam Cans!


Spam in Three Flavours for Us (note our new antenna topper!)




Life on the road is no different in some ways to life at home - normal household chores still need to be done. The next day I cleaned the exterior of the trailer- a big job wiping it down by hand - while Rose did the inside and our washing. All this type of activity builds up a thirst so we headed to Tilly's Bar and Grill which was a short 100 foot walk from our trailer and part of the RV park. It was obviously a very popular watering hole for the locals too as the car park was alway full - interesting considering we were a good 10 miles from the centre of Rochester.

On of the major attractions in Minneapolis is the Mall of the America which is billed as being one of the largest shopping centres in the world. Apparently it is also the most visited shopping mall in the world with more than 40 million visitors annually (or roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota). It employs over 12,000 workers and has 650 shops plus a cinema complex and a family entertainment centre including roller coaster and water slide rides. As if that wasn't enough they are in the process of expanding! There was obviously no way I was going to get out being dragged along to check this one out even considering it was 100 miles away. We did reach a happy compromise though - we shopped for a couple of hours and then went to see a blokes movie - win win!! I did have to admit however that is was all very impressive bit give me a Bass Pro or Cabelas store any day!

There are several rides


Just huge!


Even a Lego Land


Taking it all in


Mall done, and with a few shopping bags in the back of the truck, we took a quick drive over to Minneapolis's sister city -St Paul - for a quick look and then the long drive home.

St Paul in a snapshot










Apart from the close proximity to Tilly's Bar and Grill one of the other great things about this RV park was that they supplied a free newspaper each day. Sitting having a leisurely read one morning I noticed an article about flights on a World War Two B 25 Mitchell bomber out of the Rochester airport. How could an ex military chap like me resist! This bomber is part of a "living" museum. The aircraft has been fully restored and for $360 you can go for a flight - not everyone's idea of fun (Rose included) but I was keen. They take 6 passengers up at a time and once airborne you can use the internal tunnels to move and sit in the nose or tail gunners seat. Sitting in this very thin skinned bodied aircraft makes you really appreciate the bravery of those WW2 pilots. Unfortunately it was not to be as their next flight wasn't until Friday (depending on weather) and we were heading off in the morning. There is also a B25 in the museum that travels the country doing flights.

The Rather Small Cockpit


We Never Imagined How Small They Were


Side 50 cals For Protection from Fighters


Sitting and Reflecting on the Crews Bravery


The weeks are passing by so quickly, especially now that we are nearing the end of our year long travels.....time to hitch up tomorrow and continue on our way. Wonder whether we will see more cornfields?


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Rochester, Minnesota