Our last week in MN

Sep 2 Sun ... After TV church we decided to try out the hiking trails again. The water had receded and we were able to hike a loop of 2-3 miles. It took us to a overlook where the view was beautiful. We could see the rv park below, farms in distance and the creek at the bottom. After lunch we headed for the pool to cool off, however the water was too cold and there were too many kids!
Sep 1 Sat ... The weathers great so we drove 40 miles into La Crosse, WI today. La Crosse is a beautiful city on the banks of the Mississippi river. We first went to a city park along the banks of the river, then to a farmers market in town. Later, we drove to the town of Onalaska which was only about 5 miles north of La Crosse. While there, we had an excellent lunch at an Italian restaurant named Ciatti’s. We then did a bit of shopping at several local stores in the area.
Aug 31 Fri ... Today, we stayed close to home.
Aug 30 Thurs ... This morning, Dixie did some travel research on the computer for her parents. They are going to us in Branson, MO in October.
This afternoon, we drove to the small town of Harmony, MN to take a tour of the many Amish farms in this part of the country. Our tour guide was 84 years old and had been doing these tours for 18 years. While cruising the beautiful farm country, we learned about the history and beliefs of the Amish community and how their lifestyle differs from our modern ways, while giving us all a glimpse of how our own ancestors lived and farmed in bygone days. Harmony’s Amish community is strictly “Old Order”, meaning that the people are very private and have strong Christian convictions that bind their community together, enabling them to resist the ways of modern society. We stopped at some of the farms and were given the opportunity to purchase baskets, crafts, furniture and baked goods. We also were taken to an Angora goat farm and an old Methodist Church that was built in 1856 and is still in operation today. The experience was very interesting and informative to say the least.
Aug 29 Wed ...The weather is cool and sunny so we took a long walk this morning. We walked outside the park, however there’s not much to see other than lots of trees and a few cows. Did I mention that this park is very remote? The nearest civilization is six miles away. Later, Dixie worked on scrapbook items while I re-setup the campsite after putting things away last night due to the possibility of severe weather. Fortunately, it did not happen.
Aug 28 Tue ... The weather today began sunny but warm so knowing that it could turn stormy later in the day, we decided to take a drive and explore some more of southern Minnesota. We drove through some of the Amish countryside and at one point saw a house with what must have been 40 to maybe 50 or more of the Amish horse carriages. We decided it was a place where they are made or possibly repaired. We continued to the small town of Lanesboro where we had lunch at the German restaurant and deli, Das Wurst Haus. We had a ruben with soup that was excellent. After lunch we visited a small winery in town and tasted a couple of local wines. One was a raspberry wine that was quite good.
Back at the motorhome, since rain was on the way, we decided to put things away and be prepared to move to higher ground if the stream near us overflows again as it did Monday morning. The ground is saturated and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for our county. If we have to leave, we’ll drive to the town of Spring Grove which is about 6 miles away. Although it’s raining now (9:40 p.m.) and has been for two hours, it has been a light rain. Our fingers are crossed ... stay tuned.
Aug 27 Mon ... We were awakened at 3:30 a.m. by the sound of thunder and lighting. It started raining heavily around 4:30 and continued until about 8:00. The stream behind us overflowed and for awhile we entertained the thought of having to quickly move the motorhome to higher ground. At one point, the fast moving water was only about 30 feet from our campsite. Luckily, after the rain quit, it started slowly receding back within its banks. Dixie is feeling better this morning after a scare with a wasp sting last evening. We were outside having a cool one and when she took a swig, she swallowed a yellow jacket that had obviously crawled inside her bottle while she was reading. It stung her in the throat on its way down but, fortunately, she has no history of being allergic to a bee sting but it was very painful nonetheless. After a quick phone call to her EMT brother and sister-in-law Doug and Fran, she was reassured all would be ok.