29 in 29 - visit a cidery

i've said it before and i'll say it again. i love cider. just crisp enough in the summer for a refreshing drink. just sweet enough in the winter for a comforting taste. it was after a trip to new zealand with the fam back in 2009 that we all first discovered cider ... scrumpy ... delicious. enough so that we brought 7 bottles back in a special, separate suitcase. we're classy like that.

so, imagine my joy when i found out a cidery was opening up in the cities! about time ... we've had breweries popping up left and right. (see this article from mpr on the SIXTY breweries in minnesota ...) it's about time we jazz it up a bit. me thinks distilleries are just around the corner ...

while i love cider, i don't claim to be an expert or even really know anything cidery-related ... but, i know what tastes good sociable's featured ciders are pretty darn tasty.

freewheeler - the sociable folks call this their "mainstay" and that about sums it up. it's what you think of when you say you want a cider. and it's pretty darn good. we were sipping on a chilly december, i can only imagine how delicious it would be on a balmy july night!

broken spoke - if you can get over the fact your drinking a black cider, you'll enjoy the broken spoke. a little bit stout, a little bit cider, it's just unusual enough to keep you sipping.

so, who's up for a trip to the cidery ... i'd offer to drive ... butttttttttttttt ;0)

(yes, yes ... taking flashless photos in a dark cidery while consuming a wee bit of
alcohol doesn't turn out the best results ... sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy ... )

fall is

pretty

three reasons why minnesota is awesomei.e. - mini donuts

let's all talk about why minnesota is pretty darn awesome. this week, we've all got state fair on the brain. okay, this month/summer/year we've all got state fair on the brain. and here's three reasons why the minnesota state fair is pretty darn awesome ... and in turn, minnesota.

we make ice cream based on the deliciousness of state fair mini donuts. here is a perfect example of billboard marketing at its finest. lou and i are driving down 494. what's that giant billboard by best buy advertising? wait? mini donut flavored ice cream. this must happen. lou, take me to target. thirty minutes later ... success.

we make MORE ice cream based on the deliciousness of state fair mini donuts. sweet cream. donut batter. nutmeg. yup, i'm in.

we make beer based on the deliciousness of state fair mini donuts. gross? no. odd? yes. is it gonna go like mini donut hotcakes at the fair? probably.

in which i do something ... a little bit creepy

and it was creepy ... super creepy.

three days

one van

five bags of candy

one-half working cell phone

nine geocaches

four state parks

seven relatives

one last minute (stolen) campsite

two delicious breakfasts

seven gun shots

one fingee in the door

zero bowls of booya

three ice-creamless hours

...

countless memories

i do believe our #freecandyvan adventure was a smashing success

so where'd we go:

• lake maria state park
• zoomski's midtown cafe
• charles a. lindbergh state park
• mille lacs kathio state park
• father hennepin state park
• czech booya festival

let there be sun ... flowers

they made me slam on the brakes. cut amanda off mid-sentence. pull the van over and do a u-turn. it was beautiful. they were beautiful. rows and rows of sunflowers. picture-perfect puffy clouds overhead. blue sky. all looking so prime and proper. facing to the east with their faces gently bowed. and the humming. the constant buzzing and moving and life.

in which i do something ... a little bit campy

waterfall shooting into my head? awesome. thanks random lady taking photo.

and ... it was ... kind of awesome ...

but really just exhausting ...

last weekend i was able to tag along during an i can camp! program put on by minnesota state parks and trails. the idea with these programs are to help newbies to camping feel comfortable to venture off on their own one day. now, yes ... i've camped before ... so i was there more as an observer to the program - what were participants saying, how'd the program outline go, anything people were asking that could be expanded (in person/online) ... 

so lou and i spent saturday learning how to set up a (6 person!) tent, pump up an air mattress, try some archery, hike around historic sites, make a "log cabin" fire and some really kick-ass spider dogs (yes, that's the creepy hot dog in the picture above). okay, to be fair to the i can camp! program, the spider dogs were all mine. i feel i have a calling in hot dog art ... ... ...

i'll save you the details of the program (you gotta try one out for yourself ... info here!). but gah, i forget how exhausting camping can be. you haul all this stuff for one night ... then haul it all back. the air mattress deflates, you happen to be camping on the coldest (*cough *cough) record breaking night of the summer, and the lady with the monster snores is in the tent next to you ... awesome. the i can camp! program itself was great! it was the nature part that was a bit shady ... guess i'll be camping in this beauty more often!!

in which i do something ... a little bit dusty

and it was awesome

last week i got to ride along during the annual crawl for the cure event held at the iron range state recreation area in gilbert, minnesota. not gonna lie ... it was pretty awesome. the crawl for the cure is a charitable event where off-road vehicle folks raise money for the national multiple sclerosis society, the minnesota chapter. riders spend two days exploring the park with guided trail rides. saturday, i was able to tag along as a photographer.

a few things i learned during my short introduction into the world of off-road vehicle riding. 1 - everything you learn when you're a new driver at 16 does not apply. 2 - if that rock is bigger than your tires, drive over it. 3 - if your truck starts making funny/scraping/rattling sounds, it's probably okay. 4 - you can still plow ahead on the trail without actually seeing the trail. 5 - mud = good. 6 - rocks = good. 7 - hills = good.

our first ride of the morning was along ted's revenge (named after an old miner's helmet that was found by the crew digging the trail). tim hopped out to spot jamie as she drove. here's a snippet of the directions and ongoing commentary that tim gave jamie ...

go back a little more

give it the onion

should be able to ride outta it

back up again

hold on right there

back down a bit more

maybe give it a different line

little more

cut her that way now

back up a little more

hold on

cut her the other way

fast

hard right

go

go

go

go

wha???? 

if there's one thing that resonated with me the most after spending a day with this off-road gang ... it's ridiculous ... these guys are just ridiculous!!


ps - sounds like crawl for the cure raised over $105,000 dollars this year!!

in which i do something ... along a river

and it was awesome ...

dinner at smokey river bbq
camping in lanesboro city park
breakfast at the lanesboro pastry shoppe
paddling along the root river
and don't forget i can paddle!

minnesota tourist: mill city museum

Mill City Museum! A must-must-must for Minnesotans and not too shabby of a stop for out-of-towners either. Ma Plank and I ventured out of our couch-nest and put the Parks & Rec Netflix marathon on hold for a bit to do some city exploring. Just like the advertising says - it's the best-smelling museum ever created. Granted, we were there during a "bake-off" and managed to snag some freshly-cooked goodies to munch on.

Musts and Donts

Must ... take the elevator ride. i totally wish more museums did fun, interactive, theme-park like rides.

Must ... watch the Minneapolis in 19 Minutes video. makes me wanna work on my storytelling skills.

Must ... play in the water. done.

Must ... try out the Observation Deck. ask the attendant questions. i'm sure they are starved for human interaction and will

tell you a tale or two about "back in the day". plus, it's a pretty neat view.

Must ... visit the gift shop! want!

----

Don't ... do the two hour street parking in front of the museum. trust me, you'll need longer.

Don't ... wander into someone's wedding photos and awkwardly stand in the background until you realize what's going on.

   

something tells me ma would have won the design-a-cereal-box competition with her  'Yums' ...

well aren't we just the cutest ... !

Mill City Museum

704 South 2nd Street

Minneapolis, MN 55401

millcitymuseum.org