Fall of 2019, we had started planning a wonderful trip to Italy for October 2020. Well, 2020 had other plans, so our wonderful trip remained only on paper. We then decided to road trip to Maine, but Covid had other plans. Wanting to just get out, we planned a safe, two day trip to the Twin Cities. It was wonderful and the perfect way to relax.
Our first stop was Grandad's Lookout in LaCrosse, WI. I hadn't been there in a while and wanted to check out the city from above. It's one of my top "must do's" if you ever find yourself in Wisconsin. The parks just added some trails for visitors to utilize in their visit. When you get to the top, you're greeted with a wonderful view of not only LaCrosse, but also the Mississippi River. While we didn't stop there on this trip, I also suggest for visitors to see the World's Largest Six Pack and the dreaded Blue Baby.
After LaCrosse, we drove up the Mississippi to Fountain City, home of the Rock in the House. The house has an eerie feeling around it. In 1995, a boulder came tumbling down the hill and crashed into the bedroom of the home. The woman who lived there was taking photos of the newly remodeled place and had just stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room, saving her life. A local real estate agent bought the home and opened it up as a tourist trap. The freaky thing about this to me is that it's not the first time this has happened in this spot. In 1901, a boulder crashed into the bedroom of the home that stood there previously. The woman living in the home at the time was crushed, while her blind husband who was sleeping next to her, came out untouched.
It was time for lunch so Mike took us to a place he loved stopping at as a kid. McT's in Mondovi, WI had a large variety of drive-in style food. Basically, if you can fry it, it's on the menu. I loved their cheese curds and fried cheesy broccoli. I wish I had saved room for ice cream, but it's a great reason to come back.
After a little driving, we made it to Eau Claire. Mike had a surprise stop for us and we pulled into Big Falls County Park. Cost is either a Eau Claire county annual pass or a $5 per day fee. Northern Wisconsin was already covered in snow, which made walking around just a little more magical. I had to laugh at the toilets. The falls are short, but wide and still so peaceful to just hang out and watch for a bit. Mike was even able to skip some stones at the beach.
After a good night's rest in the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, MN, we looked for a great breakfast spot. We love diners, so The Nicollet Diner was just the spot for us. The Breakfast Barbarian Challenge caught Mike's eye, and he will never be the same. One giant pancake topped with 6 eggs, 6 strips of bacon, 4 sausage patties, 2 slices of ham, hashbrowns, and toast. If he finished it within an hour, he would get it for free. Unfortunately, the pancake got the best of him, but Mike was a fighter. One day we will return for him to receive glory or at least enjoy the ham without tears.
With the pandemic limiting what we could do, we decided we would stroll through the Mall of America. We rode Fly Over America which was a very similar ride to my favorite Disney attraction, Soarin'.They also had a limited time version available, Fly Over Hawaii.
We started to get ready for our ride to the hotel in Rochester, when we realized it was booked for Rochester, New York not Rochester, Minnesota. Definitely learned out lesson but we decided to go to our favorite hotel, Stoney Creek in Onalaska, WI. We did stop at Rochester for pizza at Pi Wood-Fired Pizza. I'm not a fan of pizza usually, but this place may have converted my with their brick oven goodness. (Sorry-forgot to grab a photo)
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