My drive today from Duluth (another lovely and unexpected town) took me through Cloquet (birthplace of Judy Garland, and site of the only gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It wasn't much to look at.) and Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids seemed nice enough, but I was fairly tense by then. My lofty plan for Highway 2 was thwarted by sporadic rain, miles of construction, and more traffic than I was looking for. The trailer was bouncing all over, and generally unpleasant.
Fortunately, I had a beautiful drive to Cloquet to start the day right. I had missed the intended turn, and ended up driving a winding, hilly road through a mountainous forest (the Jay Cooke State Park). It reminded me of a scene from "The Long Long Trailer," but Alice handled it magnificently.
Back to Bemidji. Right now, I am in a coffee shop ("Cabin Coffeehouse") in a town famous for Paul Bunion, listening to acoustic, live, country music, and not minding at all. The forests all have the remnants of being logged--the trees all seem to be in rows, wild thick crazy rows. The coffee shop's decor references this, and I feel very comfortable. Tonight, I am going to a BBQ bar to listen to live rock music and meet locals. They have amazing accents that throw me off when I try to translate them.
This town was a midpoint between last night and tomorrow night, but I am really happy with it. It is the kind of surprise I was hoping for, and the trip makes the most sense on an evening like this.
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