As we know, this can take many forms. Last night, we visited the Duluth Grill, which has taken food to a new level with their organic, locavare, sustainable, creative approach to cuisine, that is friendly and accessible enough to rate a segment on Triple D. (“Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” for those who don’t frequent the Food Channel.) They grow all their vegetable and herbs in the parking lot – can’t get more local!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KqmfVl7aUU
We sampled their famous pasty, great soup, lovage lemonade, outrageous bleu cheese cole slaw and alfalfa, chicken and sprouts wrap – and could just not pass on the banana cream pie. To. Die. For.
Fully sated, we slept soundly and then headed from Wisconsin in the morning. Our first stop was the village of Bayfield, considered one of the 10 most scenic towns in America. It is a small, mostly summer, community, with a gorgeous bay on Lake Superior, looking out to what are called the Apostle Islands, of which there are 22. One is inhabited, and its ferry was just coming in as we watched. A charming town – must be great in the summer.
Then it was a long day of driving, with a stop in Phillips, a town famous for the Fred Smith Concrete Park. Fred was an illiterate folk artist who worked from the late 40’s to the 60’s on his creations in concrete. The larger-than-life sized figures are eerie yet friendly, and Fred went all out in commemorating his times. You may not like it, but you can’t say it isn’t art!
Our day ends in Rhinelander, at the Holiday Acres Resort on Thompson Lake. It’s a gorgeous setting, and it has every outdoor activity you can imagine. It takes me back to my camp counselor summer near Minong, Wisconsin. Those birch and fir trees make the air unbelievably fresh and clean. A good night’s sleep is coming…
