Day three of this listing really started at the end of day two. We drove from Kellogg to Winona where we had planned on spending the night.
We decided that Wabasha, Kellogg, and Winona leave a lot to be desired in their city signs. This was on the corner of a gas station. Woo-hoo.
Jake and Maddie were very excited for our hotel room. We had decided to get a family "suite" meaning there was a little sitting area, and a separate bedroom. When Jake entered and saw the set-up he was extremely excited because he knew he'd get to sleep on the couch! Maddie was extremely excited because she got a whole double-bed to herself.
We still had some daylight left for the day so we decided to drive to the top of Garvin Heights to view Winona's scenery.
I'm sure in the fall the view is absolutely beautiful. It was a gorgeous day (I think in the 70's) and so many people were out taking advantage of the weather!
For dinner we headed to the Lakeview Drive Inn. This is supposedly the oldest restaurant in Winona. We thought it would be fun to taste their homemade root beer. After a couple of sips, Maddie and I gave up. It had the worst after taste. Mike said it was exactly like the "root beer barrel" candies. Once he said that I knew exactly why I didn't like the root beer - because he was absolutely right and I can't stand those candies! Mike and Jake thought they could make it through their mugs, but about three-quarters of the way finished Jake pushed his aside and said, "I can't do it." This is the second time we've stopped at a restaurant in the last few years and decided to try homemade root beer - and the second time we've been sorely disappointed. We made each other swear we wouldn't fall for it again! We also told Mike he should rethink having homemade root beer on tap in his future bar.
We headed back to the hotel for an evening of swimming and watching HGTV. Do we know how to live it up on vacation, or what?
The next morning we headed home, but not before finding someplace for breakfast. We left Maddie in charge of this research using her phone and trying to figure out the GPS. She threw out some ideas, but Jake had decided at this point that he "couldn't take another cafe!"
Maddie chose Bloedow's Bakery and it was a great option! It's a little corner bakery in a neighborhood. There was a line almost out the door when we arrived, and it was still that long after we left! I don't think any of us were complaining about this meal!
Scratch that...we were complaining. It was about 40 degrees and we had decided to eat outside. This might have been the fastest record of doughnut eating in our family!
For our drive back we headed up the Great River Road via Wisconsin.
The kids did play their iPods some on the trip, but we also would tell them, "Put those things away and look out the windows!!"
They managed to also occupy their time by being goofy - it's their favorite car pastime.
We only stopped in a couple spots along the route home. Most of the little towns we were looking to stop in weren't really open for business until "the season" started, which we gathered was mid-April.
All in all, I think this was a fairly successful trip. We had a great time together which included lots of laughs. It was a very nice way to unwind for a few days and spend time as a family!
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