Three states in one day

After a good night’s sleep in Duluth, it was time to get back on the road and leave Minnesota. However, beforehand, while waiting for everybody to get ready, I proceeded with my typical habit while on vacation, taking a morning wander around town.

Getting on the elevator and going downstairs, I saw the Greenery Café & Bakery, described as a one-stop food shop, was already open, and decided to get a coffee. Making my way to the cashier, it was impossible to avoid the display counter and the cinnamon rolls grabbed my attention.

Putting in my order, I was presented with a very difficult decision regarding the cinnamon roll: iced or frosted. I went with iced.

The cinnamon roll was massive! After enjoying the thick and fluffy pastry—and the deliciously sweet icing—it was time for a little exploring.

Duluth, like Minneapolis and other cities that experience intense winters, has a skywalk system, allowing pedestrians to make their way around town while staying indoors and avoiding the elements.

It was early on a Monday morning and it was primarily people heading into work. At one point, there was a couple occupying one of the walkways I needed to get through. I opened the door and the girl moved to the side while the guy kept moving forward; he was looking down and I assumed he was staring at his phone. As we both approached the exit door, he moved to the side and I saw what he was doing, he was scraping lottery scratch-offs with a knife!

I got out of there quick but soon found myself in, what could only be described as, an M.C. Escher piece.

I eventually found myself back on the street. It’s early July and it was a warm morning.

This part of Duluth was rather desolate but there were some “familiar” sights along the way.

There was also a second location spotted in another part of town.

After the encounter that morning, I made my way back to the hotel and, luckily, everybody was all packed up and we were all set to check out.

Now, before leaving town, we still had a couple more errands, including stopping by Caribou Coffee.

After already consuming a cold brew with my cinnamon roll, I got the raspberry green tea with bubbles: green tea with milk and raspberry flavor, served over ice with coconut coffee jellies. This was a great drink!

After crossing over the bridge into Superior, we were in Wisconsin!

Travelling through northern Wisconsin, we soon turned off the main road and headed towards Saxon Harbor Park, which is situated along Lake Superior.

After admiring the views, we got back in the car and drove further down along the lake. Crossing into Michigan, we headed towards a “cobblestone beach” called Little Girls Point.

According to the Lake Superior Circle Tour Adventure Guide: “The unique rocks on the beach are perfectly rounded from the rolling waves of the lake. It is a favorite among agate and rock collectors.”

One of the items on our itinerary was visiting the Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood.

Beginning in 1903, the Stormy Kromer is a unique headpiece comprised of a cap and a sewn-on earband.

The company website indicates: “George ‘Stormy’ Kromer, a semi-pro baseball player and railroad engineer, kept losing his hat on the train. He asked his wife, Ida, to sew an earband on his favorite ball cap to keep his ears warm and the hat snug. It worked.”

The next Ironwood icon we had to visit was the Hiawatha statue.

The plaque at the foot of the 52-foot statue, originally erected in 1964, reads: “Hiawatha: The World’s Tallest Indian.”

“The idea for the statue originated with Charles Gotta, an Ironwood automobile dealer, who had seen similar forms of ‘road art’ during his travels in Minnesota,” The Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce notes. “The statue faces north, toward Lake Superior.”

Now, we weren’t visiting Ironwood without picking up a pasty (PASS-tee).

We got the traditional pasty at Rigoni’s Bakery, which is comprised of ground beef, potatoes, and onions wrapped in their famous pie crust. The friendly cashier brought out a massive sheet of pasties and she warned they were fresh out of the oven—they were HOT!

We enjoyed our pasties on our way back into Wisconsin, savoring each delicious bite while trying to withstand the heat from the pie.

We soon found ourselves in Manitowish Waters.

Little Bohemia Lodge, which sits on Little Star Lake, was the site of a gun battle between John Dillinger’s gang and the FBI. The establishment was built in 1929; the infamous event happened in 1934; and, today, it still operates as a bar and restaurant with memorabilia all over the place.

We ordered a couple pints of New Glarus Spotted Cow, a local beer that they had on tap.

The beers were served in frosted steins, which made them refreshingly cold and, by the end, it became a beer slushy—a welcome surprise.

Getting back on the road and, a while later, we were in Wisconsin Rapids.

After settling in, it was already time for dinner and we went to Taco John’s—a favorite spot for one of our companions and my first time.

I introduced myself to Taco John’s with fried chicken tacos and potato olés.

The tacos, which I ordered with jalapeño ranch, were really good. It’s hard to get anything with chicken tenders wrong and, after forgetting about the jalapeño ranch, made it even hotter with the Taco John’s hot sauce.

Meanwhile, the olés were awesome! Definitely ranks up there among fast food sides. They’re essentially hash brown bites with zesty spices—so good!

The trip into Wisconsin alone was already quite the adventure.

Inn of the Mountain Gods: Part 1 (Broken Arrow Tap House)

Upon arriving back in Albuquerque after spending a couple months in New York City, the very next morning, I was hitting the road and headed towards the Inn of the Mountain Gods, located along the banks of Mescalero Lake, just outside of Ruidoso.

After a couple hours, we arrived at the resort and were able to check-in right away. We got a room on the sixth floor—the top floor—and were greeted with quite the view.

Mescalero Lake, along with the mountains in the background, stretched across the entire view from the hotel balcony with a couple fountains spraying water in the air.

The lake is located on the Mescalero reservation, which sits on 463,000 acres of land, and is home to the Mescalero, Lipan, and Chiricahua, all of whom make up the Mescalero Apache Tribe. Most notably, Geronimo, a Chiricahua Apache, was a member.

The resort also includes a casino with slot machines and table games.

Before playing, I signed up for a Player’s Card in order to take advantage of their promotion offering $10 in slot dollars for new signings. I also found out, in order to play in the arcade, it’s all done through prepaid cards—no coins or tokens.

After an afternoon of getting a feel for the machines, along with a few rounds of pinball, it was dinner time and headed over to the Broken Arrow Tap House. The place boasts an incredible number of beers on tap, including several local New Mexico brews.

I started with the Marble Red Ale.

Described as “bursting with Pacific Northwest hops, balanced by a blend of caramel and toasted malts,” the brew originates from Albuquerque-based Marble Brewery.

The hops were definitely present and it started the evening on the right foot.

Now, I wasn’t terribly hungry at that point, I did enjoy a pretty hearty brunch/lunch before leaving Albuquerque, but an item on the menu immediately grabbed my attention: carnitas fries.

Denoted on the menu as a “house favorite,” the dish is comprised of crispy waffle fries covered in chipotle queso, housemade spicy ranchero sauce, and pulled pork; and served with sour cream, cilantro, and a blistered jalapeño.

This might have been one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had in my life.

After dinner, revisited the casino and played for a bit (it was a good night) and eventually stepped outside to take a breather before heading back upstairs.

The next morning, went downstairs and returned to the Broken Arrow Tap House for breakfast. First and foremost: coffee.

This time around, I was definitely hungry. While browsing the menu, there was another item that drew my attention: “pa-cos.”

Essentially, they were breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese but instead of a tortilla, they used pancakes. They were especially tasty with either hot sauce or maple syrup.

It was a great way to start the day, very delicious and filling.