Onward To Minnesota

After the archaeological tour I was on came to its conclusion, I hopped into the trusty Bigfootmobile and drove westward across Wisconsin and into Minnesota.  Soon after crossing the Mississippi, I came upon a scenic overlook.  It wasn't very high above the highway, but it allowed me to see the King's and Queen's Bluffs, which are in Minnesota just south of the overlook, behind a grove of trees across the highway.

Further up the road, I found a place to pull off and look across the Mississippi back into Wisconsin.

After proceeding up to Winona, Minnesota, I took this pic of Sugarloaf Bluff, a local rock formation whose shape is partially the result of quarrying operations.

Winona has its own Polish Museum, but smutno, spóźniałem się (sadly, I was late) and it was closed.  I could only take a picture of the entrance.

The Polish community of Winona has their own Catholic Church, St. Stanislaus Kostka, popularly known as St. Stan's, which in 2011 was named by Pope Benedict XVI as a Minor Basilica.  It was tricky trying to take a picture of church without too many electrical wires or other buildings in the way, but here's the shot I was able to take.

Before this trip, my only contact with the state of Minnesota has been changing planes at Minneapolis International Airport.  According to a certain definition of having been somewhere, you can say that you've been to a place only if you have relieved yourself other than in the airport.  I'll spare you the details, but at last I can truly say that I've been to Minnesota.

Before I move on the next portion of my travelogue, let me make a culinary recommendation.  If you're on Interstate 90 in western Wisconsin, one place to stop is Burnstad's European Restaurant in Tomah.  For an appetizer, I recommend the chicken spaetzle soup.

UPDATE:  I learned in 2017 that Burnstad's has been permanently closed.