BEACON Aug 2021

Page 8A THE BEACON August 2021
FROM
H ere
By
Ollie
Roehm
It looks like I’m not going
to make it for our annual Minnesota
vacation this year.
I’ve made the trip almost
every year since 1975 and it’s
a wonderful place.
Mary’s sister lives on Gull
Lake, the main lake on a
chain of several. Her uncle
lives about a half-hour away
on Cross Lake, part of the
Whitefish Chain.
Northern Minnesota is the
land of water, sand, evergreens,
birch trees, bald
eagles, loons, pelicans, gulls,
black squirrels, black bears,
fish with teeth, porcupines,
and copper mines.
The people say things like
“Yah, you betcha.” They don’t
say down – they say “doan.”
A casserole is called a “hot
dish.”
Churches and Legion Posts
don’t have chicken dinners
– they have “chicken feeds.”
The bars with liquor licenses
allow patrons to bring their
own bottles as long as they
buy “mixers.”
They love to gamble in
Minnesota. Casinos owned
and operated by Indian tribes
abound. Pretty much every
bar and most restaurants have
gambling of some sort – pull
tabs, meat raffles, minnow
races, turtle races, and more.
Minnow races are my favorite.
Since I’m not making the
real trip this year, I’m going
to make a trip right now. It’s a
long drive and I’ll need some
company.
So I’m taking you with me.
Barring any major problems,
we should arrive in
about 13-14 hours. Once
there, we will be treated to
crisp, clean air all day and
watch incredible sunsets over
Cross Lake. We will fish, go
boating, swim, and relax on a
beautiful porch overlooking
the lake. There will be great
food, drink, and conversation.
We will watch loon families
swim across the glassy water,
bald eagles swoop down and
catch fish, and we will experience
all that lake country has
to offer.
Ready?
OK, let’s go.
We’re heading west on I-74
and just passed the St. Leon
exit. We will be taking 74 all
the way to Bloomington IL.
Perhaps you’re thinking it
would be faster to head north
and go through Chicago. It
might be. But it might not.
One thing is guaranteed: It
will be bumper-to-bumper and
crazy. Driving out to Bloomington
and taking I-39 north
into Wisconsin is much easier
and takes about the same
amount of time.
We’re about to go around
Indianapolis on I-465. It
shouldn’t take long.
OK, we’re through the city
and back on I-74. There really
isn’t much of anything to see
between here and the Illinois
border, so feel free to take a
nap, read, whatever…
You’re awake now. Good.
We just passed a sign that
says “Welcome to Illinois!”
and another that says “Danville
8.” See ya, Indiana.
We’re now about to go
through Champaign, home of
the University of Illinois, and
in another hour or so we will
reach Bloomington and start
heading north up I-39.
Here we are on I-39 about
two hours north of Bloomington.
Look at all of those
windmills. They go as far as
the eye can see on both sides
of the interstate.
It won’t be long before we
reach Wisconsin. We’ll go
through Beloit right away,
then Madison, home of the
University of Wisconsin.
Getting through Madison
was a breeze. As you can tell,
Wisconsin is a pretty state –
rolling hills and wide prairies.
It’s going to be even prettier
when we go through Wisconsin
Dells. The Dells have
become very touristy but the
hills, forests, cliffs, and beautiful
rivers are gorgeous.
OK, we’ve seen the Dells.
Not bad, hey? We are now
going northwest on I-94 and
headed for the Minnesota
border. Eau Claire is the last
Wisconsin town we will
encounter before crossing the
state line.
We hit Minneapolis/St. Paul
shortly after we enter the state
and traffic is not as bad as I
expected. For the next hour
or so we will travel on Route
10 until we slip onto Highway
371. It will take us into Brainerd,
a large town about thirty
minutes from our destination.
It’s really starting to look
like Minnesota now. We just
passed a truck loaded with
huge freshly-logged pines.
There’s a huge sign advertising
the Paul Bunyan Land
amusement park in Brainerd.
Birch trees mingle with tall
evergreens along the roadside.
Yep, that was a dead porcupine.
We’re on 371 now and it
won’t be long. We’ll take 371
to Route 1, then to Route 3
into the town of Crosslake,
our little piece of heaven on
earth.
We pull in the drive, get out
of the car, and immediately go
down to greet the lake.
There’s not a cloud in the
sky and the water is clear and
beautiful. Yep, that was a bald
eagle.
It’s been a long drive but
worth it, right?
Bright Meadows Park- A Neighborhood Park
Of the five parks located
in Dearborn County, Bright
Meadows Park is the most
like a neighborhood park.
The majority of the property
for the park was donated to
the county in 1996 by the
Sunman-Dearborn School
Corporation. Located at the
intersection of State Line and
Einsel Roads, Bright Meadows
Park has much to offer
including a paved walking/
bike path that circles the heart
of the park as well as a small
wooded trail. Two baseball
diamonds and a half-court
basketball court are available
for use, accompanied by an
open field for playing soccer
or touch football.
EC students volunteer to keep Bright meadows Park looking
great. (Photo courtesy of the Dearborn County Parks)
A new playground facility
was unveiled in April, 2021.
Two picnic shelters can be
reserved for events.
Bright Meadows Park is
always buzzing with walkers,
sports practices, and pick-up
games. The park is also home
to several Scout troops who use
the facility for badge activities.
Bright Meadows Park
hosts the Mobile Library on
the second Tuesday of each
month from 4:30-5:30 P.M. A
perfect time to pick up what
is sure to be your favorite
book and read it in the park.
Be sure to take advantage
of the Recycling Trailer located
in the front parking lot.
Several groups volunteer to
keep the park clean and would
be happy to welcome any
volutneers. (See ad on pg. 2)
Mercy Health — West Hospital
This is Your Hospital
Comprehensive Care,
Close to Dearborn County.
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR:
OVERALL EXCELLENCE
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3300 Mercy Health Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211
mercy.com
90525 (5-21)
Twenty-seven Years of Bringing our Community and Businesses Together.