Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Wykoff and the Mystery Cave

We took a short trip to Wykoff, Minnesota this weekend.  I was going to pedal down, but my practice trip on the bicycle I haven't taken on a longer group ride gave me evidence that 60 miles was about the limit my bottom could take - e.g. some saddle sores.  So I ordered a new saddle/seat and new shorts that aren't >10 years old and we'll see if that makes a long distance difference.

It was just me and the partner.  We stopped at Little Oscar's on the way down for a caboose burger.  I once left a 200 dollar tip there by accident when Aeryn and I were headed down to tube and ride the Cannon Falls trail.  They didn't get quite that tip this time.  We stopped at the Dairy Inn in Cannon Falls on the way home.  Our food selection was not optimal at my age either for calories or salt.

Oscars Caboose by:

A last minute find was Four Daughters distillery and winery.  This is the rhubarb old fashioned.  Delish.  I also bought a bottle of their cherry smoked bourbon.  Great place, although I didn't have their food.  Their desserts looked great, but I'm sort of over brewery-ish pizza unless it's a Heggie's.
Four Daughters Rhubarb Old Fashioned by:

The AirBnB in Wykoff.  Yes, a jail. I stayed in a repurposed bank with Ming in Wisconsin.  That was nicer.  But this was fun.
Wykoff Jail Outside 2 by:

They leaned into their theme.
Wykoff Jail Up Close by:

Bars and all.  If you had kids along it might be more fun as there is a set of bunks inside the bars for the kids.
Wykoff Jail Jen by:

No oven, but I planned ahead and we did tortelli in the microwave and it was perfect.  Here are the bunks.  Note the jail theme that was also on the drapes and main bed.
Wykoff Jail Bunks by:

The next day we did breakfast locally, then went to the Forestville State Park Mystery Cave. I didn't realize it wasn't a public state park until after my high school years.  That's probably a sign I'm old.
Mystery Cave Old Sign by:

Mindy, our guide, did a great walk through. I thought they'd be dry as a bone, but they are very active.  She did say the stupid white fungus had decimated the local bats by like 95% or more.  We didn't see a single bat, and I remember when I was young, they were everywhere in the Soudan mines.
Mystery Cave View by:

The pool at the end of the tour.  I still don't quite understand how this finds a static equilibrium between drops from the ceiling, downward water pressure, and evaporation.  You'd think it would either overflow or go dry.  
Mystery Cave Pool by:

Mystery wife.
Mystery Cave Jen Dark by:

My camera added a night vision mode.  I don't particularly like the quality of photos, but it did find my wife in the dark.
Mystery Cave Jen Light by:

Poot looking up at the caves.  They tend to be pretty flat because of the layering/sediment.  That's Edwin next to her.  He's from Shreveport, an organist, and spends all of his summers anywhere BUT Shreveport because it's so hot.  Great guy.  We chatted with him from before the tour to afterwards.
Mystery Cave Jen and Edwin by:

We also went to Forestville, but the bridge is under repair, and most things were closed on a Monday.  So I ate Doritos and we walked about a mile through the old town.  I did manage to snap this wonderful photo of myself.
Forestville by:

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