but i must’ve walked at least 5 miles, probably more. i love walking, tho’, so fine with me.
i slept a lot last night … even tho’ i’d napped yesterday afternoon. i didn’t realize how exhausted i was. sleep does wonders, tho’, & by this morning i was ready to head out to see this little town of little falls.
early i ran into linda, one of our riders. she’s from virginia beach, VA. her longest ride before starting this trip was 20 miles. yesterday she rode 87 miles in the heat … her all-time personal best. we are so proud of her! her son owns a sign company; a couple of weeks ago he sent the ‘bo peep’ signs that now adorn both front doors of the subaru. you probably can’t see that those sheep are on bikes. what a generous thing for him to do!
at 9:30, laura, clark & i headed west on foot, reaching cute little downtown little falls within a 1/2 hour.
there are some beautiful murals painted on the sides of older buildings downtown. here are 2 of them. yes, these are murals…not live scenes.
we walked on across the bridge, where i took this photo of laura & clark (on the phone with a long-time friend in oregon), with the mississippi stretching north behind them. those white things over laura’s right shoulder are big tents no doubt for next weekend’s annual dam festival, a very big local event.
a bit after 10:30, we ambled down a side street where we found the black & white, a local restaurant that had been recommended to us. inside were georgia (when she jots down her name, she writes GA) & vicki having breakfast. we asked to see the lunch menu, even tho’ one couldn’t order lunch ’til 11. as we read, we kept ooohing & ahhhing. the waitress, sensing our distress, finally told us we could order early. lookit my delectable salmon & crab salad: “4-oz seared salmon on a bed of greens with crab meat, strawberries, mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, & citrus vinaigrette.” yahoo, we’re back to gourmet lunches!
after lunch, we each went our separate ways on separate errands. i went to a cute little local pharmacy across from the black & white. i needed some moisturizer; the tube i brought is about out. i’d rather pay a dollar or 2 more per tube at this local place than step into that wal-mart monstrosity out near the motel … soon to be a supercenter. i hate the way those wal-marts suck the lifeblood out of these little towns.
then i wandered back down along the river to see the little falls that give the town its name. turns out the original natural falls have been replaced by a succession of dams that were built to provide electricity for the industries–mainly lumber & paper mills–that were thriving in early little falls.
here’s a photo of a fisherman with the dam in the background. he says he fishes here 2-3 times a week, catching a wide variety of fish, including catfish, walleye, & northerns. he’s always lived in little falls, except for his time in the marines, & loves the town. he proudly pointed out the beautiful park that stretched to our left along the shore. he mentioned that he & many other locals are not happy about the imminent new wal-mart supercenter. he pointed out a big blue heron sitting on a rock below the dam waiting patiently for a fish; he said that heron sits in the same spot every day, & is a much better fisherman than he is. i didn’t see the man (nor the heron) catch any fish, but the man finally said he was going to take home the 2-3 fish he’d already caught & cook them. he raved about a popular minnesota breakfast–eggs & fish.
the walk back to the motel seemed extra long in the heat. i then spent much of the afternoon finishing up chores that’ll get me on the road again tomorrow morning.
before we left the black & white at lunchtime, we made a reservation for supper. we also told everyone else back at the motel about the restaurant. 2 cabloads went down around 5 & were eating when an additional 6 of us arrived by cab around 6. our suppers were at least as delectable as our lunches. & at dinnertime, there were white cloths on the tables … & fresh flowers.
first off they put baskets of warm herb ciabatta rolls (looked like donut holes, only the “powdered sugar” was actually parmesan) on our table, along with little ramekins with an olive oil & balsamic mixture for dipping. oh my they were good! then came the signature salad: dark greens topped with blue cheese, candied walnuts, chunks of port wine-poached apple, all tossed with a fabulous homemade balsamic dressing. several chose the all-you-can-eat pasta or stir-fry for their main course, but since lunchtime i had my eye on the walleye: almond-encrusted walleye with a fresh strawberry salsa drizzled with balsamic glaze, fresh asparagus spears, & a creamy mango risotto. i have photos of all these, but rather than fill up this space with those, i’ve saved room for my dessert: the black & white express (dark chocolate mousse coated with dark chocolate ganache, topped with a fresh strawberry sauce, & garnished with fresh whipped cream & white chocolate). it’s a glory to behold, isn’t it?
laura helped me out by eating the white chocolate fan; i see no purpose for white chocolate. but i savored every last bite of the rest.
it seems only right to round out this excellent meal with a photo of the chef. this is tomas zimmerman. he & wife amanda are current owners of a.t. the black & white. they’re both le cordon bleu trained chefs.
