Day 2

We began our journey to Pisek early in the morning on Wednesday, just like the Rumreichs before us. To break up the long drive from Milwaukee to Pisek, I had arranged lunch, in Rochester, MN, with a friend from Purdue. On the way to Rochester, we made a quick pit stop at a cheese shop called Carr Valley and took a few pictures with a gigantic mouse statue.

Nathan, Kyle, and me with the Carr's Cheese mouse

An hour before we reached Rochester we had another bathroom emergency. Unfortunately, there are no pit stops for about thirty miles before Rochester, so we had to pull over to a ditch along the side of the road. Nathan decided to join his brother in “watering” the foliage. I’m sure the driver of the semi that passed by had a nice laugh. We sure did.

 

On our last stretch of road before Rochester, we passed the Mississippi river. It was a marvelous body of water, filled with tiny islands and a few barges. 

Donna looking at the Mississippi River

When we arrived in Rochester, we had trouble with a parking meter. Aunt Mary had a handicapped parking pass, but we were not sure about the laws for parking in Minnesota. One kind gentleman helped us out by searching the internet and even calling the local police to find us an answer. Luckily, we were able to use the pass and we avoided getting a parking ticket.

We were finally able to look at Rochester, home of the Mayo Clinic, the top-rated hospital in the U.S. Its bright and clean downtown area was 278 miles from Milwaukee.

Pedestrians in downtown Rochester

We meet up with my friend, Kim, at Victoria’s restaurant, a local favorite owned by a family friend. The ravioli, chicken parmesan, penne arrabbiata, and Italian sausage pasta were all delicious, and I was happy to try some of each. It was great to be able to see my friend from school and catch up on summer events, too.

My friend Kim and me outside Victoria's Restaurant

 

After four more long hours of driving, we stopped for a late dinner at Mango’s Mexican restaurant, in Fargo, ND. At first glance it did not seem very promising; the restaurant was connected to a gas station. However, inside it had a bright, festive atmosphere and a good crowd for 8 pm on a Wednesday. I ordered a chimichanga and my dad ordered a molcajete, a special Mexican dish similar to fajitas and served in a mortar and pestle style bowl. Aunt Mary enjoyed her taco salad and Aunt Donna and the boys gave the place three thumbs up!

 

 

Chimichangas, Molcajete, and steak

 We were all very tired after a long day in the car, especially the boys. We arrived at our hotel in Grand Forks at about 10:30 pm and went right to bed. We would be ready to get up early and head over to Pisek in the morning.