#5 - Northwest Company Fur Post in Pine City, Minn.

We visited the Northwest Company Fur Post in Pine City on a surprisingly chilly summer day, and it started to rain when we arrived. The place was pretty dead. I'm not sure if we would have had a better time had the situation been different or whether it just wasn't the place for a 4-year-old and a 14-month-old...

I heard the time to visit is on Family Fun Day in September. Then there are over 200 re-enactors spread out over the grounds.

On a normal weekend, there are just a few that rotate giving 40-minute tours. There was very little that was hands-on. If you have a kid that enjoys listening to stories, they'll like the site. Otherwise, wait a few years.

We started the 40-minute tour inside the museum, talking about beavers. The high value places on beaver hats in Europe drove the fur trade here in America and Canada.

One of the first "building" to view is an Ojibwe tepee.

The fort sits on the Snake River.

I thought it was interesting that unlike the Hudson Bay Company, the Northwest Company encouraged its employees to have families. They saw value in marrying with the folks they traded with, recognizing that it created stronger bonds.

The highest point in the post. These posts were built only to last a few years.

After the tour, we finally did something hands-on. They had materials for kids to sew together small birchbark canoes.

Inside the small museum, folks could "try-on" hats from the time period.

#18 - Lindbergh Historic Site in Little Falls

We hit upon the Lindbergh Historic Site in Little Falls on their family day. That meant the 4-year-old got to spend over an hour on painting and craft projects while the baby slept. Daddy put up his feet, and mamma toured the Lindbergh home. That's a perfect outing!

I'm not sure if it is always like this, but the tour of the home contained lots of information about Charles as a boy and included hands-on activities. I didn't bring my 4-year-old on it because she was so bored during the 40-minute tour at the Northwest Fur Post in Pine City a few weeks earlier. But I think she would have really liked the tour at the Lindbergh House.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grounds before heading over to the museum. You can see the state park across the road. I'd like to return and check out their cart-in campsites.

Isn't this a  great building? This is the view of the museum from the Mississippi River.

The museum is cut into the hill, and one moves downward as you go through it.

Although he didn't live in Minnesota again after leaving for flight school, he recalled it fondly.

A hands-on flight simulator

Charles and his wife, Anne. She was the daughter of an ambassador. The two were both well-educated, and from important families.

Charles and Anne in later years

I've always been haunted by this kidnapping. Apparently, kidnappings for ransom during this time period were very common. The kids was rarely killed.

How exciting to see a photo of Charles in his later years with Elmer Anderson. In addition to being a former Minnesota governor, Elmer Anderson was the owner of ECM Publishers, a newspaper group I have written for that includes the Isanti County News.

The state park is located across the road and is on part of the former Lindbergh farm. The Lindbergh family donated the property to the state a few years after he crossed the Atlantic, knowing they would never be able to live there again because of the publicity. Treasure-seekers destroyed much of the house and grounds looking. It has been a historic site since the 1970s.

As man of the house, Charles at age 5 was carrying around huge blocks of ice like this. He arranged a pulley system

The place started off as a summer home. When Charles and his mother left in the fall to rejoin his father in Washington, D.C., Charles needed a place to hide his special stuff, including his two rifles. He pulled out a few of the wainscoting boards and had the perfect hiding space. Another fun thing of note in the kitchen is the bullet hole in the door to the hallway, left there by Charles. He was embarrassed because of where the bullet ended up; he was aiming for lower!

#34 - Eating ice cream at small shop in Delano, Minn.

Linnie's ice cream shop was a great place for us to stop on our way home from a camping trip, stretch our legs and sugar up. And I felt good about supporting a local business.

100 Bridge Ave E  Delano, MN 55328
http://www.linniesicecream.com

ABOUT THE FAMILY

Linnie is the daughter of Jon and Sheri Steinmetz who, after the real estate market fell out, began Linnies Ice Cream on a whim over Summer 2009. The Store has become successful thanks to the innovative and creative family behind it.

While the family loves working on store projects they are also involved elsewhere!

Jon: Is the Founder of Delano’s Historical Society. He was the Mayor of Delano 2004-2008 and was one of the main catalysts to get the Highway 12 project completed while still keeping it small town. He has taken pride in Downtown Delano and is always seeking to better all of the businesses in Delano. On top of that he also works full time for Hoglund Law. Right now he is out sweeping the parking lot!

Sheri: Is the bookkeeper And Business woman. She also Sings with the Soul Sisters, an a cappella group of 5 ladies that perform at the store every once in awhile.

In search of great key lime pie

We are in search of the best key lime pie in the Florida Keys. Here are a few places we're thinking of trying...

Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe

200A Elizabeth Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-0806
www.keylimeshop.com
It’s almost a reason in itself to travel from Miami to the Keys. Kermit’s Key Lime pies have been praised on nationally broadcast TVfood shows, and there’s a reason. This is a truly traditional pie, with a rich graham cracker crust, smooth, tart filling, and dotted with whipped cream. The filling will make your lips pucker about, but that’s the best part of a great Key Lime pie. If you like the lime, this shop is for you. You can find jelly, marinades, honey, and even wing sauce made with the juice of the Key lime. You could create a whole Key lime-themed meal with what you find here. You can even order online!
http://miami.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-key-lime-pie-in-south-florida/

Pepe's Cafe & Steak House

806 Caroline Street  Key West, FL 33040

(305) 294-7192

 www.pepescafe.net/
"Pepe's Cafe and Steak House, a ramshackle restaurant that dates all the way back to 1909 (and bills itself as "a fairly good place for quite a long while"), the artwork was funky and Tabasco-sauce bottles served as toothpick holders. The Key lime pie was outstanding, with a cinnamon-accented graham-cracker crust and a plentiful topping of whipped cream, and arrived in a bowl, as if masquerading as a pudding."
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/travel/escapes/31lime.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The Pier House

1 Duval Street  Key West, FL 33040

(305) 296-4600

www.pierhouse.com
"... the elegant Pier House, where you can sit outside at night and watch the passing boats. Appropriately, it was a work of art, served on a plate decorated with raspberry and mango sauces and a chocolate-covered strawberry. I followed it with a Key lime martini, the perfect nightcap."
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/travel/escapes/31lime.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  

Alice's

1114 Duval Street, Key West
305-292-5733
"one with a chocolate-lined graham-cracker crust and a curd-like filling"
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/travel/escapes/31lime.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0