Road Trip Day 8: An Amish Gardener, Carbs and a Late Flight Home

It’s hard to believe that our road trip has come to a close.

Our last day was filled with some memorable adventures.

We woke up to an overcast morning at our bed & breakfast.

You know what the best part of staying at a B&B is?  The breakfasts!

We started out with strawberries and bananas on a bed of sweetened cream followed by french toast, sausage and eggs.

Do you remember my telling you how popular rhubarb is in this area, in my last post?

Well, during breakfast, we also had a slice of rhubarb pie.  Can I tell you a secret?  I don’t like rhubarb.

Speaking of rhubarb – it was growing out in the garden.

Speaking of gardens, theirs was beautiful.  This lovely fountain surrounded by petunias was the focal view from the dining room.

A circular bed, edged in stones held flowering violas and chives.

White daisies filled the other perennial beds.

I think that daisies can brighten up almost anyone’s day, don’t you?

Along the side of the 100 year old Victorian home, was a side garden with a curved stone pathway that led to a covered arbor.

Purple ‘Wave’ petunias surrounded by bacopa took center stage from this window.

I always get a kick out of the fact that we grow many of the same annuals in the desert – just at a different time of year.

The bed & breakfast was located in Amish country.  As we ate breakfast, I noticed an Amish girl working in the garden.

She was busy using hand pruners to prune away old, woody growth from some shrubs.

*Amish people do not like pictures of their faces to be taken, which is why I am only showing her from behind.

After breakfast, we got into our car and headed toward Minneapolis, which was to be our last destination.

Our flight wasn’t scheduled to take off until 7:40 pm, so we had the entire day to fill.

We decided to spend some time at the Mill City Museum.

Did you know that Minneapolis used to be the flour capitol of the world?  It’s true.

As someone who loves carbs with a passion and would rather eat bread then sweets, I knew that I had to check out this museum.

The museum is housed in the old Gold Medal Flour factory, which used to be the world’s largest flour mill.

It is 8-stories high and much of it was destroyed by a fire in the 90’s.

You can see the girders and where the floors used to be in the ruins.

The interior had some great exhibits about the history of the early flour industry and how the city of Minneapolis used the power of the Mississippi River to power the mill.

One very cool part of the museum was the Flour Tower tour.

I apologize for the bad photo, but wanted you to see the large freight elevator that visitors went on.

As you sit, a guide takes you along a journey up and down 8 floors of the mill.  Each floor opens up to a display that recreates the history of the mill.

At the top of the mill, we were allowed to get up and walk to the top of the building.

You could see the old sign, which stood tall above us.

From the rooftop, you could see the Mississippi River flowing by.

I wonder if I will ever tire of seeing the Mississippi River.  I hope not.

Across the river, you could see the old Pillsbury Flour Mill.

After leaving the mill, we head a little time left before we had to turn in our rental car and head to the airport.  So, we decided to go and see Minnehaha Falls.

The falls are located in the middle of the city and flows from the Minnehaha River before joining the Mississippi.

As you stand along the viewing area, you are sprayed by the water, which is really quite refreshing.

The falls are 53 feet tall.

During this entire road trip, my mother has been enjoying taking pictures with her new iPhone.

Many of her photos are of me taking pictures of my camera, like this one at the falls.

It was time to wrap up our visit to Minneapolis and start toward the airport.

Our time at the airport was much longer then we had planned for.  Our 7:40 pm flight was delayed for 4 hours until 11:30 pm.

Thankfully, I had my laptop and some knitting to keep me busy while we waited.

Sunset in Minneapolis.   I was really wishing that I had been on a plane by now.  I missed my husband and kids.

The airline brought out a cart filled with snacks and drinks for all of us who had to wait.

I ate my fill of shortbread cookies and Ritz cheese crackers.

Our flight finally arrived and we soon left for home.

We had a wonderful time on our road trip and I appreciate your comments so much.

BUT, my road trip posts aren’t over yet.

I’ve saved the visit to my friend and fellow garden blogger, Amy’s garden for my last post.

I can’t wait to show you what’s growing in her garden – so come back soon!  

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."