Oddball Minnesota: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places

Description

Land of the world's largest prairie chicken, birthplace of Spam, and home of the world's oldest rock, this is Minnesota, where summers are short, winters are long, and back-road wonders abound. This entertaining guide wastes no time with descriptions of scenic lakes, pristine bike trails, or quaint cafes. Instead it directs travellers (and residents) to the spot where Tiny Tim strummed his last notes on the ukulele; to the Cold Spring chapel where two grasshoppers bow down to the Virgin Mary; and to the McLeod County Museum, where the mummy on display could be from Peru or outer space. While ordinary tourists are fighting off mosquitoes in the Boundary Waters, oddball travellers can size up the world's largest ear of corn and admire the fourth Zamboni ever built. And one last thing: there aren't 10,000 lakes in Minnesota; there are 14,215. For travellers who are in search of the unusual, there is no better reason to park the bike and hiking boots in the garage, fill up the gas tank, and hit the road to Minnesota, where weirdness awaits.

Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio. He is a recent recipient of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Best Essay. He lives in Chicago.

"Jerome Pohlen keeps finding amusing and offbeat spots all around the country." -- Associated Press, June 1, 2003. "Shows a different side of Minnesota." -- NWA World Traveller, June 2003. "Some of the stranger and less-probable visitor attractions around the United States." -- Arkansas Democrat, June 2003. "Amusing and offbeat." -- The Chippewa Herald. "Jerome Pohlen keeps finding amusing and off-beat spots all around the country." -- Red Wing Republican Eagle. "Very practical if you're traveling to the North Country, and very funny even if you're not." -- The Orange County Register.