Aug 07, 2014

Thumbnail is a shot of the Indoor Pool complex at Craguns Hotel and Resort and yes that is carpet. The bar and cafe tables are behind me as I took the shot. Incredible and as I said somewhere yesterday this is a great spot for families to relax and have fun but also for water sports and golfers. Sharen and Ken should have been with us because we got 2 complimentary walk the course golf games and since we don't play they could have had 2 each on a choice of courses while we went to the State Park and got eaten by mosquitos. Cragun's are very excited about their courses and tell us they have all been designed by very important people in the golfing world and from the untrained eye (mine) they all look impeccably well groomed and very attractive.

 

We decided to head north around some lakes today before we headed south to Minneapolis to do more riding on smaller roads and less on Interstate grade roads and it was an enjoyable ride through lush forest and farming land intersected by lakes large and small. We stopped for a photo opportunity on the shores of Serpent Lake at Crosby and discovered a very impressive Serpent beside it and considering it was between the lake and a caravan park and across a car park from a very impressive playground I wish them well with their 'Please don't climb on the serpent' sign.

 

Next stop was Deerwood and of course there had to be a Deer there.

 

Then onto Aitkin which had some lovely little quaint shops and this is their Rialto Theatre again with a neon sign.

 

And the brickwork on this building is what caught my eye as we rode along the main street which made me turn up the street. Don't know if I like it or not but it does catch the eye.

 

And an excuse for a break and a stretch and to get off the bikes at a Scenic Overlook of a lake .... but they didn't tell us which one.

 

A bit after lunch I got the nods really badly so we stopped to catch 40 winks under an interstate overpass and given the size of some of the ants we have seen the bike was the safest place to settle in on. Whoever woke up last was always going to be snapped, I was just relived it wasn't me. Apparently I stood on something dry in the grass as I was about to snap Norm and disturbed him hence the embarrassed grin on his face.

From there before we knew it we were in the suburbs of Minneapolis and rushing headlong with half the world for the CBD area, it was a relief to finally get onto a ramp which descended in between towering buildings and onto a city street. We didn't have far to go to get to our hotel and we will be here for 2 days so I'm doing the blog while my washing washes and dries and am thankful it is the first hotel laundry which is a comfortable cool temperature. We will do some exploring tomorrow.

Last Night's Accommodation:

Craguns Hotel and Resort, 11000 Craguns Drive, Brainerd MN 56401

A really intrigueing spot to visit. Comfortable space to sleep and relax in our suite with fridge and microwave so capacity to be partly self sufficient. Arm chairs to relax and a gas log fireplace and balcony. Also outside fire pits for the outdoors types and many sporting possibilities with boating, beach volleyball, lake swimming pool as well as the largest indoor pool we have ever seen complete with bar and cafe and carpeted area as well as balcony views from some rooms. Multiple eating options from dining room, bar and restaurant. Included parking and wifi which works well. Great spot for families with multiple accommodation options including lodge suites and self contained cabins. Not bad value given all the entertainment options on the doorstep.