2023.06.04 – 08 “Work” trip to Minnesota
Audra and I often travel for our jobs. Most of the time, we can travel together. We always take full advantage of every trip we take. On this trip, I had to go to the headquarters of my company to conduct training for new drivers.
I work for the largest commercial turkey breeding and hatching company in the US. The company I work for is headquartered in Willmar, Minnesota. I had never heard of Willmar, Minnesota until I started for my current employer going on ten years ago. I have been to our headquarters on a few occasions. This is the first time I have written a blog about the area.
Located almost 100 miles west of Minneapolis, the township of Willmar is the county seat of Kandiyohi County (pronounced candy-yo-hi). They claim there are over 70 lakes in the county. (Keep in mind what we, in the midsouth, call a pond is considered a lake in Minnesota.) In fairness, there are several large lakes in the area. It is a beautiful area.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
On the way up, we made a pit stop in Minneapolis to look around. We stopped by Paisley Park but was unable to go in. The facility was closed for preparation of the next exhibit that was going to be showcased soon. (We WILL be back for a tour!)
Willmar, Minnesota
When doing this work trip, we normally try to stay in Spicer, however this trip we stayed in Willmar. Willmar is not a bad little town. It has about 21,000 people. It is a large agricultural industrial hub with companies like Jenny-O and Willmar Poultry/Select Genetics, LLC being among the largest employers in the area.
Among the restaurants in town is Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill & Bar. They have great meats that are cooked with wood heat. They also have many local craft beers. You can’t go wrong with the ribs and chicken.
Spicer, Minnesota
Although we stayed in Willmar, we spent a lot of our time off in Spicer. Spicer is about 10 miles from Willmar and quite a bit smaller, but it offers an enchanting charm that draws locals to visit. The main local hangout for many of my colleagues is O’Neil’s. They have great food, cold beer and a few of Green Lake. The Chicken Stir Fry Bowl with a Cabernet is great! You can’t beat a bacon burger and ice-cold beer!
Right across from O’Neil’s is Green Lake. Green Lake is one of the clearest lakes I have ever seen. At the deepest point is around 100 feet deep, but most of the lake is between 30 to 40 feet deep. It is definitely worth checking out.
Blue Earth, Minnesota
After my final meeting on Thursday, we said our farewells to my colleagues then hit the road to get a way down the road for the night. It’s always a crapshoot on how the GPS will take us home from Willmar. Seems like we go a different route every time. And that’s ok! We get to see more of the area. This time on the way home we started seeing signs for the largest Jolly Green Giant in the world. I grew up on Green Giant canned vegetables and I loved their commercials. Could we pass the most gigantic Jolly Green and not stop? Not a chance, 55-feet of jolly green, we gotta stop!
We had dinner at the Farmer’s Daughter’s Kitchen. It was a pretty simple menu, but good, nonetheless. We would definitely eat there again if we were in Blue Earth.
Des Moines, Iowa
We made it to Des Moines in enough time to go to the Iowa Taproom. This is a place we try to go every time we are in the Des Moines area. It is in my Top Ten! Their Iowa Chop is a 10 ounce, perfectly seared, Iowa pork chop with a whiskey grave. If you do not like this, I am not sure if we can even be friends. It is THAT good! Plus, they have a large selection of local craft beers. They even have some wonderful sours (my personal favorite). This is a definite must try when in Des Moines!
For breakfast on the way out of town, we stopped at The Breakfast Club. I had the Biscuit Benny. It was a chicken fried steak eggs benedict on a handmade biscuit. Fabulous!
