Mankato

   Today we traveled the 60 miles from Fairmont where R's sister lives to Mankato, where my sister lives.  I was born across the Minnesota River in North Mankato.  Different town, different county.  It has been 45 years since I left the Minnesota to go into the military.  When I got back from Viet Nam, I was stationed in Twenty Nine Palms, CA.  When I was finished with my military service, we did not return to the Midwest, but looked for work on the west coast.  The rest is history.
   We have been back a few times every 5 years or so.  But still you notice differences.  In Texas and the west, spices.  As you saw in a previous blog, the condiment selection here is more limited.  When people ask me if I want hot sauce, I tell them, "No thanks, I'm from Minnesota where we only know three spices."  Then I wait....... "What are they?   Salt, Pepper, and Ketchup. "  It's a joke but not much of a stretch.
    What else did I notice?  Lots of trees at farms.  Out west, like in South Dakota, Wyoming, even Nebraska, a few trees mark a home site.  Here a few hundred mark a farm site.  Looking at the rural landscape as we drove today, it really hit home.
    Fuel is less expensive here.  I have seen unleaded for $1.99/gal and diesel for 2.25.  When we left Tahoe fuel was $2.67 for both grades.  Through Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota saw diesel prices from $2.39 to $2.49, still quite reasonable.  It makes traveling much less painful.