During week after the wedding, Chris and I had a fabulous honeymoon in southeastern Minnesota. Sadly, that same area is suffering from severe flooding. But when we were there, it was beautiful, even though it was super hot.
We started our trist in Red Wing at the Moondance Inn--a super sweet bed and breakfast. The first and third floors were decked out with plenty of seating, included chaise lounges. The breakfast was phenomenal. Did I mention the king sized bed with black satin sheets and gold pillows?
The whirlpool tub wasn't much, but the room itself and the BED were fantastic.
Our first night out, Chris and I went out for a great dinner. We would have eaten anything, but we made a good choice with Liberty's for a good basic meal. Yummy fish. 
We stopped at a pretty little park a few blocks from our B&B. Red Wing is a really cute town I'd like to explore some more.
The next day we rented bikes and covered 20 miles via the Cannon Valley Trail.
Chris after 18 miles. Notice how comfortable he looks?
Me after 18 miles. Notice how much more tired I look? My rear was sore!
The next day we went hiking up Barn Bluff. We took the North Trail--the most difficult of the trails, but thankfully, the most shady.
This is the "shortcut" I decided we should take. It wasn't so much a trail as a path that some people had used before. It started out really easy. It ended up being something I pretty much crawled up, digging my hands into the dirt to grip roots and rocks to keep myself steady. Maybe it wasn't the best idea I ever had.
This is Chris after we took the "shortcut" to the top. Notice how he is not winded and there's not a speck of dirt on him.
This is me after we took the "shortcut" to the top. Notice that I was really thirsty. Also note the dirt on my elbow and palm. If you had seen my knees, you'd have thought I was lost in the wilderness and had just returned to civilization.
I suppose the view was worth it. Needless to say, we didn't take the "shortcut" back down. The trail was dangerous enough for me.
Before we left, we ate at an awesome restaurant that specialized in hors d'oeuvres. It was playfully called "Oar D'oeureves" since it is close to the river. The food was SO good. And the town was so cool. I'm definitely going back to Red Wing.
The next place we stayed at had a very different feel to it. But it was still quite nice. Very cute and antiquish. It was right across from the college.
The bed was smaller and MUCH squeakier. And, unfortunately, all of the rooms were VERY close together. Did I mention that we didn't see a young couple at either B&B all week? Still, I bet those older folks had fun.
One of the nice things about the Carriage House was that they had classic Schwin bikes in their garage that we could use. They even had a tandem bike, but it was sort of wobbly and I was rather intimidated by them. There were some nice trails around Lake Winona, but we didn't bike too much because it was really hot out and the trails were far from shady. We did stop at a sweet Drive In restaurant--oldest one in MN. Yummy shakes.
Check out the view from Garvin Heights. The best part, not photographed, was that Chris and I got there a minute before a whole group of Vacation Bible School teenagers showed up. Of course, we made out. Hey--we're married!
While in Winona, we got massages, pedicures, and saw a Shakespeare play at the college, "As You Like It." I think Chris liked it, though he was a little lost in the beginning. It was really well done. Perhaps I'll see next year's production.
On the way back, we made a point of stopping to look at Lake Pepin. We even skipped stones for a while. We didn't do very well, but we got a few going. Well, that was our honeymoon. There was a lot more too it, but most of that I can't share ;) We had a wonderful time--it was really romantic. I think we'll make a stop by there again sometime. It almost rivals the North Shore. Almost.
