It was a must. So we began our search with Janesville. It isn't very far as the crow flies, but apparently there weren't any crows around when they laid out these roads. I'm sure the smattering of lakes around this area didn't help. So we wound our way and entered Janesville from the south. The first thing that greets the eyes as you approach the railroad tracks is a large old engine on a siding and, nearby, a ten or twelve foot statue of Frankenstein. Okay. Maybe that's for Halloween.
We had Googled laundromats in Janesville and the most recent listing was a newspaper story from four years ago about one outside wall collapsing. The post office next door was not damaged. Immediately across the tracks from Frankenstein was the post office and next to it an old building with one steel siding wall. Eureka! But it is now a custom sign business.
We drove around the block and stopped to ask a woman pushing a stroller if there was still a laundromat in town. She 'wasn't from there' and didn't know. So back to the post office and I went in to ask. The postmistress 'wasn't from there' and didn't know. Down the street is Toby's Barber Shop, and we figured Toby knew all about the town, so Butch went in. Not as simple as it sounds. The entrance to Toby's is through the store next door. Toby did know that there was no longer a laundromat in Janesville but said there was a new one in Elysian on the other side of the lake and campground.
Before heading north, we checked out the locale for tomorrow's birthday party south of Janesville to see if there is parking for our trailer--more winding back roads--and then up to Elysian. We found the laundromat and got our chores done. On the way out of town, we stopped at a cute place that said "Bakery-Deli-Gifts." Our grocery stock was getting low and I figured to pick up some potato salad for supper. The shop had a wide selection of soup and dip mixes, spices, children's toys, cut flowers and potted mums, fresh bread and cakes, and served lunch. No potato salad. We did buy a loaf of 7-grain bread and a couple of large pieces of apple cake with maple cream and walnut frosting. Supper became another encore buffet. Now our grocery stock is really low.
Today is supposed to be a little cooler--only a high of 87 instead of 91. We plan to go into Mankato for the 45th Annual Mankato Traditional Powwow. It is held to honor the 38 Dakota Indians who died in 1862 in the largest mass execution in US history and the later reconciliation between the Dakota and the settlers.
We had Googled laundromats in Janesville and the most recent listing was a newspaper story from four years ago about one outside wall collapsing. The post office next door was not damaged. Immediately across the tracks from Frankenstein was the post office and next to it an old building with one steel siding wall. Eureka! But it is now a custom sign business.
We drove around the block and stopped to ask a woman pushing a stroller if there was still a laundromat in town. She 'wasn't from there' and didn't know. So back to the post office and I went in to ask. The postmistress 'wasn't from there' and didn't know. Down the street is Toby's Barber Shop, and we figured Toby knew all about the town, so Butch went in. Not as simple as it sounds. The entrance to Toby's is through the store next door. Toby did know that there was no longer a laundromat in Janesville but said there was a new one in Elysian on the other side of the lake and campground.
Before heading north, we checked out the locale for tomorrow's birthday party south of Janesville to see if there is parking for our trailer--more winding back roads--and then up to Elysian. We found the laundromat and got our chores done. On the way out of town, we stopped at a cute place that said "Bakery-Deli-Gifts." Our grocery stock was getting low and I figured to pick up some potato salad for supper. The shop had a wide selection of soup and dip mixes, spices, children's toys, cut flowers and potted mums, fresh bread and cakes, and served lunch. No potato salad. We did buy a loaf of 7-grain bread and a couple of large pieces of apple cake with maple cream and walnut frosting. Supper became another encore buffet. Now our grocery stock is really low.
Today is supposed to be a little cooler--only a high of 87 instead of 91. We plan to go into Mankato for the 45th Annual Mankato Traditional Powwow. It is held to honor the 38 Dakota Indians who died in 1862 in the largest mass execution in US history and the later reconciliation between the Dakota and the settlers.
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