Cannon Valley Trail

A weather report full of rain and cloudy skies that looked reminiscent of our wedding day six years ago actually turned in our favor into a spectacular fall weekend of blue skies, low humidity and temperatures that were just warm enough in the day to enjoy outdoor activities, but cool enough in the evening to remind you that it indeed was fall.  It was with this weather backdrop that we finally took advantage  of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's gift of a night away at a bed and breakfast while they hosted a sleepover for our kids.  Although scheduling conflicts prevented us from going away during the summer as planned, our weekend away ended up coinciding perfectly with Chris's birthday last Friday and our sixth wedding anniversary the next day.

We most looked forward to biking the Cannon Valley Trail, but the bed and breakfast Andy and Danielle booked for us ended up being the highlight of the weekend.

The Cannon Valley Trail stretches 20 miles from Cannon River to Red Wing in southeastern Minnesota and is a paved bike trail following the route of a former rail line.  Besides being paved, these "rails to trails' routes tend to be rather flat, which is perfect for the kind of leisurely weekend biking I prefer. 

Chris dropped me off in Cannon River at lunch time where I lingered over a newspaper and my lunch at a diner and then tooled around town on my bike while he drove to the end of the trail in Red Wing and biked back to meet me.  Yup, 20 miles back.  But those were 20 miles he got to ride as fast as he wanted to without having to wait up for someone like me who wanted to stop and take a picture every mile.

Once Chris and I met up, we started our ride back towards Red Wing. The trail passed through forests and meadows and past farms and the namesake river, a shallow waterway perfect for canoeing or kayaking.  It was a very enjoyable ride and then I hit a wall around mile 15.  I was sore from sitting on a bike seat and actually quite sore before I even started thanks to the weightlifting class I had done at the Y the day before.  I thought back to the MS 150 bike ride Chris and I had ridden together before we married.  I think the first rest stop was around mile 15 and I remember thinking I would have been satisfied if it had been called the MS 15.  Because I was pretty much done.  And I had 60 more miles to bike.  And 75 more the next day.  I have no idea how I did it.  Thankful that I only had five more miles to go on the Cannon Valley Trail and then I would sleep on a king-size feather bed that night, (and not a tent on the grounds of a casino like I had at the midway point of the MS 150) I enjoyed the last miles of the trail even though I was tired.

Once at the end of the trail, we drove into historic downtown Red Wing and then a few miles south to the Round Barn Farm B & B.  This 35-acre former dairy farm with its restored round barn, replica farmhouse, endearing innkeepers and sourdough bread baked in a backyard brick oven captured a place in my heart that was completely unexpected.  I really fell in love with the place.

When we pulled in, we thought we'd pop in, grab our key and escape to our room to change and head out to dinner.  The innkeepers Robin and Elaine greeted us with enthusiastic welcomes and friendly orders to follow them on a tour of the house and we obliged.  This couple was a hoot, I tell you.  They didn't just tell a story, they acted out the story.   By the time we made it to our room, we'd learned about the incredible attention to detail that went into constructing a replica 1861-era farm manor house, marveled at the antiques filling the house, eaten homemade cookies and taken a restaurant recommendation for the perfect anniversary dinner overlooking the shores of Lake Pepin.  We were escorted to the "Hearts and Flowers Suite," (in my limited experiences with bed and breakfasts, they all seem to have themed rooms) which we discovered had a pink, heart-shaped jacuzzi.  Just as quirky as the innkeepers who had designed the place themselves. 

Believe it or not, this is not the first time I stayed in a place with a heart-shaped tub.  My seventh grade class went on a retreat to the Pocono Mountains and stayed at a former honeymoon resort.  The bedrooms had been retrofitted with bunk beds, but the heart-shaped tubs remained, much to the astonishment of my sheltered seventh grade self.

Before our innkeepers said goodnight, they announced that breakfast would be served at 8:30 a.m. and if we wanted to help bake bread, we should meet outside by the brick oven at 7:30 a.m. sharp.  I jumped at the opportunity to bake without being responsible for prep or cleanup.  Chris chose the extra hour of sleep.

When the others guests and I met outside the next morning, prepared dough was waiting for us in bread forms.  Robin provided us with tidbits of bread-baking history as we formed our dough, marked the top with a personalized design so we'd known which loaf was ours, and then one-by-one used a long bread paddle and placed the bread forms in the oven. 

Robin, the innkeeper and master break baker

Since I work in housing finance, I tried carving a house on the top of my bread for my "trademark."  When the bread rose and split, I ended up with an upside down house!

Our finished product.  Yes, there was a guy named Otto in our group.

I passed the time while the bread was baking walking around the grounds and taking photos of the barn.  At 8:30 sharp the guests and the innkeeper came together for a three-course breakfast.  Of course they served the bread we had just baked.  Perhaps I'm partial, but the sourdough bread was the best I've tasted. 

Sadly, Robin and Elaine have put the bed and breakfast on the market.  They're my parent's age and ready to retire from what is their post-retirement job.  I had just discovered this gem in southern Minnesota and its future is limited.  The buildings will still be there and the property will most likely still host guests, but as a wedding venue instead of a bed and breakfast. But the B&B will no longer have its story-telling innkeepers who brought 100 years of history back to life.