Leaving Minnesota and starting North Dakota

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St John Abbey
Saint John’s Bible
St John’s Abbey tour


June 20, 2007. For the last three days we have been at a Winnebago dealer and a Dodge/Chrysler shop. So we will skip the gory details, no big deal and move-on. There is a lovely trail along the Mississippi that leads to the Munsinger/Clemens Gardens. It is a lovely area in St. Cloud, my favorite was the rose gardens. It is open to the public and is meticulously groomed and maintained.
After our last visit to the car repair, we stopped at St. John Abbey. The church/abbey contains the largest stained glass windows in the world. (I would have guessed it to be in Europe somewhere?) It is a modern impressive structure. The Hill Museum and Manuscript Library was a fascinating place. It is the home of the Saint John’s Bible, a handwritten, illuminated Bible in modern English. Most of the work is a joint effort with Wales, with all of the work being done in Wales with input from the monks. It is a laborious effort intended for all Christians.
Back on the road we head for Sauk Centre RV Park for the night.
June 21. We began our day biking the Lake Wobegon Trail to Melrose. Located in central Minnesota among prairies, farms, forests, small town and creeks, it is a paved trail built on the abandoned Burlington, Northern, and Santa Fe railroad. It is currently 46 miles. Garrison Keillor graciously agreed that the trail could bear this name.
Sauk Centre is also the home of Sinclair Lewis. We visited his museum. Sinclair was the first American to win the Nobel Prize. He forever changed American literature. However, talk to some town folks and he isn’t the most popular guy around. His critique of the Midwest mentality was demeaning to many locals.
Back on he road we drove to Fargo, North Dakota.

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