Roadtrip Ramblings: Live Long and Prosper (and Eat Your Veggies)

(2023 Alaska Revisited Ep 27)

It’s been a while since the last RabbTRAILS update. 

Since getting home four weeks ago, we’ve been playing catchup after six months of Alaska Revisited travels:  deep cleaning Percy and Pap, maintaining our home including some minor repairs to plumbing and sprinkler heads, reconnecting with family and friends, and visiting doctors, dentists and barbers.

Over the next several weeks we will wrap up our 2023 Alaska Revisited blog.

The LONG Long Roadtrip Home

As we left the majestic mountains, roaring rivers and wonderful wildlife of Banff and Jasper NP, we faced the daunting reality that we were more than 2700 miles from home! 

To make the trip a bit more interesting, we decided to visit fun and often kitschy roadside attractions on the way home. 

We hope you enjoy our roadtrip rambles as much as we did!

Live Long and Prosper

As we headed east, the Canadian Rockies gave way to gently rolling corn and wheat fields that extended to the horizon.  Several hours later we arrived at Canada’s Start Trek capital: Vulcan, Alberta.  

Our stop in Vulcan was a follow up to an earlier visit to Vasquez Rocks near Los Angeles, where several original Star Trek episodes were filmed (see RabbiTRAILS 2023 Alaska Revisited Ep 7).

At the edge of town, we admired a large model of the Starship Enterprise and then visited the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station, the town’s Star Trek-themed visitor center that includes an extensive, curated memorabilia collection, interactive costume displays on the holodeck and a gift shop filled with vintage Star Trek items.

The town has a fun and interesting Star Trek-related identity, from Enterprise models on light poles to crosswalks painted with Star Trek emblems.  On Vulcan Street, you can stay at the Vulcan Inn, buy groceries at the Vulcan Market, and even eat at the Vulcan Sushi Restaurant, before visiting a bronze bust of Spock and Leonard Nimoy handprint, and a variety of Star Trek-themed murals that adorn the town.

_{Vulcan’s interesting street murals, including doctors on various Star Trek shows and a Spock-themed ice cream shop!}

Pat stepped into a streetside transporter, hoping to shorten the trip home.   Although it didn’t work for her, you might want to beam into town in 2024 for a weekend of Star Trek events during the town’s VULCON convention next July! 

A Palace of Corn?

Perhaps you’ve heard of Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. 

Originally built in 1892, the façade of the palace is decorated with murals made from different types of naturally colored corn, grains and native grasses.  The murals reflect a different theme chosen each year and are made by cutting ears of corn in half lengthwise and nailing them in place.  It costs $130,000 to decorate the Palace each year!

Inside, we were expecting an agriculture museum of some sort, with lots of information about corn and various farm implements.   

Instead, the palace is a sports and entertainment facility, with bleachers, foldaway basketball nets and an open floor area for graduations, concerts and other events.  It is the home of the Dakota Wesleyan University Tiger and Mitchel High School Kernel basketball teams.

A Jolly Green Ho, ho, Ho

He’s the purveyor of canned cream corn and squishy little green peas. Hands are on his huge green hips, his sly grin seems to imply, “You can’t have dessert until you finish your vegetables.” 

Suppressing childhood memories of holding my nose and trying not to gag, I was favorably impressed by the tall Jolly Green Giant that stands along I-90 in Blue Earth, MN.  Built in 1978, the 55 ½ foot tall fiberglass statue is the symbol of the B&G foods and vegetable farmers in the area. 

We visited the Green Giant Welcome Center and Museum, a mere 10 giant steps across the parking lot.  The museum has an interesting collection of Green Giant memorabilia and displays about the company’s history.

About that dessert…isn’t there a place with cinnamon buns coming up?

They Say It’s The World’s Largest Truck Stop

If Buc-ee’s was a truck stop, The Iowa 80, World’s Largest Truck Stop is what the result would be.  The truck stop is 75 acres big, with 150 fuel pumps and parking for more than 900 semi-trucks, dozens of RVs and plenty of cars.  

After setting up at our asphalt campsite (er, parking lot) next to other RVs, we made our way to the truck stop retail building.  The building has a large area with general tourist type items (t-shirts, magnets and the like) and a separate floor with trucker gear.  There is also a food-court area with several fast food restaurants and a separate sit down restaurant. 

^{The truck stop has more than two acres of retail space}

Need to get a haircut, take a shower or have your back adjusted?  No problem!  Those services are offered on upper floors of the truck stop.  You can also watch a movie, visit a dentist, wash your dirty laundry and more!   You won’t find those services at Buc-ee’s.

That night we were serenaded by the growls of semis coming and going from the truck stop. We missed the quiet solitude of Alaska!

Critter Count

Gorn – 1
Jolly Green Giant – 1
Sprout – 1

Cinnamon Bun Review

There were no cinnamon buns to be found after we left the Canadian Rockies. 

We were desperate. 

When we came across cinnamon roll-flavored popcorn at the Corn Palace, we HAD to give it a try.  The crunchy popcorn had the cinnamony, sweet taste of breakfast buns.  We didn’t down the exploded kernels with coffee, however!

Bun score – 1 out of 5 (great taste but nothing beats a REAL cinnamon bun!)

Next Week

We get spammed, visit another Star Trek attraction and more, as our roadtrip rambles continue.