Before reaching the Byway, we stopped in Alexandria, MN, a town that makes the bold claim of being the birthplace of America. That makes sense only in a Eurocentric context, of course, but it's now part of the novelty of the town. Big Ole is there to remind you.

Our first stop along the Byway was Inspiration Peak, a high bluff in southeastern Otter Tail County. It's a good hike to get to the top of the peak, and your reward is a nearly 360-degree view of the county. You can even see back to Alexandria far off in the distance.

Next up were two small towns that play a part in Janet's family history: Clitherall, and Vining. In Vining, we stopped at Nyberg Park, which has a collection of welded metal sculptures that are the primary attraction of the town. Our visit to Nyberg Park was made a little more memorable when a farmer driving a tractor pulling a hay wagon parked nearby because the hay bales were on fire. For a city boy like me, that's some excitement!

I'll have more sights and stories from the Otter Trail Scenic Byway, along with some of my film images (developed in coffee!) in a future blog installment.