Memorial Day Travel - Fort Snelling and Lotts Creek IA

Today we took a pittance of time to remember family and friends that have passed away before us.

I know, memorial day is the day we remember all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. But like so many others, this is a day/weekend that LoriAnn and I take a moment to remember our loved ones who have passed before us.

Our journey has us visiting 3 different cemeteries, traveling 347 miles, by car.  It was a rainy day, I do not have the endurance for such a Motorcycle ride, and we carried with us memorials to leave at the graves so the car was the best means of travel.

Our first stop was at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Bloomington MN.  Remember, at National cemeteries, the veteran is on one side of the stone.  The other spouse is on the other side of the stone. 

We visited my Mom and Dad's memorial: Jim and Betty Holmes

Then we took a short drive down the road and visited my brother Doug's memorial: Doug Holmes

The we took a went a bit farther up the road and visited LoriAnn's parent's memorial: Raymond and Doris Cousins.

On the way out of the cemetery we made one more stop to visit a very good friend's memorial: Max Kroll

Leaving Fort Snelling, we blasted down I35 towards Iowa.  That is when we remembered that at Christianity Lutherans cemetery is where LoriAnn's grandparents and Uncle are buried.  Unfortunately we hadn't planned to stop here, so we didn't have any memorials for this stop.

LoriAnn's grandparents Joseph and Florence Bergstrom

 

LoriAnn's uncle Ronald (Bubs) Bergstrom

From Christianity Lutherans cemetery we got back on I35 to southern Minnesota, the took a right turn on I90 to Blue Earth MN.   At Blue Earth we headed south down HWY 169 to the city of Bancroft IA. It was here in Bancroft that brother Doug died in a vehicular accident on the road south of town.   How the accident happened is still a mystery today.

Here is the corner south of Bancroft were Doug's accident happened.

From Bancroft, it is a short distance to the thriving metropolitan area know as Lotts Creek.  Lotts Creek was my mothers home.  Growing up, our family made frequent trips to this town. Unfortunately, Lotts Creeks boom days have busted.  The town is now a small cluster of homes and the Lotts Creek church.  In the church's cemetery is the final resting place for my little brother and my grandparents.  My cousin's (the Mittag's) have an additional set of grandparents, and an uncle located here.

My brother Brian's memorial: Brian Holmes

My grandparents memorial: Nick and Alvina Gengler

Mittag grandparents memorial: Herman and Agnes Mittag

Uncle Mittag memorial: Ervin Mittag

After spending time with all the family members we met some nice local people who chatted up a storm with us.   They were pleased to hear the family connection to Lotts Creek store, that my grandfather owned.  One of them remembered brother Doug's accident up in Bancroft.   It was a very pleasant chat.   

After chatting for awhile we headed further down the road to the site of my grandparents store.  Of course I had to get my picture taken there!

Coming home we headed up HWY 169 thru Mankato MN, into St Peter MN.  While in St Peter we had to stop and get a bag of Kettle Korn from a local street vendor.   We also made a pass thru the Dairy Queen drive thru for Malts.  From St Peter we blasted north into town.  We got home about 6PM.  There, we each found a different corner of the home to decompress (nap)

 

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