Heather and I set out yesterday for a 2 day tour of Wisconsin anchored on tickets to see Charlie Parr, Liz Draper, Kyle Ollah and Clancy Ward play with The Sapsuckers in Soldiers Grove. The music was awesome (more on that in the next post) and the adventure was even better.
We set out on the open road. The weather was dicey but we were hopeful. We made a pitstop in Red Wing and remembered our last weekend of truly awesome music the Big Turn Festival in February – before COVID19 hit.
Next stop – Kinstone Circle just across the river from Winona. I had never even heard of Kinstone until I looked at places to visit. It’s amazing; it really is a modern megalithic garden. It reminded me of ancient spots in Ireland like Knowth and Carrowmore Cemetery in Sligo. There are several sun circles, a giant dolmen, labyrinth, stone chapels and a yurt. You could spend an hour here easily. In fact, they host daylong retreats and frankly, you could spend at least a day regenerating your mind here.
We were there on a hot day and we hadn’t prepared but we walked all around. Heather was thrilled to see the pet goats and the yurt. I loved standing in the dolmen. There’s something creepy and dangerous about being in the middle of a free-standing stone structure. It’s where science meets nature to me. There’s an intention tree in one of the chapels. Both are dark and druidic with sparkles of reused glass-turned stained glass. Fun to think of how different it feels to be inside the chapel at different times day and night.
It is a peaceful place. We saw no signs on the way. No arrows no hint of what was ahead. So if you’re going, Google it. But do go. It’s a two-hour drive from Minneapolis but the drive is pleasant, plenty of pit stops for lunch – and what else do you have to do during a pandemic?
Mostly Minnesota 