"Ho! Ho! Ho! Green Giant."
Jolly Green Giant
State 11: Minnesota - August 10, 2017
Disclaimer
Occasionally, our cross country trip requires us to briefly cross over to adjacent states we are not yet scheduled to visit, or have already previously visited, to see points of interest not included in our path through a specific state. Since our path through Minnesota will not take us through the southwestern portion of the state, we briefly crossed over from Northern Iowa to visit the Minnesota’s “Roadside attraction”
Lori
We woke up in Mason City, IA ready for another day of exploration on the open road. Today we briefly crossed over the Iowa/Minnesota via the border town of Elmore, MN. Sometimes when crossing a state line, we wouldn’t have known unless we saw the state's welcome sign. Other times when crossing state borders, the change in the environment is so sudden and drastic we feel as if we entered an entirely different country, and our entry into Minnesota was such an experience. A soon as we entered the state of Minnesota, everything in our environment immediately changed. The lush green and vast rolling corn fields of Iowa, gave way to golden flowing fields of wheat dancing in the warm summer breeze, with sporadic patches of dense green forests speckling the horizon. We continued north for 20 more miles until we reached the tiny town of Blue Earth, MN, and the site of our “Road Side Attraction” for Minnesota; The Jolly Green Giant.
Made of entirely of fiberglass, standing at 55 feet tall, weighing in at 8000 pounds, with a size 78 shoe, and a 48-inch smile, this Jolly Green Giant will surely make you want to eat your veggies! It was erected to symbolize the long standing relationship between Blue Earth, MN, and Green Giant where peas and corn are still grown and canned to this very day. The local business of Blue Earth, MN raised the $43,000 needed to create the giant, and he was erected onto his current location via a 65-foot crane on September 23, 1978. Every winter he is fitted with a red scarf to keep him warm during the brisk Minnesota winters. During our visit, he was sporting a gigantic t-shirt to promote the upcoming Relay for Life event to benefit the American Cancer Society. This Green Giant is so massive, we had to stand between his legs and zoom in so we could be seen in the pictures. If Green Giant ever outsources their operation’s to Mexico, I fear an angry mob of townspeople with torches and pitchforks will march to the site and topple the giant.
We then drove 20 minutes to Austin, MN and found a Walmart to spend the night. Tomorrow we will return back to Northern Iowa to continue exploring or 11th state.