Eyota, MN and Harrison France

        After a good nights sleep, we awoke to great weather and took our time getting started.   We only had about 140 miles to drive to the Rochester, MN area, so we struck out on I90 through more farm country.  The farms are widespread, lots of activity going on, and they all looked quite prosperous as we drove along. 

       Though it wasn't mentioned yesterday, it is worth noting that Minnesota, unlike South Dakota and Wyoming, apparently doesn't it feel necessary to have a casino in every gas station and town in the state!  The other thing we observed is that there are a lot of giant wind turbine farms here in Minnesota.  Not only are there large concentrations, but in many places there are only two or three.  It's refreshing to see that the technology is apparently being put to good use here in farm country!

        We made the decision to stay at an independent RV park near Rochester Airport, and we camped at Autumn Woods Campgrounds.  They are reasonably new, good sites, and all the usual amenities.  In addition, they are very concerned with making sure one polices up after one dogs, and have a sign up asking readers to report neighbors who don't.  Plus, there is a $20 cleanup fee PER PILE if you don't comply!  Needless to say, Jim carries plenty of bags with him when he walks Dudley and Rosie!

         Our main purpose for going via Rochester is to let Becky do research on her great great grandfather, Harrison France, who is buried in this vicinity in the Oak Grove cemetery in Eyota, MN (pronounced "E-otah").  There is quite a mystery about him that demands resolution, starting with why he left his wife and children and ended up in Eyota.  Hopefully we'll discover some answers in the next few days!

        After checking in and dropping our bikes, we headed for Eyota, a small farming town of about 1700 souls 20 miles east of the Airport.  It's a very small downtown, but fairly large in area.  We found the cemetery with little difficulty, and had instant success locating Harrison's grave, along with that of his brother (who owned the plot) and a few others.  It's in the Oak Grove cemetery, probably 6 miles out of town, a pretty and serene location. 

     Instant success!  Becky found the plot owned by one of Harrison's brothers, and Harrison's grave itself!  There are several other relatives buried there, plus a mystery child with the last name of "Bailey" who died at the age of 14 months.  We're looking forward to trying to track the mystery down tomorrow.

     Becky spent a good deal of time marking down all the available information, and Jim of course took pictures.  Here is photo of Becky working over the entire Harrison plot.

        We tried to find additional information at the town hall, but none was available--they suggested the reference library that Becky already planned to attend.  We called it a day at that point, and went back to the campsite to do some chores, some computer research, and just enjoy the absolutely beautiful day with the 72 degree temperature!