Me Llamo Worthington, MN
Monday September 9 – Caledonia, Minnesota-Worthington, Minnesota As I break camp this morning it is cloudy and cool, the temperature is in the 60s. I am surprised then when I walk into Elsie’s Bar and Grill, my Caledonia headquarters, and hear people talking about a forecast of record breaking temps around 100°. There are Elsie’s kinds of places in almost every small town I’ve visited, even the dying towns. It’s the place where the ol’ boys go for a sunrise breakfast, hot coffee and to talk the weather, tractors and hog prices. You can get two over medium, bacon, hash browns and coffee for $3.95, biscuits and gravy $4.95. If you’re in a hurry, you can sit at the counter. The skinny bleached blonde waitress in jeans way too tight for her age, a face heavily made-up to hide the hard lifelines and a cigarette raspy voice will take your order and call you honey. The bar is in the back and later in the morning the older ol’ boys will filter in and start playing poker...