Vegas to Minneapolis road trip - Bourbon to see?

[Virus_Of_Life]

Just wanted to throw this out and see if anyone had anything much to say:

I am currently in Las Vegas and will be leaving here Friday morning en route to Minneapolis. We are planning to spend a night in Grand Junction, Colorado and a night in Grand Island, Nebraska (trying to make it a grand trip as you can see :slappin: ). I guess the main freeways we'll be on would be the 15, the 70, 80 and then the 35.

SO just curious, I am not going to have much time of course but, is there any stores of note along the way that may have a good selection of bourbon? I'd love to pick up something that I am not able to get or check out a dusty shelf along the way.

If anybody lives along this route anywhere and knows of a place I should stop at please let me know. Thanks!

Sorry, I tried to get this road trip through Kentucky, I swear, I did, I really really tried, but the girlfriend just wasn't buying that would be the most efficient path of travel...

[jburlowski]

I was in Mpls two weeks ago and Surdyk's (one of the best liquor stores in town) has WLW and 2005 Stagg on the shelf. I grabbed on of the former to share with a friend. They have (by Upper Midwest standards) a pretty broad selection. The store is located just across the river from downtown. Ask any of the locals to direct you.

[Virus_Of_Life]

I was in Mpls two weeks ago and Surdyk's (one of the best liquor stores in town) has WLW and 2005 Stagg on the shelf. I grabbed on of the former to share with a friend. They have (by Upper Midwest standards) a pretty broad selection. The store is located just across the river from downtown. Ask any of the locals to direct you.

Yeah, jsgorman was kind enough to tell me about that place a while ago in a private message. I can get the Stagg and WLW here in Cali, but am hoping to find a few things I cannot, ie Buffalo Trace...

I found Crossroads Wine & Spirits in Grand Junction Colorado so I'll check them out. I'd really like to hear if something along the way would be worth stopping at, maybe in Omaha or Des Moines, Iowa as I am sure we'll be stopping there for food and gas.

I'll report back if I find anything of note, but for now I need to get back to the casino and some beer! I did a little work today and that's good enough for now....

[Nebraska]

Hey Christian,

I just read the part about Grand Island...you might have some pretty good luck there with old dusties!

Least wise...that's territory not scoured by me!

Mark/Nebraska

[Nebraska]

Also on the Buffalo Trace...there are only two places here in town that sell it, both are pretty pricey...I'm trying to recall but I think it was about $28 a bottle. The store I mentioned in the e mail was carrying it.

[jsgorman]

Mark,

Send me a list of what you are looking for and I'll tell you where they have it. I cannot help much with RR101 and ORVW15 - those have been swept away by like minded folks over the past few months. I can help with most of the existing Van Winkles (PVW15 excluded, PVW23 Included).

The only current bottling that I don't see around here is Ancient Ancient Age -- which is a real nice pour that I'd like to see imported into Minneapolis.

Depending on when you get here, I might even have some time to have a drink.

[bluesbassdad]

I guess the main freeways we'll be on would be the 15, the 70, 80 and then the 35.

Christian,

It's tongue-in-cheek time. :grin:

As both a former Californian (31 years) and an ex-Kansan/Illinoisian (10/20 years) I am in a position to help you out here.

Folks back there don't "guess" much; they usually "reckon".

The highways you mentioned are called "Interstates" or even "four-lanes", not freeways. Instead of "the 70" it's more common to say "I-70".

In my day Californians were regarded as foreigners but were treated with respect. However, that respect was immediately diminished when it turned out that the visitor had never met any movie stars.

Expanding on your Grand Time theme, while in the midwest you might work in side trips to Grandview Plaza, KS and Grand Tower, IL. En route home you might want to swing south through Arizona, where we have a grand feature that is unique on the planet.

Here's hoping you really do have a grand time. :toast:

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[CrispyCritter]

I hate to threadjack, but...

"Reckon" isn't really in common use in the Chicago area. Maybe more in central Illinois (especially towards the Mississippi Valley) but not Chicago. However, we use "I-" for Interstates, except we say "80/94" (eighty-ninety-four) without a "the" for the stretch from Lansing, IL to Lake Station, IN.

In southern Illinois (especially south of I-70), the local accent takes on a distinctive Southern twang.

I'd divide Illinois into three basic accents - the Chicago/Kankakee/LaSalle/Rockford accent, the Central/Western Illinois accent (think Champaign - Springfield - Peoria - Quad Cities - Quincy), and the southern variant (Effingham/Centralia/Carbondale et. al.).

The California-style usage of "the" with a route number is also typical of the UK (the A575, the M62, the B4350, and so on).

Of course, "M-" in Michigan has nothing to do with superhighways...

As I see it, the Chicago accent tends to fuse elements of East Wisconsin, West Michigan, Northern Indiana, and Central Illinois accents together, with certain Chicagoisms thrown in as well... and it's chi-CAH-go (almost chi-CAW-go), not chi-CAAAAEH-go. :slappin:

[ratcheer]

I agree. I met a beautiful girl on a cruise a long time ago. She was from southern Illinois and she was every bit as southern as I am. Which is to say, very southern.

[bluesbassdad]

Three data points to support your contention:

I came from the bottom third of the State. During a brief, miserable stay at an institute of higher learning in Massachusetts my speech pattern qualified me to be called a hillbilly.

But for the exhortations of General John A. Logan (see "Logan", page 8) a significant number of Illiniois soldiers would have fought for the Confederacy. (I know of him only because my wife is from his hometown.)

Slavery existed (see "Shawneetown" on page 7) in salt mines in southern Illinois.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[luv2hunt]

Christian,

Don't bother stopping at stores in Iowa! It's a control state with an absolutely pitiful lineup of bourbon offerings.

Minnesota has tons of liquor stores, and I'd reccommend you stop at any you see. I found lots of goodies in MN!

Dawn

[Virus_Of_Life]

Thanks for all the info. I did find an older bottle of BHC IW Harper 15 year in the gold veined bottle in Frisco, Colorado (resort town in the rockies near Breckenridge) of all places. Wasn't going to leave anything in that nice looking of a bottle behind...

Otherwise I don't think I am going to have much time in Minnesota as we should be getting in there sometime late tonite, as I understand you can't buy liquor on Sundays, and have to be at the airport tomorrow at about 3PM.

.... It is going to be a sad plane flight home, that reality is finally starting to set in :frown:

[bluesbassdad]

Christian,

I assume the sadness arises from the usual it-went-by-so-fast feeling normally associated with an enjoyable vacation trip.

If so, feel free to extend the enjoyment by sharing the highlights here.

Did you drive going out and then fly home?

Yours truly,

Dave Moreifeld

[Virus_Of_Life]

Actually Dave, the sad part comes from the fact that I am flying home and my girlfriend is staying here with her family. Its kind of a long story, but nonetheless it is probably the right thing for now as she needs to finish her schooling and this way will have her family around to help her with her daughter. Anyway, yeah I thought I'd be able to leave like it was no big deal, but realize now I was kind of kidding myself.

Have to be at the airport in about 5 hours and I hate flying...

[bluesbassdad]

Christian,

I offer my best wishes for your future. As my mother used to say, always annoying me in the process, "Things have a way of working themselves out."

"Yeah, Mom, but sometimes they need a little help, don't you think?"

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Virus_Of_Life]

Everything happens for a reason. And I guess the fact that I am already checking flights to see how soon I can get back there says something!...

Alas, no good bourbon scores other than the IW Harper 15year I found in Colorado. I would have liked to try the Very Rare Old HH but just didn't have room to bring it back.

Honestly not to concerned with bourbon right now as I just returned to an empty apartment and am feeling pretty down. Ok I'll end this sad story soon I promise!