Preston, Minnesota Memoir

   This summer my family traveled to Southern Minnesota. First we drove to Austin, Minnesota. There, we visited a museum dedicated entirely to Spam. We saw thousands of Spam cans traveling around the museum on a long conveyer belt, got our picture taken with a giant Spam can, and saw exhibits of its history.
    After Austin we went to Preston. It was cloudy and drizzly outside. We stopped at Forsestville/Mystery Cave State Park. Inside, we were informed that the regular tour had started five minutes ago. Naturally, we didn't want to wait an hour for the next tour, so we went in with a group of elementary school kids who knew the name of every formation in the cave. The cave was chilly and dark, except for the unnatural lights. We only saw one bat, and it wasn't in the actual cave.
     In Preston we stayed for two nights at the Jail House Inn, a former jail renovated into a bed and breakfast. Our room was the "Cell Block"- the bars were authentic, and so was the toilet. At night we sat on the porch and watched the twinkling fireflies. The town was hushed and dark. That was my favorite vacation so far.