Abandoned Gas: Big Bear - Lake City, MN

Whenever I go on a drive to anywhere outside of a 20 mile radius of where I'm living, if I don't come back with a series of interesting pictures of something abandoned, I consider that mission a failure. In August, 2018, on an overnight getaway to La Crosse Wisconsin, I took a bunch of great pictures of a significant abandoned building. Making that weekend an unquestionable success.

That building was not Big Bear...

I wanted to write a quick story on the "foreclosures" side of things this week, and found inspiration while looking through my photo archive external drive. But after I wrote my story about the former Big Bear gas station, it ended up being really boring. There simply wasn’t enough going on at Big Bear to make a decent story out of. So I decided that I would then add the rest of that weekend’s events around it, to make this a story worth writing.

So I will tell my brief Big Bear story, mixed in between parts of the story of that weekend.

Laura and I made this drive so she could see her favorite band (Gaelic Storm) perform at Irish Fest. Due to various factors, we couldn’t make the show in Minneapolis the night before, meaning a roadtrip was in order. La Crosse, Wisconsin, sits about 160 miles southeast of Crapids. We'd be leaving Saturday morning, with the band taking the stage around 10pm. Given the festivities, we found that motel rooms were in short supply in the area, but she was able to make a reservation for us to stay the night after the show.

Along the way down, we passed through Cannon Falls, MN. The location of an abandoned truck stop named Curt’s Cannonball. I took a bunch of pictures of Curt’s when we drove through in 2017, and had planned a write-up on it here a couple years ago, but that hasn’t happened so far.

Sure enough, the building is still visible from the freeway. Looking just as it did a year earlier…

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any pictures as we were driving down. So Curt’s Cannonball was the last picture I took before this one, just before we exited into the greater La Crosse metropolitan area.

Our motel reservation was in Onalaska, Wisconsin, sitting just north of La Crosse, on the edge of the Mississippi River. Or one of the smaller rivers branching off of it, around French Island. But it’s not like the water knows what it’s name is, so I’m not going to worry about accuracy either.

The Comfort Inn, Onalaska, is the same exact motel that I stayed at in 1996, before embarking on a Jay Buckley baseball tour. Buckley’s tours are based in La Crosse, so I have a degree of familiarity with the town.

After checking in, we noted that our room smelled kind of musty and basementy, but at least it wasn’t basement…

And this would be Big Bear! The closed up gas station sits at the intersection of highway 61 and Chestnut Street, in Lake City. Where you can apparently still rent a surfboard. That may come in handy here?

This older style of station is long and narrow, with barely enough room for parking at the pumps. Expansion of the highway over the years, likely cut into the amount of space available. Faded into the canopy is a label scar for Clark.

The next few pictures are what I found while looking inside through dirty windows. 

Work is being done inside the south end of the station.

A bunch of stuff sits beyond the second window.

I like the boarded up windows in the brick wall. Also in the room are a couple of Titebond display racks and an ancient Hills Brothers Coffee can.

Rolls of insulation sit on a picnic table, next to a table saw. So work is clearly being done on the property.

Since they aren't finished yet, we should get back to Irish Fest. We opted to drive down for the show on a Saturday night, instead of seeing them play in Minneapolis the night before. This venue was much smaller, but still too much for me to handle. According to Laura, the area that Irishfest was being held in the area called Oktoberfest.

Just outside the bounds of Irish Fest, a large white cinderblock building had an Oktoberfest label scar near the roof. This building looked to be in mid-demolition, fenced off with most of the roof already gone. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a decent set of photos of this.

As we waded through the people so she could claim her spot at the stage, some drunk ass kept walking behind me and putting his hand on my shoulder. He kept bugging me about dancing with him despite my telling him to leave me alone. Finally I had to turn around and loudly tell him to stop touching me. His friends quickly showed up to help back him off. I hate drunk people!

This is all good for Laura, since she gets to watch her favorite band again, but for me it’s horrifying. Hot and humid with way too many people around me. And they are all drunk. Which is pure nightmare material. Before the show, I’d intended to stay with Laura during Gaelic Storm's set. She was up front, right at the edge of the stage. Surrounded by hundreds of beer swilling pseudo-Irishmen. I can’t handle this...

Mid way through the show, I was able to grab a fairly decent cheeseburger and tater tots from the Breakfast Club & Pub booth. Then got the hell out of the tent and found a semi-quiet place a couple hundred feet away. Oktoberfest was also painted on the picnic table that I sat on, and ate my cheeseburger and tots, while scribbling notes about the night in my pocket notepad. I'm glad I did, they came in handy while writing this story.

I found that small shred of calm in the middle of the storm. I can cling to this picnic table under a mostly empty beer garden tent, far away from the festivities. Of course, there’s some people around, but I can have some peace while sitting here. Though, I would really like something to drink that isn’t barley or malted. I could hear Gaelic Storm playing their set over the wall a few feet away.

An excerpt from my notepad:

"11:20pm: I wish I had a dollar for each time they sang the word “whiskey”.  I just can’t relate to this culture, but it’s cool for her. The Irish Spring commercial extended remix seems to be winding down. Think this is the encore coming up soon. A drunk asshole a few tables away has been on his phone, yelling and swearing for at least 15 minutes now. I really really hate drunk people... According to the picture I took of the setlist taped to the stage, this is the next to last song of the night. Then we'll see how difficult it will be to get out of here. Not only the Irish Fest, but the parking area and streets going back to the Comfort Inn. I'm so very thirsty..."

After the show ended, I met up with Laura and waited for the crowd to clear out. She had taken this picture of the accordion on stage, next to the can of Guinness and performer’s pass. Underneath it was the night’s setlist. We both loved the composition in the photo.

Minutes later, I asked the roadie clearing the stage, if I could have the setlist taped to the floor. He ripped it off and handed it to me. Even though they're not my cup of musical tea, I'd always wanted to acquire a "show-used" setlist.

Back in 2012, I saw Gaelic Storm with Laura, at the Gothic Theater in Englewood, Colorado. This would have been the first time I’d entered the iconic Englewood building, after being slightly obsessed with it (in it’s closed down and abandoned state) from 1993-1999. Two years later, Laura saw them play another show at the Gothic. Without me since I had to work.

After that show, she went bowling with the band at Moe’s BBQ down the street.

After the show tonight at Irish Fest, the band was doing their usual post concert wander around the fans, meet and greet session. While Laura was talking to the violinist and drummer, I walked around and got all five members of Gaelic Storm to autograph the setlist that the roadie just gave me. I presented it to Laura and we decided it would be framed and hung up somewhere in our house.

But I think it's still stuffed in a box somewhere, that we have yet to unpack.

To the Gaelic Stormmobile!

Speaking of concerts, we may have been able to get in for free had we won the Minnesota State Lottery Cash & Concerts promotion advertised on the dirty window of Big Bear. Although we may have been about 8 years too late for winning that prize...

Back inside Big Bear, there are most signs of renovation, and a sign of for sale. Which it probably isn't anymore.

New drywall, antique display cases, wicker furniture, a treasure chest and a giant Diet Pepsi! (with Nutra Sweet!) This place gets more interesting...

More store fixtures and assorted stuff and...

Wait a minute!

A display for CRYSTAL PEPSI!?!?!

That probably has some value to it. Not that I'd want it (due to the amount of space it would take up), but it would be pretty cool to have...

I didn't even care if it was a Clear Soda, after getting out of Irish Fest, I really wanted something to drink. But no gas stations or restaurants -not even Kwik Trip- were open after midnight (on a Saturday?), in La Crosse or Onalaska.

So we ended up just going to the Festival Foods, who was open 24 hours! Located just across the street from our room at the Comfort Inn. Since there wasn't any place we could grab a late dinner, that would have to come in the form of whatever we could heat up in the motel microwave.

We opted for a combination of Hot Pockets and Egg Rolls, instead of a bag of the Fire Grilled Chunks. 

Fire Grilled Chunks of what?

I think we may have even saved the Green Bay Packers themed Festival Foods grocery bag.

After eating and stuff, we went to sleep.

Instead of talking about our respective REM stages, let's look at Big Bear some more...

To the north of the station sits the Lake City Boat Club & Rentals. And suddenly the surfboard makes a little more sense... They must have worked out a big deal with Big Bear to allow the storage of a pontoon boat for free advertising on the property. Just under the defunct Big Bear gas sign.

The lake of Lake City sits about 3 blocks to the east, so this pontoon is a bit off target...

A better look at Big Bear, from the north. Work has begun on the exterior, but the whole property is still looking rather ragged.

I think we've woke up by now.

While loading the car with our far too much luggage for one night, I looked down at the ground and saw this.

When the sidewalk was repaired, someone stuck their hand into the cement, pressing a penny into the palm. And that’s pretty cool.

Before leaving the Onalaska Comfort Inn, I grabbed a town map with local attractions listed on it. According to said map, there was a Ground Round restaurant in town. We decided to seek it out for breakfast before getting on the road back to Crapids.

On our way out of the Comfort Inn, we had to snap a photo of the Beef Jerky Outlet.

And the Greased Lightning oil change place. Which I thought was abandoned at first.

Turns out the Ground Round restaurant had been closed since the town map was printed. So we opted for lunch at Fazzoli's instead.

I'd eaten at this Fazzoli's back in 1999, while visiting friends in Winona. We had driven to La Crosse to check out some of the shops of interest (none of which were still around in 2018), including one that sold me the most disgusting VHS tape that I'd ever owned. Not going to show it here, but some people know what I'm talking about, and were scarred by seeing it, just as I was. On that day, I found a long black hair in my spaghetti, from this exact Fazzoli's. At least my food was hair free today.

A couple of blocks away, we gassed up the car.

And got some supplies from a Kwik Trip Tobacco Outlet plus Grocery store. A different type of Kwik Trip from the ones we usually visited. This one was more a liquor store than any of the other type merchandise carried at their normal locations.

I bet these are some nasty milk shakes...

Hi Bob!

This cool Milwaukee Brewers Miller Lite beer banner was on the side of the station.

And this classic NSP warning sticker outside the dumpster area. 

Love that electrical monster killing a small child cartoon! If I were a tattoo kinda guy, I’d want this image inked on me! I don't know what year Northern States Power ceased to be, but those stickers on the electrical box have dates of 1994 and 1982 on them. That's pretty cool!

Across the street from the station was part of the East Towne Plaza Shopping Center. I think the store these loading docks are attached to, was still open. But the two doors appear to be sealed off. Also liked the weeds growing through the pavement.

As much as I hated to leave the cozy confines of Onalaska, it was time to take that I-90 West exit into Minnesota...

And immediately pull over at the Minnesota Rest Area, just across the state line, buried somewhere under the Mississippi River.

Because we need a quick history lesson via commemorative plaque!

We sat at this rest area table and watched the boats on the river, just south of the dam and locks. 

Not even able to begin to imagine the wonders of Lake City's Big Bear gas station we would soon see...

Which may have been (or will be) a coffee shop, the Button Cup (or Button Cop?). I like the hand cut wooden standing sign, but they really could have put in a better effort on painting their name on it...

There's that Clark label scar on the canopy. The canopy which covers a bunch of construction garbage from the station renovation.

After all, the gas pumps are long gone. So no pumpers need to be shielded from the rain.

This one too...

That missing gas pump is all well and good, but a few hours earlier on the drive out of Wisconsin, a serious decision had to be made...

Instead of taking the freeway into Rochester, then up towards Minneapolis, I chose to take the highway 61 exit ramp. Highway 61 is a scenic route that follows the Mississippi River, along the edge of the Minnesota state line, instead of driving through boring farm country.

For a good stretch heading into Winona, the highway parallels a set of railroad tracks, with the river close on the other side. A few cabins are scattered along the shoreline, which is probably a pretty nice place to have a house.

I’ve always liked Winona as a visitor. Of course I’ve never lived there, but I had some friends that did. About 20 years ago, I drove down to visit them while vacationing in Minnesota. Among the sights we visited, one was the Winona Mall.

Which was very small and bleak even then. But looking at the sign out front today, it would appear that pretty much none of the stores in operation then are here today. Which is fine, not like I was looking for anything. Although a game of Ms. Pac Man in the low rent arcade would have been nice. Just to see if my high score was still there from December 1999. Yeah, I bet it was...

Across the street from the bustling Winona Mall was the equally bustling Winona Kmart!

Closed in 2014, the former Winona Kmart was the building mentioned earlier, that I was extremely satisfied with getting to photograph. That story is worth a separate story at some point, so I'm not going to go into any details now. However, the other day when I was doing some quick research, I read that the former Winona Kmart building had been purchased by Gunderson Health System of La Crosse, WI, on August 8, 2018. It will be converted to a clinic, employing 100 people. A press conference was held inside the entryway, just 4 days before I photographed the building.

Interesting timing on our part.

While photographing the Kmart made me the happiest, the biggest shock of the roadtrip came a few blocks down highway 61. 

Video Vision is still open!!

Some 20 years ago, when I was visiting my friends living in Winona, we rented some videotapes here. Including Apocalypse Now. Laura and I went inside and it was still the same place it was then. A lot more DVD's today, but still a fair amount of VHS in stock. This will probably be another story at some point...

Apparently we needed to kill even more time on the drive home, so we stopped at the Lake Pepin Historical Marker and overlook. Lake Pepin sits beyond the trees, and the Mississippi River flows through the lake. Thanks to the low sun of the late afternoon, I wasn't able to get a decent photo. Should have used my phone.

Continuing on into Lake City...

Highway 61 runs through the center of town, a few miles up the road from the Lake Pepin pit stop. 

Where you will pass the Lake City Marina.

Which is a few short miles away from the sign post that used to advertise Big Bear gas!

Bringing us right back to where we started!

I found Big Bear when we stopped for restrooms, gas and drinks at the Kwik Trip across the street. I was so excited for an abandoned building that I ran across the street to take these pictures before going inside of Kwik Trip. It was getting dark, and I didn't want to waste any possible light to help take these pictures. As it was, the pictures aren't as sharp as they could have been, and there really wasn't enough going on here that was very interesting. But as a smaller piece of a larger story, this fit perfectly!

Said Kwik Trip...

After doing what we did, we sat at this picnic table in the odd Kwik Trip storage area, to eat our gas station dinner.

It was nearly dark when we got back on highway 61, so there were no more pictures taken between Lake City and Crapids. This was a good 36 or so hours away from our temporary homes. She got to see her favorite band and I got to see an abandoned Kmart. Win / win!

But for all the awesome that happened, what I will always remember most from the trip was this:

She had just bought the car a few weeks earlier, and while programming her favorite stations into the XM, she set up an alert that would let her know that The Beatles Station was playing a song by The Beatles. Except that The Beatles Station ONLY plays songs by The Beatles! So every 3-4 minutes, this alert would pop up on the screen, telling me that The Beatles Station was indeed playing a Beatles song.

This was corrected the day after we got home...