By Jason Sethre
Publisher
Fillmore County Journal
jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
I wear a number of hats, besides working at the newspaper. One of my jobs, which I thoroughly enjoy, is delivering copies of the Visit Bluff Country Magazine to locations all throughout Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
While recently making my rounds in Rochester, Minn., I stopped by a Caribou Coffee to restock our usual spot by the fireplace. I had to make a few trips into the store because we drop off magazines for other tourism-based publications in the area.
As I was unboxing copies of the Visit Bluff Country Magazine, a woman sitting at a nearby table asked me for a copy of the magazine. She was sitting with another woman, and they were discussing what communities had to offer in the region.
“So, this lady is moving to the area from Hawaii,” she directed to me. I quickly learned that she was a realtor. As she held up the magazine, she asked, “What can you tell this lady about Bluff Country?”
I asked her what she liked to do with her time. She said she loved anything outdoors. Then, I said you’ll love bluff country.
If you like hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, observing wildlife, or going for a drive on country roads, you’ll enjoy bluff country. If you want to escape the big city and enjoy eating at restaurants that are authentic and family-owned, you’ll want to visit bluff country.
The realtor then started talking about some of her visits to bluff country, and began sharing her personal stories.
As I continued to unbox magazines and I was still somewhat engaged in the conversation, I was thinking about how someone moving from Hawaii – well recognized as a tourism destination – would transition to our region. Can our region hold a candle to Hawaii?
Then I started to think about how fortunate I feel to be able to live among the unspoiled scenic beauty of bluff country. I see deer every day. I see eagles nearly every day. There’s quite a bit less stress living in our region.
I can bike to work on the Root River State Bike Trail. I can make plans to go kayaking on the Root River, and I don’t have to drive too far. Sometimes I like to go for a run on country roads outside of Fountain (where we live) and I say hello to the cows as I’m passing by.
Along with all of these naturally inherent traits of bluff country, the most important ingredient is the people. We have so many kind-hearted people and their positive energy is infectious.
I can’t help but wonder if the woman moving from Hawaii to our region ever looked at housing options in bluff country … or at least made a visit.