I always get excited when I reach Belview, Minnesota because for me it is the gateway to the gorgeous Minnesota River Valley.  I travel through this little community when I drive to Granite Falls from my parent's farm in southwestern Minnesota.

This last weekend I decided to stop and poke around a little bit.  Belview is an interesting combination of history, culture and creativity. 

Main Street has a number of preserved historic buildings, (Odeon Hall, The Gimmestad Land Office and the Belview Depot) an impressive antique shop, a grain elevator and the usual businesses that keep the needs of rural families met.

I had a stroke of good luck and ran into an important member of the community's administrative team who told me about the  hot air balloon display they hosted recently.  Now that would be one jukin' sight! 

I especially enjoyed the depot on the edge of town.  It's the last historic building you see heading north to the Minnesota River Valley.  A few minutes out of town the road starts twisting and turning and there's no question you're entering the valley.  My dad used to take us to the river valley on Sunday afternoons for picnics, and would always point out a tree on the side of the road with a boulder lodged in its branches.  Evidently, dynamite had been used in the area, and that's where the boulder landed.  I can't drive past there without thinking about it.  Thanks for the memory dad!