They roast their own beans in Valley City. At least they do so at Alley Beans. Located just off Main Street, Alley Beans is the kind of place where an older gentleman’s phone begins to ring at a decibel usually reserved for a tornado siren. And the gentleman, maybe listening to a farm report on his headphones, appears completely unaware his phone is ringing. The bustling conversations in the place continue to the point where you begin to think that you are just imagining the ringing phone. But then the man answers the phone with a very loud “Hello” and you resume writing something on your travel blog.

They outsource the pastries and bagels to a local bakery. Their cream cheese is very good (cucumber and dill for me) and probably comes from a dairy cow they keep in the backroom. I didn’t try their breakfast sandwich but I am sure that it is also amazing. It was all a piece of heaven for two travelers making their long journey home.