We’re relieved to finally be on our way this week. Though, we did have some hustlin’ to do.Temps were dropping pretty rapidly in the north and we weren’t sure how well we’d fare in our camper. Our original plan was to drive up through Maine, Burlington, and Montreal to start the trip, but we quickly scrapped that as we were making up for lost time and racing against Mother Nature. Instead, we continued west toward our first stop in Minneapolis, MN.
The trip between New York and Minneapolis is one that Sam and I have done a few times together. Much of his family is from the area and it’s also where Sam grew up. Our most recent trip along that route was just this past summer.
Our only goal for the day was to get out of New York State once and for all!
It was almost 80 degrees when we left the Syracuse area on Wednesday. Since we got on the road a little later in the day, we stopped in Erie, PA – our only goal for the day was to get out of New York State once and for all! A google search led us to a quaint little campground right on Lake Erie for the night. Sara’s Campground boasts camping right on the beach, and sites for both short-term and long-term campers. Though we wouldn’t be able to park our trailer right on the shore, we were happy to enjoy the visit to Lake Erie while the weather was still warm.
During our short stay we met our neighbor who was a long-term camper. He was in his seventies, and delighted in petting our dog and checking out our camper. Jerry invited me to collect some pieces of sea glass out of his driveway and showed me how to polish them using a little “nose grease”! He also brought us a citronella candle for our travels – what a sweet guy he was!
As we continued west, we watched as the temperature gauge on the dashboard dropped. Each time we stopped along the way, we were surprised how much colder it had gotten and began piling on the layers. We picked up an electric blanket in hopes that it would keep us warm for our first cold night in the trailer. Our second stop on our way to Minnesota was at Dunewood Campground at Indiana Dunes. We had stayed here on our last trip to Minnesota, and it has become a special place for the three of us. Although our new blanket didn’t quite work as well as we hoped, we were pleasantly surprised at how well we kept warm through the night.
We were so grateful to get a hot shower and have a warm place to sleep after three days and two nights on the road.
We made it to the Twin Cities area around dinner time Friday night. Our first stop was a visit with our friend Esom who we know through our treehouse community of friends back in New York. An extremely talented woodworker, he showed us his new studio located in a large industrial building in St. Paul. I was also introduced to a wonderful Midwestern culinary delight: the Juicy Lucy, courtesy of the Blue Door Pub. Esom and his wife were also so kind to let us stay the night with them at their new beautiful new house, also in the St. Paul area. We were so grateful to get a hot shower and have a warm place to sleep after three days and two nights on the road.
The next day, we had the chance to visit Sam’s cousins Rachel, Marie and her wife Marlise. Marie and Marlise had just moved into a lovely new home as well, this one in South Minneapolis. As we toured their new house, Sam and I admittedly began to envision relocating to the area – we had seen so many great homes and places in the short time we had been visiting! But – we’re still uncommitted, and still open to finding what else we discover on our big journey (don’t worry yet, Mom!)
Over the next few days, we made sure to make the most of our time visiting with friends and family including Sam’s friends Reggie & Katie, Mike and his two beautiful sons, and Sam’s stepfather Pete.
We’ve been so fortunate to stay the next several nights with family friends of Sam’s – Missy and David. They have been spoiling us – making sure we have a comfortable place to sleep, breakfast, lunch and dinner if we wish, and they’ve even kept an eye on Kiwi while we visited with friends. Most of all, we have enjoyed their company, conversations, and friendship. Being able to visit with all of these wonderful people in our lives has made the headaches in the beginning of this trip totally worth it. We’re finally feeling as though we are on our way.
One quick departing note – you’ve probably noticed we haven’t taken many touristy photos. While it’s certainly a goal of this trip, there are several stops (including this one and the next – Omaha!) which are mostly focused on visiting loved ones. Stay tuned though, we’ll get to that soon enough! In the meantime, check out this giant walleye we stumbled across in Rush City, MN while snagging a geocache:
Going Over There 
Glad you are having a great trip now that you got started. Aunt louise
LikeLike