2016.01.06-10 – A Twin Cities Stopover

My last safe haven before my westward trek was Minneapolis. Multiple members of my family, including my sister, have settled down there, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see them, especially knowing I have absolutely no idea when I will be back in the area. It turned out to be a fantastic decision, so fantastic that I even extended my stay! From breakfast and dinner with my uncles to multiple meals and countless rounds of board games with my sister and her husband, Matt, it was worth every second. I also can’t forget the real reason I wanted to visit the Twin Cities… My sister’s dog: Madison.

I had always been planning on routing through the Twin Cities, but my sister convinced me to stay a bit longer using a very shrewd incentive: she would pay for groceries if I would cook for her. I am not one to turn down free groceries OR access to fully loaded kitchen, so it was definitely win-win for both of us. My schedule in Minneapolis transformed from a stopover into a 4-day layover. Both my sister and Matt work full time, although their schedules are wildly different, so I had plenty of time on my own to catch up on blog-related projects, workout with Madison, and explore Minneapolis. As soon as my sister was home, the oven started heating up, the bread started baking, the teakettle went into overdrive, and we started systematically working through all of the board games that they had added to their arsenal. With names like Carcassonne, Seven Wonders, Mexican Train, Ticket to Ride, and Forbidden Island, we were so entranced by the myriad of strategies and possibilities that we didn’t even get around to playing Settler’s of Catan… Shocking. Carcassonne and Seven Wonders definitely ended up being my favorites!

My wanderings around Minneapolis were somewhat limited; as it turned out I had way more tasks to complete than I had anticipated. That said, I did make Midwest Mountaineering a priority. This has to be one of the best independent gear shops I have ever visited, better even than the Feathered Friends shop across from the REI mother ship in Seattle. It has remarkably well-curated offerings for paddlers, cross country skiers, backpackers, climbers, ice climbers, etc. Trustworthy gear fills just about every shelf. While the bottom floor is definitely worth exploring, the upstairs is a treasure trove of display pieces massively marked down. Patagonia, Black Diamond, Marmot, etc. all at hung, unused, sporting price tags at roughly 40% off of MSRP. Although I have prided myself on planning my kit to a point where I don’t need to add any new pieces, there were a few items that I had been on the lookout for. I scored big. I hope this means that I won’t need anything else for a while…

Having the opportunity to see the lives that my family have built in Minneapolis is always gratifying, but I knew that my heart yearned for the wide open vistas and contoured horizons of the West. With images of Glacier National Park, the Sawtooth Mountain Range, and the Pacific Ocean playing through my head, I began repacking my gear and loading up Sam for the long haul west. With the wind pushing the thermometer towards -20, I said my goodbyes and settled back into the driver’s seat.

What 4 hours of Wendell Berry looks like: