Blogs from Minnesota, United States, North America - page 20

Day 11 - July 7, 2013 After a solid night’s sleep, Palmer greeted us with a fresh breakfast and a sunny day. We packed up and said our goodbyes only to see two ladies walking in the middle of the street. It was Aunt Gladys and her lifelong best friend Laura Mae. They were walking to church. We had to stop for a few hugs and pictures before we left the sleepy, remote hamlet of Enderlin. We headed east and crossed into Minnesota. The road we had intended to take was gravel, so a new plan was formed. We meandered through the countryside on small, but paved, highways. We stayed mostly on Rt. 108 along the lakes. We stopped in Pelican Rapids to visit one of my childhood memories. After all, ... read more

Just a quick update for anyone interested in keeping up with what we're doing. We have an apartment leased out for our first 90 days in Guatemala! The website for the apartment is http://www.casaxelaju.com/apartment-5/ . It looks absolutely beautiful and we've had really good interactions with the owners. They have an office located right in Minneapolis so it's been super easy to get a hold of people. We also have been able to email with one of our future neighbors and she seems really excited to take us out and show us the town when we arrive so that's pretty exciting! Roger has gotten his shots and I will get mine in a few weeks. We've just been crossing things off the list (like - dental check ups, eye exams, etc--things that we should get ... read more

6/26/13 - Still at Hamilton's Fox Lake RV Park - we have decided to burn one of our two days ahead here. We went to Itasca State Park today, the location of the headwaters of the Mississippi. The Mississippi originates from Lake Itasca. At the headwaters, rocks span the river which is only about 20 to 25 feet wide. On one side of the rocks is Lake Itasca and the other is the Mississippi. Having lived along side the river downstream, it is amazing how the river goes from this size to better than a mile wide before completeing its 2500 mile journey. After the ride to the headwaters, we stopped by Paul Bunyan Animal Farm to check it out for tomorrow. One at the RV Park, we grilled steak, a stirfry of vegetables, green beans, ... read more

Why hike the Appalachian Trail? - Because it's their. It is hard. I have time. I need to simplify my life, at least for a short time. Walk, Eat, Sleep, that will be my day. How far is it? - 2000 miles more or less. I am a 'Southbounder' (SOBO) meaning I am starting in Maine and walking through 14 States and end up in Georgia. How long will it take? I don't know. 6 months maybe... I'd like to be done by Christmas. Who is going with you? - No one. This is a solo hike. Where do you sleep? In a tent, or a lean-to if i'm lucky. What do you eat? I'm starting with dehydrated food, M&M's, Slim Jims... More on that as I go. Also, I plan to stop at towns along ... read more

I drove to Minneapolis and before I could even board the plane we found out that the plane we were supposed to take had mechanical issues. This caused the plane to turn around and head back to Chicago. By the time the plane was ready and on its’ way back to Minneapolis, our flight from Chicago to Dublin was about to take off. All four people I was traveling with from our group jumped on the phones with American Airlines. Three of the four of us had purchased travel insurance, but each of us was put on different flights to different places. I was supposed to have a 26 hour layover in Chicago which would cause me to get to Dublin a day late….and I would travel the rest of the way alone. One of the ... read more