Westward

Our bottoms are sore and the front of our Penske truck is a veritable massacre of bug carnage, small prices to pay to get halfway across the country. No oxen have died yet and nobody has typhoid.

Our first night was spent in Rutherfordton, NC with Bethany's family where we were able to satiate ourselves on delicious food and good company all the while resting up for the following week. From there we went to Louisville for a night and then continued on to Milwaukee where we stayed with Matt and Sara Depriest, dear friends from our CIU days. The next day, we left for Minneapolis where were to meet up with Paul and Jillian Maloney who took us out to see the town. It was a bit surreal for me as I feel I was nearly raised in the Twin Cities but have seen very little of them.

As I write this we are in Bemidji, MN which is allegedly the birthplace of Paul Bunyan, who, unlike Davy Crocket, is not based on a real and much more boring person. I will try to get a picture of his statue tomorrow. Tall-tales notwithstanding, Bethany and I are having a wonderful time catching up with family and just resting. Northern Minnesota is every bit as beautiful as Grumpy Old Men and Garrison Keiler would want you to believe.