TAT CN Header

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Journey to the Northland

Tomorrow, we begin our journey to the NORTH. Where it is cold. And snowy. I have my reservations about leaving.

Today, we pack, then tomorrow, we will get up early and begin the long drive to Minnesota. It will probably take us 2 (maybe 3 -- depending on the weather) long days to reach Jerry's parents' house in Northfield, MN. We'll stay there for about a day, then load back into the car and drive about 5 and 1/2 more hours north to my parents' house in Gonvick, MN. For those of you unfamiliar with towns whose populations are less than 300, you may have never heard of Gonvick, MN before. Well, I am here to enlighten you:

Don't go there.

It's not the edge of the world, but it's close enough that you can see the edge. And really? There's not much to do at the edge of the world. But, we're not going there for entertainment; we're going to see family.

So, we'll stay with my family for 5 days, and then we'll again load into the car, and drive the 5 and 1/2 hours south to Northfield again, and stay there for 5 days. Then, again load into the car and drive the 2 (maybe 3) days back home. So, we will be gone a grand total of 16 days. That's a long time to be gone from home, and I'm sure that the entire time we're gone, Jerry will worry about whether or not we left a random appliance on and whether or not checking all the windows and doors' locks 3 times was adequate. But, we don't see our family very often, so it's good that we have the opportunity to go back and spend some time with as many people as we can. Because apparently, many of them have an allergy to airplanes and flying to warm, sunny FL (goodness, I must've been bit by the sarcastic bug in my sleep last night!).

Anyhoo, here's the lowdown on a few FAQs:
  • Yes, we're bringing Scooter with us. He's our fur-baby and we can't leave him in a kennel for Christmas! Bringing him along is part of the reason why we are driving.
  • I will blog while away (I mean, c'mon I just learned to mobile blog for all your sakes -- you'll be gettin' updates from the road, yo!), but the regularity of it may not be like the clockwork posts you have come to rely upon.
  • I will try to run while up there. It will be cold and snowy though, so when weather permits, I'll run outside; otherwise, there are some strategic gyms and indoor running locations I may end up using as well. Clearly, I will keep you apprised of the running while I post.
  • While I will be a diligent poster, I don't know how much I will be reading blogs. So, if I disappear from commenting, don't fret, I will eventually return.

So, before I depart tomorrow, I'd like to wish everyone out in blogland very Happy Holidays! And if you are traveling too, please travel safe!

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Five days with each set! YOU are a WARRIOR. I try to limit visits to three days. I thought the drive from MSP to Two Harbors, MN was ass waiting to be sucked, but I can see you have it worse.

If you have time, pop up (from Northfield) to the Vine Park Brew Pub in St. Paul. Most excellent Beer!

TonyP said...

It is about time you encountered some of the cold stuff we've been having up North. Have a safe, long drive.

X-Country2 said...

Sounds like quite the roadtrip! Travel safe and good luck with the sanity. :o)

Aka Alice said...

You musta thought that my rant about 7 hours driving to Vegas was quite pathetic...Three Days (+ weather) to MN? Wow. Just. Wow.

Have a good time up there. Can't wait to read about the runs in the cold.

Unknown said...

Have a safe trip !!! I will look forward to your "vacation-mode" blog. It will be interesting to see the temperature dropping as you make your way up north!

ws said...

have a fun trip with Scooter and Jerry. Enjoy Christmas in the cold, I hear that is how it is meant to be.

"But, we're not going there for entertainment; we're going to see family."

I thought entertainment and family were synonymous...

Happy Holidays...

Anonymous said...

have a safe trip. And, stay warm.

Anonymous said...

have fun! brrrr

Marci said...

Man your family is crazy. If I had family in FL I would be the newest addition LOL. I can't wait to go to Nashville in March to vist my sis. Have a great road trip and a nice visit with family. Nice that Scooter gets to come as well!

E said...

Safe travels and stay warm. Happy holidays! :)

Unknown said...

Safe travels!

MNFirefly said...

Dress very warm and drive very safe.

Kelly said...

Welcome to the "north"! Although... I hardly consider Minnesota north.

When I took my first job in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, my college professor told me "it's not the edge of the world, but you can see it from there." So your place must be near there!

Carly said...

Drive safely! As a native MN gal, I had to google where the heck Gonvick is. It is out there! I hope you have fantastic time with your families.

Shoe Running said...

Have an awesome time :) Happy holidays to you too!

Carly said...

Drive safely! As a native MN gal, I had to google where the heck Gonvick is. It is out there! I hope you have fantastic time with your families.

Carly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
teacherwoman said...

Have a great trip!

Anonymous said...

Be Safe...and Happy Holidays.

Lindsay said...

sounds like a fun time ;-) hope you have fun and be safe! get some runs in, if the ground isn't pure ice!

Viv said...

Congrats on the Blackberry! Just watch out I have mine with an automatic signature set on my emails and before I knew it had posted my phone number on the WWW. Geez! That mobile blog pic is too cute.

Have a safe trip...

Anonymous said...

Have a safe trip! Since the map was right here from my race research, I had to check out where you are going. OMG that's north! And here I've been complaining about the cold that will be southern Wisconsin!

Have fun and hopefully a few good runs.

Running Jen said...

Have a great time! And, enjoy the cold. I have to laugh, I am going to Charlotte, NC for a few days soon, and here I am worried about how cold it may be. And, you're going where it's REALLY cold! Have fun, and Merry Christmas!

Wes said...

Say hi to Santa for me!!

L*I*S*A said...

Enjoy the trip and drive safely!

Anonymous said...

STAY WARM.
I have a plethora of friends and family I need to get to minnesota to visit.
me? I WIMPY
me? I WAITING UNTIL SPRING :)

Neese said...

Happy Holidays Jess!! I look forward to on the road stories! :)

Unknown said...

Have a great trip, I am so jealous of your long break!

runner26 said...

Have fun and drive safe!

Anonymous said...

Hope you guys have a safe trip. Enjoy your vacation and the time with the family. I am glad you and Scooter will not be apart during the holidays.

Crissy Rae said...

Hope you guys have a great trip "up north". Enjoy the cold and snow!

Margo said...

Have fun and be careful! We drive to see our family too so we can take Bailey. Of course, we only have a 12 hour drive to El Paso and a 14 hour drive to Missouri. You ARE warriors to do 2 - 3 day drives.

Marcy said...

HAVE FUN JESS AND JERRY!! Be safe and get some runnin in ;-)

And don't try and kill the ILs, k? :P

Aron said...

have a safe trip and a great time!!

we always bring our girls with us too :) its the whole reason i told my car and got an suv hehe.

Laurel said...

Safe travels Jess! Have a great time with the family and enjoy your Crackberry.

TNTcoach Ken said...

Yea, now you'll be running with the rest of us in the cold, windy conditions. Yes, misery does love company!

Marlene said...

That's a long way from home and a lot of driving. Have a safe trip!

Jess said...

Man if I was your fam I would be hitting you up for free lodging all the time in warm, sunny FL.

Hope you have a safe trip! Good luck getting some runs in in the chilly temps