Days 2 and 3: Minneapolis, MN to Grand Forks, ND

After a chill out morning, we start the day going on an 11 mile bike ride around the three lakes: Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, and Cedar Lake. How smart it was to reserve the lakes' shores as a park and recreational area! It was a pleasure to make this ride between the lakes and the surrounding beautiful mansions. We can't forget to mention our stop to Sebastian Joe's for some homemade ice cream with very original flavors and a small children's bookshop with chickens and other animals roaming free between the bookshelves. In the evening, we had some burgers on the rooftop terrace at Joe's Garage right in front of the skyline in downtown Minneapolis with the whole Liesch family. On the way home we had a tour of the downtown by car checking out the animated Target building, the old mills that have been renovated into lofts, the theater district, and the cherry in the sculpture garden.

On Thursday morning, we borrow some kayaks and go for a little ride on the Lake of the Isles. A tiny little ride, as Yellow is still terrified from his kayaking experience in Sweden. After cleaning up, packing our things, and saying goodbye to the last bit of family we will encounter in the next month or two, we hit the road again. And then between Minneapolis and North Dakota we find corn, soybean, and wheat fields; silos; farms; a couple of lakes; and Fargo – the city immortalized by the Coen brothers.

We end up in a RV campground on the side of I-29 just south of Grand Forks. This is going to be the first official night in the RV. And to celebrate that, we are savoring some Comté cheese and Vin de Paille (= straw wine), the best cheese and wine you could ever meet, from the yellow countryside in France. And it is with the campground wifi that we are sharing this lovely experience. Good night.