Month Seven: Doomed to be Soggy — The Path Less Choiced

Month Seven: Doomed to be Soggy

10/5/2023

Minnesota - Iowa

Miss us?

We survived the Superior Hiking Trail, if a bit saturated. Due to rain and footwear falling to pieces, the bounce through the boundary waters on the Border Route and Kekekabic was scratched. I feel the 310+ miles of the SHT is nothing to sneeze at, but I am rather biased.

After getting picked up from the trail, we stuffed ourselves silly and attempted to get dry. I feel cursed. It has rained more often than not, I can’t escape it. It’s like a weird Shyamalan movie where it follows me until I die. I’m forgetting what the sun even looks like. Think I’m being dramatic?

Minnesota was in the midst of a drought. So much so that people mowed their lawn once or twice all summer. To my SoCal friends, that is a big deal. So here Jake and I come along and decide to spend an entire month outside and it rains, almost constantly. We are doomed to be saturated and soggy until we die. We get off trail and I think the longest stretch of time without rain was two days, maybe three.

Ok, drama over, even though it is currently raining as I type this. I took some recovery time at my parent’s cabin rental before they needed to head back south while Jake returned to the jobsite for work. I spent mornings fishing, or more accurately, feeding the fish. In my defense, it was slow for everyone in the boat. Afternoons were for cards and evenings for bonfires (when it wasn’t raining) or really, really terrible horror movies.

I had a date with the town of Ely. My mom grew up there and I used to visit annually until I moved to SoCal. I prefer to wait until after Labor Day when the swampies tourists have mostly left. Some of my favorite places have closed since I’ve been there last, some have moved and there were new ones I discovered. That’s Ely though, like any other town that survives off the tourism trade and the whims of what’s currently fashionable. RIP Rockwood wild rice soup, you’ll be remembered.

I missed the Yellow Submarine and it was time for some vanlife therapy again. Jake and I spent a day cleaning it and getting it ready for some traveling again. Before I get everyone’s hopes up, Jake and I still have some obligations that require further basing in Minnesota before we take off for reals. Short, punchy trips were well within our reach. First up, ISU tailgating.

Anyone traveling through the great cornfield we call Iowa will notice that almost every single vehicle is sporting either an ISU cyclone or Iowa hawkeye decal/license plate/flag/etc. Yes, every. single. one. Iowa (the state) does not have a professional football team so college ball is everything, it's the culture. You are either a Cyclone or a Hawkeye. In the rare case one marries the other, it’s called a divided household. If you think I’m joking or exaggerating, I’m not.

The moral of the backstory being, tailgating is huge. As a Cyclone, I had four (now three) more home games to catch before the season ends. So I hugged Jake and Leinie goodbye for the weekend and jumped in the Yellow Submarine. I rolled up to one of the RV-compatible lots, talked with the guys who ran it and got my spot next to some trees. This was my first time tailgating Friday night and my mind was blown. It was chill, everyone walking around with drinks, meeting and greeting. While the college kids were at the bars and house parties, the adults (read: middle age fogies like myself) were casually sipping beer, talking with our neighbors and enjoying the ambiance of an Iowegian sunset over Jack Trice stadium.

You know it’s game day when your alarm clock is music blasting from a cardinal and gold decked-out skoolie. Nate and Ryan showed up and parked next to the Sub creating a private area for our grill and chairs. There was intermittent rain throughout the day (told you I’m cursed) and it was looking more threatening as kickoff grew near so we packed up a bit early and headed to our bar (Welch Ave Station - order a Minnow Farmer) to watch the game. And, we actually won! That is a big deal for a Cyclone fan. It’s easy to cheer for a team that always wins, it’s character building to be a Cyclone fan, or liver building.

The last bit of the month was building back our emergency van fund. Jake had a roof at the jobsite to stay dry under. I was booked solid with petsitting and was busy walking dogs, running around yards, and driving to and from different houses. Much of that was in rain. Leinie and I even got caught in a downpour on a walk and arrived back at the house soaking wet, yet again. I find myself daydreaming of being back in the desert of the southwest.

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