All Roads Travel Through Bestemor’s Farm

Special On The Road Edition: Minneapolis To Iowa To West Salem

So after some mind-clearing breakfast yesterday morning we set out for the farm in Iowa to visit with Ahna’s grandmother and Aunts. The side roads were at times difficult, but the interstate was surprisingly clear. The lack of melting on the roads is a different phenomenon than what we encounter in Colorado since the temp almost immediately gets above freezing after a storm…and generally the roads clear pretty quickly. But not here in the upper-midwest, where cold is very cold, and for a long while. 

We got to the farm just before lunchtime, and just before two other vans pulled in: KJ, Jamie, Johnathan, and Isaac in one of them, and Dave and Mary Jo in the other. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the farm, with a ‘typical’ amazing meal of which at least a couple recipes were requested. 

We left the farm in the late afternoon to begin the 3+ hour drive to West Salem. The original intent was for all three cars to huddle together and break trail in unison, but after a quick meal in Albert Lea, we all separated for different reasons (we stayed behind for a little while to feed Ezra). The roads themselves were pretty good, but the drive seemed to take extra long because it was the end of a long day of lots of driving. 

We awoke this morning to more cold temps: like -12 or -15….and several inches of new snow. To quote some family from yesterday “they know how to do Christmas here.”