Morehead, Minnesota

The North Dakota Wrestling coach saw our van in Moorehead at a gas fill.  He noticed the UNI and ISU STICKERs and was sure to tell us about the UNI National Champion. Oh, the stories we will hear.  He also told us that Prudoe Bay is filled with Polar Bears in the summer.  Perhaps I won't paddleboard in the Arctic Ocean, only dip in my feet and John will take pictures of my toes and the bears.

5:00 snack somewhere

Had to use the restroom at a convenience store and felt obliged to buy something . Salzberger Stiegl was a great find. Now on to a Lime a Rita, goat cheese, and bread. My tailgate party.

Traveled through Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba

John placing the sates on the vansion.

First night camping

Made it to Millers Camping just outside for Portage la Prairie, Monitoba.  We logged 738 miles.  Getting settled in at 4:00 pm. Started last night at 10:45.

Or first gas fill.

North Dakota and Manitoba are so flat. Lots of barley, oats, and sugar beet fields.

Crossing the US/Canadian Border.

First trial run sleep over

We can hardly name the first trial run a sleep over.  We're lucky if we slept 3 hours. The bed was too hard. The blankets were too short. The furnace was too loud. The thunderstorm and wind rocked the van. I had to go potty. We fixed all the problems and now we're ready to give it another try.

Cleaning and trial run packing

Vacuuming and brining in the storage boxes to see if everything will fit in the van.

Charcoal for the Weber Kettle

Repackaged a big bag of charcoal into single use bags. Little bags can be nestled around other items in the van and the van and hands will stay cleaner during the trip.

Par Boiling

Par boil potatoes for 5 minutes.

Shocking in ice water.

Blotting dry with paper towels.

Single layer of potatoes on a Pam Sprayed baking sheet. Now they go in a warm oven to 4 or more hours. An overview of the whole process.

Slicing potatoes 1/8 inch thick

When using the mandolin I almost sliced my pinky. When using the peeler, slicer, corer the slices had a hole in the middle. The Go To Method is knife and cutting board.

Drying potatoes for the trip

Potatoes can be $20 for 10# bag. I'm drying the last of our homegrown potatoes. It will take all day. They will end up like Betty Crocker's box of augratin potatoes. Let the process begin!

Travel Map on The Van

The journey will start soon. Oh, the Places We'll Go.