Road tripping across northern Minnesota

My dog, Buttercup, accompanied me on the drive from Appleton, Wisconsin, to northern Minnesota on Monday, July 6. I admit I was eager to escape the summer heat and head north since I don’t have AC at home. My air-conditioned 2011 Toyota Yaris felt like luxury on wheels as the heat and humidity crept up throughout the day.

Thirty-eight miles from our final destination for the day — north of Baudette where the Rainy River flows into Lake of the Woods — a thunderstorm came whipping through. I drove blindly through 60-mph winds; almost three inches of rain fell in forty minutes.

When I arrived at the river house, a tree had fallen and rested on one end of the roof. The power was off. But my host and friend, Kathy Magnusson, was there at the front door to welcome me and Buttercup safely inside. Before her husband, Richard, arrived from Roseau — an hour away — to pull the downed tree away from the house with a skid steer, the power came back on.

I woke up to watch the sunrise with Buttercup on the Rainy River.

The rushing water, chittering chipmunks, and the boat bumping against the dock provided a relaxing soundscape along the shore. We followed the calls of two magpies making a ruckus in tall pines along a dirt road.

The storm had demolished the gazebo at the resort next door. We saw several more trees down on our walk. The humidity had lifted. The air felt fresh and clean.

We watched pelicans catch fish before the sun crept over the eastern horizon on the Canadian shore. We spent most of the day tracking their liftoffs and landings near the dock.

It was a treat to spend all of Tuesday in one place watching the river run by, because on Wednesday, Buttercup and I drove to Moorhead, Minnesota. It’s road construction season with detours that took me through little towns and villages I’d only read about or seen on a map. The round-trip took me across Red Lake, Leech Lake, and White Earth Reservations. Beautiful country.

While I went to the newly renovated Moorhead Public Library in the evening for an event there, Buttercup enjoyed the company of Leah, the wonderful pet-sitter recommended by the librarian who arranged my visit.

Prancing around the premises of the Courtyard Marriott as though she were the Queen of Sheba and Leah were her maid servant, Buttercup behaved herself. But when I got back, she really wasn’t interested in spending any time with me hanging out in the hotel lounge.

She let me know she didn’t think the hotel was nearly as much fun as the river house where we’d spent the previous day. She jumped right into her car seat first thing in the morning ready for her next adventure.

When we pulled into the driveway at the river house on Thursday afternoon, Buttercup went wild with joy.

This is a good place to be.

Neither of us wanted to leave yesterday.

Duluth is the last stop on my northern Minnesota book tour and last evening Zenith Bookstore hosted a conversation between me and Konnie LeMay.

I’ll tell you all about it next week. And share more of the incredible stories I gathered from the communities I visited — Roseau, Warroad, and Baudette, Minnesota.

This coming Saturday, July 25, you’re invited to celebrate the release of The Land of Everlasting Sky with me and three storytellers for Wham! Bam! Story! Slam!

Preregistration is required. Grab your free ticket now by clicking on this LINK.

I hope to see you there!