Spacing out our travel into manageable chunks, I wound up sticking a metaphorical pin in central-west Minnesota. I can safely say I’d never been to this part of Minnesota, so I had no idea what to expect. Turns out there are a lot of rolling hills and farmland, with small towns centered around railways that move grain out of omnipresent silos and grain elevators.

Our campsite was called Tipsinah Mounds. When we arrived, we were given an RV site out in the middle of a grassy field with tons of space next to the volleyball court and bathrooms. Very few people were there, so we felt like we had it all to ourselves. Our day there felt like a real downshift for us. We were able to just relax on the on-site beach (for Chris, that meant doing work lake-side), hike the trails, play volleyball, and hit up the adorable little town of Elbow Lake for provisions. It was a nice little break from the high-pace of interstate travel and city visits.