The weekend before Ariel and I went on our Alaska “babymoon” trip, she had a bachelorette party and I was going to be alone with nothing to do. Having been to all but two of the Lower 48 states, I decided to fly out to Iowa and drive up through Minnesota to the northernmost point in the Continental United States, the last of the four “extreme” locations on my list. While reaching the northern tip of Minnesota was a bit anti-climactic, I was still excited to check off two major milestones in the same weekend. The trip itself was a bit of an adventure with four international border crossings in one day, three state crossings in three days, a bald eagle sighting and a really spiritual moment at the headwaters of the Mississippi.
It was also an opportunity to reflect on nearly 15 years of solo travel just a few months before I became a father.
Day 1: Primary mission accomplished
Day 2: An incredible sidequest to the source of the Mississippi River
Day 3: An anti-climactic conclusion, a detainment, and an amazing sunset
Final day: Prairies, bison, and a surprise encounter with a nuclear missile site
A final note on Iowa, Minnesota and the northernmost point in the continental United States
Reflections on a lifetime of solo travel
