I love this car, and these three people squeezing into it with me. We’ve all been looking forward to this road trip since we first conceived of it back in April. The car had been sitting too long, and we always wanted it out at my mom’s house anyway (because visiting Minnesota in winters is not really conducive to Porsche driving), and we’ve both done this road trip as kids and wanted to share it with ours. So off we go.
We left the driveway, drove 100 yards to the stop sign, and Lowe asked, “How much farther is it to Grammy’s?”
Kids—no sense of time or space.
Forty miles in, time for a stretch and a snack.
It wasn’t really supposed to rain, but it dogged us all day anyway. Ominous, but it never amounted to much.
We stopped off at this war memorial in Arlington where they most certainly did not mince words.
Reviewing some pictures.
This is where my trip down memory lane began. I spent my childhood weekends in Gaylord, Minnesota on my grandpa’s farm. He was a big man, six-foot-three and three-hundred pounds—which to a kid might as well be ten-foot and a thousand. He was a sheriff before my time, but I always just knew him as a farmer, which was good enough for me. He was pretty much the center of the universe as far as his family was concerned. Every weekend at least a couple of his kids would be out at the farm, and come hunting season there were bodies everywhere in that old farmhouse.
He died when I was fifteen, a year or so before Ali and I got together. It always bothered me that they never got to meet. And even now, twenty-six years later I’m upset by the fact that my kids will never know him, despite the fact that he’d be one-hundred-and-eight years old.
One of the things I looked most forward to when visiting Gaylord was going to the meat market. Every small town out here has one, but Pinski’s was the best. The name changed at some point, but that doesn’t matter, because some years back my cousin bought it and did the world a favor by not changing things inside one bit. Sure, the counter was switched from one side to the other but the meat inside is exactly the same as it was when I was five years old.
I was happy to see my cousin Dewey today. It’s a lame expression, but he truly is the salt of the earth. As big as my grandpa, and almost as good a shot, I always looked up to him as a kid.
These hung on the wall inside.
From there it was just down the road to the cemetery on Lake Titlow. Just across the lake from the farm itself. We visited Grandpa’s grave site and I told the kids stories about him. Around the cemetery were a bunch of other names I recognized, including what appear to have been my great-great-grandparents.
We drove out to the farm, but it wasn’t the same. Almost nothing remained of the seven structures—farmhouse, barns, and sheds. The foundations had all been used to build new on top, but aside from the silo nothing looked like it did when I was a kid. We quickly turned around.
Back down the driveway a bit we stopped along the ditch to snack on some of the pounds and pounds of meat I’d just bought despite not having any refrigeration.
I played on this culvert as a kid, and walked that ditch countless times with shotgun in hand. It was nice to watch my kids throw gravel in the water too, if only for a few minutes. And they’re young enough that they put up with a few more stories as well.
This is her tough-farm-girl look. Not sure she can pull that one off just yet.
Next stop, New Ulm, about as German a town as you will find anywhere outside of Germany.
While we were sitting here a guy walked up to our car and got down on his knees to stare inside our headlight.
I said to Ali, “Look at this weirdo. What is he looking at?”
Ali took one look over her shoulder, turned back to me, and asked, “Did you remember to turn off the headlights?”
Oh yeah. Thanks, not-weirdo guy.
In case you doubt my claim about New Ulm, this is a statue of Hermann the German commemorating some long ago victory by the Germans over the Romans. We’re in Minnesota.
Completely unedited farm color.
We were now following Highway 14, also known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway. Ali and I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie (not reading the books, which we can’t wait to read to our kids soon), where the town of Sleepy Eye played a prominent roll as the nearest “big city” to Laura’s home in Walnut Grove.
This road trip will be hugging as many of these small town state highways as we can find.
19 Comments on “Porsche Roads”
I love this post! I love the Midwest my family lives in South Dakota are also salt of the earth. But what struck me ist was the bittersweet I of your grandpas farm. My husband and I have been farming for 13 years. Before that we sailed. Our kids were born Our kids were born on the farm and as we all transition to liveaboard cruisers I worry visiting the farm will be too sad 🙁 thanks for sharing your grandpa with us!
I admire your minimalism! 4 people in a spam can Porsche, and luggage. I don´t know many women who would travel with a suitcase that size just for themselves. I bet it is full of children’s clothes too.
Just a thought re the Porsche parts I hope you kept/keep the parts you replaced..all original is hard to find.
Looks like it’s going to be a great trip
Here is the secret to the universe, or at least road trips… give each kid a roll of nickels at the start… each time they ask Are We There Yet? They have to give up a nickel… They get to keep the remaining money upon arrival…. works like a charm….
Ouest is money hungry and Lowe could care less. Thankfully they are both doing really good — three days in.
Looks great guys! Give me an Email if you want fun / free places to stay in Wyoming.I have worked outside of Yellowstone for a few years and know some fun spots around Jackson and Cody. Take care!!!
Brings back memories of my own Minnesota family/roots. My great great grandfather was German and his family traveled in a covered wagon from Winona to Brickton (Princeton) when he was a child. He married and built a farm on a small lake that stood for over 100 years. I have the best memories of roaming that farm. It was a sad day when the place was sold, torn down and a new home built there. Love the small Minnesota towns and all the history & charm they have. Enjoy your trip!
Looks like you might have been at the Lamplighter restaurant in New Ulm? I have spent much time there, myself…love it!
We took a road trip to Sioux Falls last fall, taking 14 a good chunk of the way. Love that area of the state/country…nothing for miles, and the colors ARE so intense.
My kids loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum and such in Walnut Grove. I did not have high expectations, but we killed a few hours there..
Safe travels!
That sounds like such a great trip. Hope to do it myself someday. Probably during retirement. Is that suitcase waterproof?
Nope, but we have a garbage bag just in case. We are classy like that. Please no rain, please no rain, please no rain.
When we travel to Upper Michigan in the winter time we put our luggage in those big black contractor bags in the back of our pick up. And we HAVE a tonneau cover. Sometimes they leak. You do what you have to.
You are truly living the dream! 🙂
Great post!! Truly inspiring me to do something similar for my own kids.
I think I just put my finger on why I like the family picture so much. It’s one of the first pictures I can remember post kids where you look truly content and happy, Pat, not so much that you weren’t before, but you always seemed maybe distracted by trying to get everyone together or to smile for the photo. Truly a keeper. Also, who knows, maybe it’s the Porsche, maybe that you’re home in Minnesota, maybe getting ready to take off on what should be a great road trip, who knows. Let me know if you need more info on Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons. Everything I sent you preiously pretty much panned out. Great trip, outside of my collarbone! Have fun! 🙂
It’s cool how the Porsche looks right at home on the dirt road.
Do the 356 and the Travco share a license plate?
We transfer the plate to whatever vehicle we are driving. The tabs were expired on the Travco and we didn’t renew as it doesn’t matter when we are in Mexico. So when we got to MN we transferred the plate to the Porsche for this trip.
you can get the little haus books on cassette tape – it is lovely to listen to them while you’re driving the areas they were in.
Aww, Pat. I shed a tear with this post. I could “hear” the tightness in your throat when you talked about your grandpa. And the pics, wow, the one of Lowe on the culvert, so nostalgic! Thank you, thank you, for sharing these with us.
Such a great idea with the nickels! I’ll have to remember that during our next trip!