The real north.

We are driving half way to the north pole for Thanksgiving. Ely Minnesota. So you don’t have to get out your Atlas, Ely it at the end of the road in northern Minnesota, a stone throw from Canada, that is if you have a strong arm. It’s a family deal, make that families as several sets of grandparents will be in competition for a grandkid's lap time.

The thing about the Far North area is that it's like "Bikini" Atoll. The Atoll was was a beauitful place till they exploded a Hyrogen bomb, it was called testing. Now all the fish glow in the dark and the people are toothless. Northern Minnesota was a beauitful place till they started digging hole in it for iron ore so we all could drive around in Edsel cars. So two far off places have a thing in common.

I have been up that way once before but it was during a hazy time in my time. So this time I am taking notes and a camera. The last time (that's one too many TIMES)all that I remember is that it’s a long 5 hour drive. Yes, I know the ground will be cover white as will the bare trees and it’s going to be zero degree even here in Wisconsin tonight. Brrr. But, once again we’ll be as Willie Nelson states… “On the road, again.”. That can’t be all bad.

The trip is also being made to defend our state from the other Minnesota grandparents who are telling our granddaughters that our Wisconsin University’s mascot is a fighting Sunk. Correct, both badgers and sunks are black and white, but a little confusing for the little tots calling badgers sunks. Our come back will be that the University of Minnesota’s Gold Gopher is realy a yellow rodent.