A Day in the North Country

When I worked for Wells Fargo Bank, I hired a woman named Jenn Green. Jenn  worked from her home in Bemidji, Minnesota, which is located in the North Country. This is where temperatures plunge below zero in the winter, the lakes freeze solid, and the wind howls.

Just before Jenn joined my team, we were chatting on the phone and I asked her what her plans were for the weekend. She replied “I’ll be spending it butchering chickens and castrating pigs.” That was a first.  A few years later, Bev met Jenn and from that moment on, “visit Bemidji” was on our bucket list. This week we finally checked that box.

Jenn no longer owns chickens or pigs, but she and her fiancé, Shane,  live in the country and are high on our list of people we will run to when the zombie apocalypse arrives. These two could survive anything. We got a tour of Bemidji and rode all over the property in their Polaris Rzr (a high performance all-terrain vehicle). Shane was pleasantly surprised when Bev let out a big approving “whoo!” as he hit 70mph on their dirt road. We checked out their new fish house (for ice fishing), ate grilled venison dogs (made from a deer they killed), and made s’mores over their fire pit. We didn’t want to leave and can’t wait to go back. Jenn says we need to return in winter to do some snowshoeing and ice fishing. Maybe. Just maybe.