Day 1 – 

Well, here we go again.

The Camp Courageous travel crew is back on the road, pointed north toward the great state of Minnesota. The destination is the Minnesota State Fair, a sprawling wonderland of livestock, deep fried temptation and just about anything you can imagine impaled on a stick.

It’ll be a first for everyone.

A new fair. A new adventure. A fresh opportunity to find out who’s brave enough to milk a cow, who can put away the largest corn dog, and who ends up starring in the kind of photograph that will absolutely be brought up again for years to come.

But today wasn’t about the fair.

Today was about the road.

Two vehicles. A crew ready for adventure. Pedal down and Minnesota somewhere beyond the windshield.

Dinner was Khan’s, a stir fry joint where you pile up your own creation with all the meats, vegetables, sauces, and fixings your heart desires, then hand it over and watch the magic happen.

Then it was off to the hotel. Bags unloaded. Everybody settling in for the night.

Tomorrow, we ride for the fair.

Minnesota State Fair, here comes Camp Courageous travel. 

 

Day 2 – 

Let’s go.

The Minnesota State Fair. Big crowds, warm weather, questionable amounts of fried food, and absolutely no regrets.

We made it through the bag line, gathered everybody together for the obligatory group photo, and then did what any well organized group does at a massive state fair. We split up and headed in different directions.

One group made their way toward the north end of the fairgrounds, where the campers took on the classic Giant Slide, that unmistakable yellow and green landmark that practically screams Minnesota State Fair. From there, they wandered toward the Grandstand, taking in the crowds, noise, and whatever else caught their attention.

The other group went exploring in search of the animals. Cows, pigs, horses, and all the wonderful agricultural chaos that reminds you this is, after all, a state fair.

And then there was the food.

Spam burgers. Pickle cream pie. Enormous buckets of cookies. And naturally, just about anything you can imagine dropped into hot oil and fried until common sense becomes irrelevant. At the State Fair, you don’t ask whether something should be fried. You ask where the line starts.

The campers ate, explored, shopped, and bought whatever caught their eyes. There was plenty to see, plenty to taste, and plenty to bring home.

It was warm. It was crowded. It was a little chaotic.

And it was a wonderful time.

That’s the Minnesota State Fair.