Lakeheads

I KNOW I whine a lot about winters here in Minnesota. But if it weren't for that, I enjoy living in the state. The official motto is that Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. As a person who grew up in the land of 7,100 islands, this statistic is not so bad.

Minnesotans are "lake heads". Almost everyone has a boat, a canoe or a kayak. Rarely are there places where you can rent these. On the Interstate 35, vehicles that aren't pulling a boat-loaded trailer are the exceptions. Driving through seemingly deserted county roads, the stretches are punctuated by gas stations and fishing supply stores. Diners proudly proclaim "Fishermen welcome", meaning they open in the butt-crack of dawn.