Well, it took a few days but the Einsteins back at the office FINALLY managed to get me on a new flight from Denver to the “City of Twins,” St. Paul. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to leave that rat-infested sewer, Denver, in the rear-view mirror of my airplane.
“The Frontier” airlines took me to Denver, and I found the place to be anything but (a Frontier). This time I flew Northwest—a great American Airline we all know so well—and I have no doubt that St. Paul will indeed live up to that name.
The Great Northwest Woods of Minnesota has given a lot to Uncle Sam, from its trees chopped in swift, mighty blows by the likes of Paul Bunyan to the hockey stylings of the Mighty Ducks among others. It all sounds good on paper, but as the plane touched down on the Frosty Northern Tarmac, I tried to keep my expectations in check.
Imagine my delight when I saw this straight out of the chute:
Caribou Coffee! I had no idea such a thing even existed, but that’s what traveling does: it expands your horizons and world view. What a refreshing antidote to the elitist swill hocked by Starbucks and the like back East. Coffee the way nature intended it: from freshly hunted deer right here in the Great Northwest Wilderness.
I was faced with a quandary: should I try the stuff? I’m an adventurer at heart, but I don’t usually trust products with unfamiliar logos. Still, that “Wok ’n’ Roll” next door (see photo) gave me the assurance I needed that this was likely “safe territory” for a journeyman like myself to explore.
Upon second thought, however, I reconfirmed in my mind that I prefer the coffee served at our finest fast food restaurants. Chains mean quality (that’s how there get to be so many of ’em—there’s no argument against success worth having), and I reward quality with my dollar. Putting my money where my mouth is.
Perhaps there were other non-coffee items I could try. Some pastries in a case looked good enough to eat, but I was unsure whether they had deer meat in them. I’m not sure how deer meat would agree with my digestion, and I have to be on top of my game this week at the Con. I decided best to err on the side of safety and take a pass.
Still, I’ve got this photo to remember the experience. I hope my snapping it communicated a message of support to these young entrepreneurs at the Northwest outpost of St. Paul. I like to encourage upstart Donald-Trumps-of-the-Future and if I can’t do it with my wallet then communicating a good feeling of interest is the next best thing.
