Tangent Lodge: Another New Direction in Our Lives

Throughout our 17 years together we have headed off into the unknown a number of times. In '95 we sold everything and headed for the southwest. No game plan, it just felt right to start over in a new and hopefully interesting part of the country. A few years later with no idea how we would make a living we did it again and headed for Texas this time around.

Six years later it was time to return to Minnesota under the same circumstances. No idea what we were going to do when we got there. Now as we enter the later years of our lives we thought that "New Directions" in life were a thing of the past.

Last fall our relationship seemed to be coming apart. We had drifted apart in our interests and to be truthful boredom had set in with nothing in the future to brighten our outlook. We divorced... But we never managed to separate.
Obviously it just wasn't time to call it quits, we started looking for a new direction, a new hobby, something that we would enjoy doing together.

Our motor home has proven to be a fun outlet as we both like camping. The cost of long distance travel has reduced the use of our portable home to local weekends where we can relax sitting around the campfire.

As nice as this is, again boredom often set in. You can sit poking the embers of your campfire and shuffling your lawn chair away from the smoke for only so long. As winter was winding down, and a series of radio commercial advertising a big sale at the local outdoor sports equipment outlet store repeatedly assaulted my senses, a decision was made. We would add an ATV -- 4-wheeler to our camping equipment, making our weekend outing more enjoyable. This would be something we could enjoy together.

I think it surprised both of us the extend this improved our weekend activities. Every weekend we go somewhere different, the number of trails throughout Northern Minnesota seem endless. The quantity of different wildlife found seems to grow with every new trail. We really have enjoyed this new lifestyle.

So how does a new ATV connect to "Tangent Lodge" you ask?

Fannie Mae foreclosures are flooding the housing market, cheap houses are every where. Recreational property is going back to the bank faster than campfires can be extinguished.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin ATVing is big business. Well maintained trails crisscross the state in all directions. Many of the foreclosed cabins and summer houses on the market are placed right along corridor trails that can take you hundreds of miles in many directions.

What better combination when the cost of travel is out of sight. Go to the cabin and go exploring in your own region of the state. We headed off on a new tangent, a fresh new direction, we found a way to revive our companionship and save our relationship. Welcome to Tangent Lodge where progress in the reconstruction of a trashed Fannie Mae foreclosure will be documented and in our spare time we will be exploring the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin on our ATV.