Blackbeard's Delight

Want to know what Christmas means to me? A 24 + hour road trip to the Snowiest, friendliest, heart-clogging foodiest place on earth, and my ancestral home, Minnesota.

For a more than a few years now Amy and I have made it a habit - necessity (our dogs Pal & Turk) and saving money - of driving out to Minnesota for Christmas when we don’t go visit her family in Maine. And, for at least several of those trips, we’ve driven non-stop around the clock. (Don’t worry, we’re making a highly-anticipated pitstop in Ann Arbor to visit some friends)

This is clearly insane.

You haven’t experienced life until you’ve stopped at a Waffle House outside of Youngstown, seen the sunrise from a truckstop/chapel in Central PA, or wondered how much porn and fireworks drivers in Illinois or Ohio need.

And yet, it’s kinda fun. We listen to lots of podcasts, NPR shows, books on tape and music. And, even though I made fun of it one paragraph ago, we get to see lots of weird, quirky, and sometimes beautiful stuff along the way. (Also, again, disturbing. Truck stops are just a barbed wire fence away from being lawless territory.)

ANYWAY, since we’re about to pack up the car, I’m looking for suggestions in the following areas:

• Podcasts (We really dig comedy, sports and interviews)
• Music (I’m working on a Spotify road trip playlist, yes this is the first song) 
• Audio books 
• iPhone apps (Anything for road travel, keeping track of where you’ve been, what you’ve seen)

So, if you would be so kind as to send along any recommendations in the comments it would be greatly appreciated!