Saturday afternoon in Montgomery, fierce wind whipped this over-sized flag as light snow fell.
BITTERLY COLD. Double digit below zero temperatures. Minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday and Monday mornings. Dangerous windchills of minus 35 and 45 degrees. Exposed skin that can freeze in 10 minutes or less.
That’s our reality in Minnesota these days as Arctic air settles over our state. It is the topic of conversation. We Minnesotans love to talk about our weather.
Cold enough for you?
Staying warm?
How long is this supposed to last?
With windchills in the minus 20-degree range Saturday afternoon, these snowmobilers dealt with machine break-down issues in the countryside.
We hole up indoors. Or we embrace the cold. As best we can. On Saturday I observed youth playing hockey outdoors while others skimmed across an adjacent skating rink. I spotted three snowmobilers parked alongside the road after a snowmobile apparently struck a highway sign. I saw vehicles ringing rural bars.
Reduced visibility driving into Montgomery Saturday afternoon.
Me? I snugged inside the van with my husband, mini quilt across my lap, as we crisscrossed Rice and nearby counties. We just drove, feeling the need to escape reality for an afternoon. Our meandering took us to downtown Lakeville, where we ducked in and out of several home-grown shops.
Since my last visit to New Prague, an antique shop has opened in this former hardware store. The shop holds a large collection of vinyl records and vintage Czech jewelry.
Then we aimed west, stopping at a New Prague antique shop before driving toward Montgomery.
I am always struck by how desolate farm sites appear in winter. This one lies between New Prague and Montgomery.
Sunshine occasionally sliced rays across the white-washed landscape. It is so cold you can see cold in the sun. It is so cold you can hear cold in the crunch of snow beneath tires and boots. And you can certainly feel it in the sting of cold slapping cheeks.
Traveling Minnesota State Highway 13 toward Montgomery Saturday afternoon.
Snow swirled through the wind-driven air near Montgomery, veiling the sky.
This historic building doesn’t look like much from the outside. But step inside Montgomery Brewing Company to find an inviting taproom.
In this Czech community, we stopped for a cold one at Montgomery Brewing Company. You would think on a bitterly cold January day like this, few people would venture out for a beer. But the place was hopping with couples popping in for tap beer, conversation and growlers.
Winter does not stop Minnesotans from riding their bikes. I spotted this one in Montgomery Saturday afternoon.
Back to the east in my county of Rice, Faribault’s F-Town Brewing Company offered beer samples at the Snow Crush Fat Tire Race at River Bend Nature Center on Saturday. An after-party followed at the brewery. Had the temperature been warmer, I likely would have been at the race shooting photos. But there’s a limit to what I’ll do in sub-zero/hovering around zero temps.
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FYI: All of these edited images were shot from inside a warm van.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
We are woosies and wisely stayed home.
Probably just smart.
Yes, we Minnesotans do love to talk about our weather, no matter what it’s doing! Our universal ice-breaker. I can just hear that peculiar sound of icy snow crunching under car tires on a subzero day; that sound was one of my childhood soundtracks. I grew up in a family that never let the weather keep us home. I love that about us!
I like that, “childhood soundtracks.” Like your family, weather never stopped mine either when I was growing up. There were chores to be done. So I would pull on my snowpants, winter jacket, hat and chore gloves; tug on my buckle overshoes; and crunch across the snow-packed farmyard to the barn. My most vivid visual memories reveal pinpricks of stars in the black prairie sky, yellow light slanting from barn windows upon snow and the beacon glow of the yardlight guiding us from house to barn and back.
That is a beautiful image!
Thank you.
Had we been home, that is where you would have found me! I feel quite chilled even reading this post and am praying for a warming trend (which, I believe, is in the forecast). The roller coaster temps (on the “+” side) are occurring here, also. Friday was 84F and Saturday morning was 45F!!!! Now, I’m not looking for sympathy you understand, but a 40 degree drop is quite something! The furnace is running as I type this.
“Escapes” take many forms/shapes but the results, hopefully, are the desired ones. Hugs……..
A 40-degree temperature change is quite significant. It’s whatever you become acclimated to and I expect you are quickly becoming acclimated to the Texas climate.
Our Saturday afternoon away was wonderful.
I do fit better with the locals than the tourists/”Winter Texans” as I’m sitting here with multi-layers topped off with a warm hoodie. Anything under 80 is too chilly for warm weather duds!!!
Laughing…
Not bragging, just reminded of several places I have been. One location temps were in the 90’s, sun shining, guys were out sunning smelling like fruit salad. By early evening, wind had picked up to about 40- 60 mph winds, overcast skies, temps dropped to the 40’s, Rain started “falling” – actually it was flying by rarely hitting the ground! Temps continued to plummet. At about 2 AM some guys had tried to heat up the inside of their tent and ended up setting it on fire as the snow fell! Had to break the ice to get water to shave with the next morning. By the next afternoon, break out the suntan lotion. Beautiful Southern, California (MCB 29 Palms, CA). SATX is a warm 60 + degrees with mostly clear skies as I write this. Temps are supposed to drop to freezing tonight as unlikely as that seems. I have already put the covers on all the exterior faucets and a droplight to keep my water softener system functioning. Ya’ll stay warm now, ya hear?
Thanks for that weather report. And stay warm.
Wow!!! Thanks for the comment!! Just a reminder of how these days are going, weather-wise, in every corner of our little world!!!!!
Be safe on your travels!
Thank you.
Kudos to you for leaving the warmth of your home and getting out. Despite the temperatures there is always something new and interesting surrounding us. Your photos are impressive as you capture perfectly the cold, the fury of the wind and the desolate landscape all from within a van. With sparse text you leave the reader to their own imagination. It is also a reminder to us all living in such a climate we need to be attentive to weather at all conditions.
Thank you, Sue.
Brrrr . . . I think back on all the layers I had to put on when days were like this in the “Frozen Tundra”. I woke to a balmy almost 50 degrees at 7 a.m. put on the tank top, light sweater and sandals and headed to work. I so do not miss those bitter cold days where even your nose hair is frozen – ha! – No Thank You!!! Here’s to talking about the weather, asking if your warm enough and having a cold locally made brew 🙂
Cheers! If you ever get back to MN, be sure to check out Montgomery Brewing…we could maybe meet you there.
Cheers ‘clink’! I will not be going back to MN anytime soon – brrrr – ha! I will check out Montgomery Brewing online – did not know there was a brewery there – thanks 🙂
We loved it. Good beer. Nice folks. Really cool atmosphere…we’ll be back.
The bike belongs to Gary Meyer. His dad was a bus driver and they owned a resort in Elysian.
I love this, a reader who knows the owner of the bike.
I can’t even imagine being that cold. We’ve been having temperatures in the mid to high 60’s.. I’m not bragging about it, just mentioning it. I used to like our winters here. I remember the water puddles freezing over. However, if anyone says we aren’t in a warming mode now, I totally disagree. Winter—please come to
California. I miss you.
If I can figure out a way to ship winter to California, I’ll send you a package.
I love how you two just drive arouund looking at stuff. Cold is just cold after about Minus Ten i always think. Hope you are warmer now? c
This is one of our favorite activities and one that has not happened often enough this past year. Just lots going on.
I feel your pain. I personally will take minus 45 below with no wind as opposed to 15 below with wind chills to minus 35-45. Since we very seldom have any wind here it is possible to dress for negative 45 temperatures and be perfectly comfortable. Wind shows no mercy it just whips through clothing and makes outdoor life miserable. Sorry to bring this up but but over the last couple of weeks temperatures have been hovering around zero to 25 above. It has been a mild winter here!
The temp is warming today. Only minus six degrees this AM.
Anytime I get to missing bitter cold and howling winds, I watch the movie, “New In Town”. You are much braver than I am, Audrey. I can’t take the cold much anymore. Although, isn’t it nice to get out with the Mister and go for a drive in a warm vehicle, dashing in and out of places just enjoying the day?
We had a wonderful afternoon together. “New in Town,” set in New Ulm, right?
Well I know… that you know…. how much I love winter!!! I’m completely surprised, and a little jealous that you and Randy were out and about enjoying the day with a road trip despite the bitter cold. I thought about a road trip myself but we had some commitments to be home for. Love the photo’s! My Nephew lives in Minneapolis and rides his bike to work everyday all year long, no matter the weather. He (of course) has all the specialized gear. Thanks for sharing your sweet winter excursion.
I know this is your season, Jackie. Someone must embrace winter. I used to love winter as a kid.
Sixty-five racers participated in the fat tire bike race at River Bend on Saturday. We dropped our Christmas tree off there on Sunday afternoon and not a single vehicle was parked in the parking lot.
Remembering and hoping never again to experience minus temps (and that’s measured in Celsius here). When friends here complain about the cold I just remind them that cold and hot are relative terms. Our cold is your hot.
You’re right, cold and hot are relative terms.
Brrr! We’re cold here, but not quite that cold. Our high today was five. When we have these cold, windy days, especially more than one in a row, our boiler can’t quite keep the house warm. Our 1902 wood house is kind of like a sieve. Today I’ve been cold all day, even wearing two polar fleece jackets! I’m ready for a little bit of a warm-up. I’m sure you are too.
Warming up today.
Getting out and just being “out” helps the soul, doesn’t it? Even if it is cold it is nice to get out and about. The cold is temporary—soon spring will come. Soon.
Only a few more months until spring, and the birth of my granddaughter.
Sure was cold this weekend. I stayed in and played with yarn. Beautiful pictures. Love your descriptions of winter
Thank you and I love your description of “playing with yarn.”