Article by Motorsports Expert, Jess Kline. Photos by Casey Cordeiro.
A comfy bed and a good meal… it’s sometimes the simple things in life that mean the most, especially after a long drive or day of travelling to get to a destination. After a week already on the road, attending various motorsports events, I flew in to Minnesota with my boyfriend, Casey, to attend Hay Days Grass Drags. This event, known as the World’s Largest Snowmobile Event, draws close to 50,000 people to little ole’ North Branch, Minnesota, for what has been deemed the unofficial kickoff to winter.
Exhausted from travelling, we opened the door to our room at the Best Western Plus hotel in Blaine, and I immediately flopped onto the soft bed to rest for a minute. That night we took some time to prep for the crazy busy weekend ahead of us. What that really meant was we got some R&R time in the hot tub and pool, and just chilled in the room watching television and eating snacks. After being away from home for so long, our hotel room was the closest thing we had to a home base, and so we made it our own.
The Best Western Plus Blaine at the National Sports Center, is centrally located to so many great restaurants, stores and activities. It’s located close to Fogerty Arena, plus other great event spaces like golf courses.
Just around the corner from the hotel was a Target, where we stocked up on snacks and drinks to bring with us to the Hay Days event. Our room featured a fridge and microwave, which was perfect for us and our growing snack supply, and we took full advantage of the free Wi-Fi to catch up on work. The business center, located off the main lobby, had two computers and a printer, which I used to print off my event pass and itinerary for the weekend.
During past Hay Days events, I’ve always stayed on-site and camped with friends, so this year was a bit different. While the Best Western Plus in Blaine was located about 40 minutes from the event venue, I welcomed the added bonus of more amenities and warmer, comfortable sleeping arrangements in exchange for a longer drive.
On the Saturday of Hay Days, an early morning alarm woke me up before sunrise. My eyes were rested, and full of excitement at the chance to check out the newest snowmobile models, while catching up with my sled buddies. We filled our stomachs with coffee and a FREE hot breakfast to get our day started. Sure, a lot of hotels offer a free breakfast, but this wasn’t your typical hot hotel breakfast; this place had a waffle station that captured my eye the moment I walked into the breakfast area. Life wasn’t the same after that…
If waffles aren’t your things, the hot breakfast also features bacon, eggs, sausage, pastries, a yogurt bar, oatmeal bar, and various juices. I grabbed a coffee to go, and we cruised down the highway and then some beautiful backcountry roads to North Branch.
The event venue was packed with eager snowmobilers ready to check out the swap meet, grass drags, freestyle show, manufacturer booths, and various parts, gear and accessory vendors. The weekend flew by and before we were ready, it was time to leave and continue on to the next adventure. Checking out of the hotel was a breeze, and I had some nice reward points to carry with me to the next adventure to… well, who knows! California, Utah and Ontario, Canada are just a few more on my list as Casey and I travel North America to promote what we love: all things motorsports.
