Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Drive from Bemidji to Albert Lea without taking the freeways and avoid the metropolitan area. You can tell when you are in southern Minnesota when the roads change from smooth to bumpy. You hear:

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

In northern Minnesota, it seems the roads are well-maintained. In central Minnesota, the roads are fairly good, too.

But in southern Minnesota, holy moly. Road troubles seem to get worse farther south. The worst of all the bad roads in the region remains Minnesota Highway 13 between Waseca and Albert Lea. Has the Minnesota Department of Transportation forgotten this route exists?

It’s high time the state moved the roads of our region to the front burner. Near Winthrop, suddenly motorists start to hear:

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Husband to wife: “Oh, we must be entering southern Minnesota, dear.”