A RIDE TO SOMEWHERE

There is a comic strip about a retired couple, their daughter, and her son. They all appear to live in the same household. Today, the grandfather was telling his grand son that when he rode with his grand father, he always asked how far the destination was.

I would wonder if Grandpa Ranum's older brothers asked how far it was from Fillmore County, MN to the north, destination, unknown. Did the children ask where are we going? How far is it? When they got as far as Minneapolis and one horse died and they couldn't buy another for less than $600, and sold the living one for that amount, did the children wonder? Or were children, even then, protected from concerns.

Did Daddy actually walk two miles to and from school each day or did it seem like a perfect amount to make his children's eyes grow big? I knew how far two miles was, it was from the farm to the railroad tracks; another mile to the school. Yet the idea of walking down the highway was forbidden for me.

We lived in the 900 block of Arnold Avenue. The Washington grade school was in the 2oo block of South Knight. As a third grader, I walked that to school each day.

Yet, put me in a car to drive anywhere out of town and four things happened:

1. I asked what time it was
2. I asked how much longer
3. I always had to go to the bathroom
4. I slide off and on the hump in the back seat and blocked the mirror.

It was only twenty eight miles to Warren. It was a long ride with only a few guide posts. Plummer was seventeen from Thief River Falls. We could go to Minneapolis--I could fall asleep in Anoka and sleep only until Plummer. The ride is shorter when you are the driver!

And there are guide posts:

There was a farmer who had ponies, he was too far from Warren or Thief River to have a telephone. That still is the half way point.

There is Carpenter's Corner.

There is the place I corralled the ponies, which is right across from Shorty's where the car races happened on Sunday afternoons.

There is the turn to go to Rosewood

There is the Sande Farm

The Rockin' R



When my kids were little, there was a clock which ran in the car, the kids could see it. When they asked how long it would be on the way home from Kansas City, they always seemed to ask about the same time. I would tell them and when the clock said a certain time, we would be pulling in the drive way. It is still unknown if they knew that I knew from a certain place in the road, it was X many minutes to home.

My children weren't strapped in, they were all hump standers. And much as Jaeme disliked her car seat, her parents did not give in and let her out. I am proud of them for that.

Now every weekend from Mother's Day weekend until after Labor Day, we are out of Fargo by 5:50 PM on Friday, and recently Thursday for a two hour and 40 minute drive to the lake. The first summer I had a map so I knew what was coming next.

I named the half way point "Green Acres", it is just before the orange mail box which says, Dales Sales. The place where people go tubing on the Ottertail River is exactly one hour from the driveway and you can be certain I look at the clock. Before we get to Park Rapids, I look for the buffalo herd. We should be passing the bank clock at 7:35 and the Walker bank at 8:05. Huddles Resort is ten minutes from the trailer. We take a short cut around Walker now, found with the GPS a few summers ago.


Fargo, Moorhead, Dilworth, Glyndon, Hawley--time to eat Detroit Lakes--finish supper, Snelling, Lake Park, Audubon, Osage, Park Rapids, Nevis, Akeley, Walker or part of it, at least.

What does change is the farm land as it begins the quick summer cycle from plant to plow down. The flowers in the ditch. The farm surrounded by lilac bushes leaf out, bloom, and remain a beautiful green border.

And the questions were:

1. I asked what time it was No, we have a clock
2. I asked how much longer No, I have my 'way points'
3. I always had to go to the bathroom scheduled
4. I slide off and on the hump in the back seat and blocked the mirror. I get to sit in the front seat!

What did you do on a ride to somewhere?

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