Arriving in North Dakota

It was a long day yesterday. Plans made many months ago were to get on the plane and fly to Portland, Oregon. But there are those times when our own plans have to take some detours. I would have landed, gone to the motel near the airport and made a call to my former high school classmate. I was looking forward to seeing her, and we had planned to have lunch today. I was to catch an Amtrak bus out to Astoria later in the day. With sweet excitement and butterflies I left home to fly instead, to Fargo, ND. I was happy knowing that this was the day I was on my way toward the west coast, but sad knowing that I would be stopping first in North Dakota for my final farewell to Mother. Mother’s long journey has ended; my epic journey is about to begin.

Our first glitch was none of the three pieces of luggage we checked in Cleveland made on the plane to Fargo. Bummer. I knew we should have at least took on board the small piece of luggage that had our things needed for the three days in North Dakota. At the last minute we decided to check it through. I had also checked the large piece of luggage for the 7-week trip, and at the last minute I checked another small duffle that held my bicycle gear. This held all things bicycle: water cage holders, the seat pack with all the bike tools, and my saddle and seat post. I wanted to carry that small piece on board with me but I got held up in security. It had so much metal in it they had to open it up. They were measuring the tools to see if they were ‘weapon length’. The security person said it would be best to go back and check it through, as I would just be held up again in Chicago going through security. With that piece of luggage not making to Fargo, I had visions of bicycling for weeks with out a seat post and saddle! Ouch. So with only the things we had carried on board, my computer in a backpac, and my bicycle helmet we left the airport in the rental car and headed the 45 minutes south to Wahpeton. We learned our luggage had made it to Chicago but during our transfer none of our luggage got on the connecting flight. Luckily there was one more flight from Chicago to Fargo later in the evening. They said a taxi would bring the luggage to the motel. It got here about 1:00 AM this morning.

This morning I’m getting ready to go and stretch the legs a little. It will seem strange to be running around here. I’ll be passing by the things from my childhood. Wonderful memories. The old school building where I went to school, a few blocks away the spot where the church was I attended as a kid, the place where my father had his poultry hatchery business for some 40 years, homes of my childhood friends. Memories. I rode my bicycle every day during the summer from our house that sat at the edge of town, over to Chahinkcapa Park to go swimming. I bicycled all over my little town. I loved my bicycle and it took me everywhere. I’ll run across the bridge that spans the waters of where the Bois de Sioux River ends and the Red River of the North begins. One thing out here in the prairie lands of North Dakota, I won’t be going up and down any inclines (hills) it is FLAT as flat can get. And the wind - never stops blowing. The earth is black here, very rich soil that produces an abundance of grains and sugar beets and sunflowers. This black soil brings back memories of the days when as a kid my best friend, Diane, and I would make the very best black mud pies from this coal black dirt.

Later this morning I will go see my family and we will prepare for the calling hours at the funeral home. How good it is that all of us can be together at this time. My siblings and other family relatives have been arriving from near and far.