Day 1
Miles 501
States MN, ND
Extra miles attempting to get out of the Twin Cities Metro: 7
Fun Fact: There are many Pelicans in Pelican Lake, MN
Milestone: The car has been named: “Big Prairie Schooner 061 (License BPS 061) It’s nice to have a license number that is the year I was born!
Trump signs: 0 (whew!)
Memories:
Danny: The shakes at Krolls Diner and the MAJOR disappointment that the motel didn’t have a pool. The sunset conversation with the family about what would happen if the sun blew up.
Therese: Bringing along four audio books (all major finds in a thrift store) only to realize that there is no CD player in the car. Seeing flocks of Pelicans, and the fields of sunflowers. The shiny diner. The MAJOR excitement that the motel provides complimentary drinks to adult guests.
Gordon: Someone stealing my credit card information and using it to create a new card for themselves in a matter of minutes.
Grace: The Farm Stand (at the gas station where Dad’s credit card got hacked) with the delicious cantaloupe.
As utilitarian as it was, the day was not without a few memorable moments and beauty along the way.
And, of course, there was the adventure of driving in a brand new vehicle which was a pure pleasure.
What started out as a 7:00 am departure time was quickly revised to “no later than 8:00 after a late night of preparing and packing. That devolved into a hope and a prayer of getting out of town by 9:00. We left at 9:39. The next 15 minutes were spent running into dead ends of local construction, not having the navigator information in time to avoid getting on the wrong highway and finally getting out of the Metro around 10:00.
It was smooth sailing after that. For four hours we basked in our individualized climate zones while the temperature climbed from something in the 70s to something in the 90s.
Our one stop, exactly halfway happened to be right next to a small farmstead with delicious antelopes. Yes, please!
The flat, dry scenery was occasionally brightened with a cool item of nature like a flock of pelicans and a field of sunflowers. But mostly it was flat roads, big rigs of livestock and farm equipment and not much else.
While the car lacked a CD player, we enjoyed our three month free trial subscription to Sirius XM radio. So many stations!
We arrived at the hotel a little before 6:00. Perfect timing to have a quick dip in the pool and then dinner. Except there was no pool. The guy at the check-in counter was so empathetic as he had kids and had applied for a job at a hotel with a pool to try to work at a place they could visit and swim. He even called another hotel for us that had a pool. But in the end we stayed because I suddenly remembered that the reason I booked this place was because there were snacks for happy hour and a free drink at the bar for the adult guests. The room also had a full sized refrigerator and small kitchenette with dishes and everything! Perfect for making dinner and not having to use or wash our dishes. (There was even a dishwasher!)
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| We are country bumpkins: we take pictures of our hotel rooms... |
There was also a very comfy easy chair for Gordon to sit in while he sorted out how he could continue to use his hacked credit card for the remaining 13 days of our trip. It took a while, but a solution was found.
The highlight of our trip was the beautiful diner across the parking lot. Earlier in the day we had decided that we would have ice-cream every day. Things were looking bleak for Minot until we saw Kroll’s Diner.
The beauty of the diner was only surpassed by the great satisfaction I had in tangible proof that “mother knows best.” The diner offered delicious hand made malts and shakes. I asked if there was a tiny size because I wasn’t super hungry. The waitress pointed out a cup that held a children’s sized malt. She also cautioned that the regular size was HUGE. I made the executive decision that we would all get the kid size. Danny, having only recently recovered from the pool tragedy was beside himself. When the malts came in the small cups, he nearly perished before he could dramatically demonstrate that the malt cup was the same size as the water glasses at the table. Then they brought the mixer cans with the remainder extra which was at least an amount equal to what was in the cups. I held my gloat to a minimum when Danny left the table with a groan and a malt only half finished.
We walked home from the Diner under the hazy golden circle of a setting sun and discussed what would happen if the sun blew up. (Hint: not good) Even though it was 90 degrees out and we were stuffed, we still took advantage of the nightly fire on the terrace and the complimentary drink which sits, only 15% consumed, on my nightstand but nevertheless, a vey nice way to end a very nice day.
Tomorrow: More of the same on the other side of the border.
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