A few years ago, I paid a surprise visit to my friend, Peanut, out in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In January.
It turned out to be one of the coldest weeks on record in Grand Forks, with temperatures reaching more than 30o below zero.
But, we had a blast. Peanut and her then-boyfriend took me all over Grand Forks, and enlightened me to its winter charms. We enjoyed an ice hockey game between Swedish and Finnish youth hockey leagues, and attended by professional league scouts looking for talent.
They took me to a store where one could buy both calf pullers and living room furniture. I opted to buy some Mane and Tail shampoo for horses and humans, some special hand cream for cowboys and a cool shirt with cattle-driving scenes on it.
I visited Cabela's, the famous sporting goods store, where there was a huge collection of stuffed wildlife artfully arranged on a faux mountain inside the store. There was a large selection of clothing, ice-fishing huts, snowshoes, special chains to wear on one's boots and just about anything needed for out-of-doors sports. It was very, very manly. And plaid.
Peanut turned me on to Culver's--home of the ButterBurger--a regional fast-food joint, where we enjoyed hunks of deep-fried cheese and french fries with cheese and hamburgers with cheese.
One day, while Peanut was busy with law school stuff, her then-boyfriend piled me into their inadequate-for-the-cold Japanese car, and drove me all over the North Dakota prairie on a bar-hopping excursion. We went from one town to the next, my feet getting colder by the mile, and found the seediest bars, where I had shots of whiskey. I am nothing, if not a drunken good sport.
I set out on my own a couple of times, on foot, and visited a Scandinavian shop where I bought some souvenirs for friends and family. I visited an antique shop, where I purchase a cool piece of retro fabric. I only lasted about 10 minutes out in the elements, because I'm a Southern Belle.
A few days later, we drove to Fargo, Peanut and I wrapped snugly in blankets in the back seat of the car, while then-boyfriend braved the frigid temperatures in the driver's seat. In Fargo, I found a store which sold all of my Scandinavian souvenirs for about half of the price I had paid in Grand Forks!
Every day, the car had to be cleared of snow and ice, started and warmed up, before it was usable. Parking lots had long poles with electrical outlets on them for people to plug in their car batteries so they wouldn't die. Frankly, it was an awful way to start the days.
Snow plows worked around the clock.
Still, people rose to those challenges, and a more cheerful collection of individuals I have never encountered.
With my North Dakota experience tucked under my belt, I set out today to drive up to DC to take my mother to a dentist appointment. Before I left, my husband commented on the bad weather, but I gamely assured him that I was sure there would be no problems. How bad could it be, right?
After all, there was only a half-inch or so on the roads. It's true that the roads were untreated, but still . . .
While traveling north, my mother called to tell me that it was snowing quite heavily where she was. Pressing on, I told her that I would be arriving in a couple of hours, even as I passed the first of many car wrecks on the roadside.
A short time later, I sheepishly called Mom to tell her that I wouldn't be able to make it, after all. The roads were a disaster.
Then I called Tony to tell him the same, and that I was turning around to come home.
All told, it took me roughly two hours to travel about 30 miles up and down the road. I made more U- and three-point turns this morning than I do in a year normally.
The main obstacles emerged when I tried to re-enter our community, where I found two of the three entrances inaccessible due to accidents and sliding vehicles on big hills.
The third time was a charm, however, and as I pulled into our driveway, my phone rang.
It was Tony, asking me where I was.
I love this post! Great story about visiting your friend (so YOU to travel to North Dakota in January. Sorry you weren't able to accomplish your mission but at least you made it home unscathed.
Posted by: Miz S | January 28, 2009 at 08:10 AM
Good story. I too am impressed by the No-Dakota-in-Jan trip. I've just got a feeling about you.... a touch eccentric perhaps? That's considered high praise in my world. It should have been in the Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they blah blah blah
Blessed are the meek,
for they blah blah blah
Blessed are the eccentric
for they shall make life worth living.
Posted by: Pam J. | January 28, 2009 at 04:31 PM