A Dart in the Map

 

  The question for us every year is, What are we doing on the Fourth?" Back when the kids were young and the family was around, the Fourth meant picnics with brats and potato salad and going to the parade in Greenbush or Warroad and watching the fireworks.

  But with the family scattered to the winds, we have to get creative. Last year we went to see the steel sculptures east of Birchdale along Highway 11. They're tricky to find and we had to ask a local for directions. He asked if we were going to the parade in Birchdale. Every year this tiny town blocks Highway 11 for ten minutes to have their parade. When we drove back through Birchdale we saw the orange cones by the roadside and a group of men headed for the beer tent. Too late!

  This year I suggested we drive down to Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge about 40 miles south and see if there were any hiking trails. We discovered the Maakstad Trail but it hadn't been mown this season probably due to wet conditions, and the grass was four feet high so we said no. A plaque by the trail said the eponymous Ole Maakstad was a Norwegian immigrant who had farmed in the refuge before being forced out by wet conditions back in the thirties.

  The plaque also noted Ole was buried in the Holt Cemetery. To round out the day we drove ten miles west to the tiny town of Holt and paid our respects. We stopped in Middle River on the way home and picked up some brats to go with the potato salad Teresa had made earlier, so it was a good old fashioned Fourth. I fell asleep to the faint lullaby of the fireworks way over in Warroad.

 The next day, Friday the fifth, Teresa was working for her sister Becky in her shop in Roseau. I had heard about a history walk in Warroad and got Steve Reynolds to join me. It was a perfect morning for walking around town with retired teacher Ron Tveit and museum director Brady Swanson listening to anecdotes about old Warroad and learning which buildings had burned down and when. It turns out brick buildings are much more durable.

  There was a good crowd of over fifty walkers. The older locals enjoyed naming all the businesses that had been in the various buildings over the decades. I noticed one guy in the group wearing a "Rewilding the Highlands" tee shirt.  I made a mental note to find out which highlands were being rewilded. Later, when he asked a question, he mentioned he was from Tennessee. After the tour I asked what had brought him to Warroad. He said it was a long weekend and his wife had a bunch of airline miles to use so they threw a dart at a map, aiming at the Midwest, and hit Warroad.

  He had me with his answer. The day before, Thursday the Fourth, he and his wife, Riley and Margaret by name, had flown to the Twin Cities and rented a car. They drove up the east side of Red Lake avoiding freeways and arrived at their Airbnb in Williams 20 miles east of Warroad. This drive would have been a reality check for any dart thrower. Friday morning they made their way to their target destination. Riley joined the tour and Margaret hung out on a bench by the library. She was on crutches so she skipped the tour. Sure, take two flights then drive 350 miles in a subcompact with crutches and a clunky leg brace. No problem. Tomorrow they’d drive back to Minneapolis and fly home the following day  

  Riley told me the best thing about travel is meeting people. Absolutely! I thought. I'm going to lay some Minnesota hospitality on these folks. "Friday is pizza night at our place," I said. "You're welcome to join us if you don't mind driving 35 miles." Of course they wouldn't mind.

  We had a most pleasant evening with Riley and Margaret. Steve joined us too (Jackie wasn't feeling great and stayed home). Riley is a nuclear engineer which may explain why they live in Oak Ridge. Margaret is a botanist and works for the National Ecological Observatory Network. We never learned their last names nor took their picture, but they know where we live and are welcome to stop in the next time their dart lands in our area.

Three princes of Serendip: There will be pizza.