home » stories » by mesearch within stories
This story took place in either June, July, or August of 1970. I know that it was not in 1971 because I know that Linda was living with Jesse at this time and she was not married until May 1971.
I wanted to spend some time with my grandfather Jesse at his place. The only obstacle was that I was living in Fargo and he was living in rural St. Cloud, about 180 miles apart. Some others might say that my being 12 was another obstacle, but I asked my dad and he gave me the green light. He also thought that the distance was pretty far, so he suggested giving me a head start by driving me to Barnsville, MN, making the new distance about 150 miles.
We left Fargo at about 5 a.m. on the chosen day and Dad drove me to Barnsville and I pedaled away. I hope (now) that my parents had talked to Grandpa about my coming to OK join him. Had I prepared well for this trip? No, only by having done a lot of biking. I know that I brought some money along, but I certainly didn't bring any sunscreen and possibly not a long-sleeve shirt at all. I probably had some means of carrying some things on my bike, but I have no recollection at this point. I do know that I didn't have a pump, a patch kit, or a new tube. But who needs those kind of things?
After being dropped off at Barnsville, I roughly followed I-94 on old U.S. 52 and other roads. So, I went through Rothsay, Fergus Falls, near Alexandria, Sauk Centre, Melrose, Freeport, Albany (where 10 years later I moved to teach), and then to Avon (where we sometimes would go to swim). I ate along the way, usually eating some small amounts each time. In Avon, I heard a pop and felt my tire go flat. It was about 8ish and I had no means to fix the tire/tube. I must have looked for a home from which I could call and I called Grandpa's house. (Whose idea was it for me to have his number? Or did I look it up?) Linda answered and she was willing to come and pick me up. She came with Grandpa's truck and I rode back on the last 25 (or so) miles. Therefore, I had ridden about 125 miles that day.
I had described where I was in Avon and Linda found me, brought me to Grandpa's. I likely got something more to eat and the went to bed out on the west enclosed porch where Grandpa slept in the summer. At this point, I don't recall how long I stayed there or how I got back, but likely Mom or Dad came and got me at some point. In the mean time, I lived and helped Grandpa with things he needed to be done. I had a good time.
Published 2026-06-12.
If you find any errors in the text, please let me know. Thanks. Contact me with errors or comments using hibbardac@gmail.com. [Back to the top] [About the author, Al]