My Stupid Vacation to Fargo, ND

When Laura and I moved from Colorado, back to Minnesota, in June 2018, I told her there was one vacation that I really wanted to take. "I want to go to Fargo!" 

Of course that statement was met with a bemused look. "Okay... Why?" 

Growing up, both sides of my parents family were based in a 25 mile stretch, between Hawley, MN and Fargo, ND. When my family would drive up this way, to visit their family, we drove highway 10 from Coon Rapids, all the way to our destination. Which would be in whatever town we stopped at in that area. So what I really wanted to do once we got back to Minnesota was drive that same highway 10 route from Coon Rapids to Fargo. Stopping in every town along the way, to check out how it's changed from what I remember, 35-40 years ago. 

Stopping by all the tourist traps to giggle at all the Minnesota souvenirs!

Most importantly, I want pictures of as much of everything I can take. For the sake of creating a base to write out all of these stories. Which will most likely be an ongoing series here (10 Northwest?). There's just too much to cover in a single post. So I'll probably write about the drive, a town at a time, over the next however long I decide to do this.

Oh Shit!

A rare Oh Shit! sign, found in the wild of Hawley, MN. (Never mind...)

Memories of this highway 10 drive were etched into my memory early on in childhood. Nearly the entire route runs parallel to the Burlington Northern Rail Line. As a little kid, I remembered how that particular rail line interacted with each town along the way. Which fascinated me, and I looked forward to the next town, until we arrived where we were going. After these drives up north decreased in frequency, I still vividly remembered the railroad parts of each town, as it's defining feature to me. 

I kind of touched on that whole being a little kid and liking trains, and looking back on it some 40 years later, a few years ago. A long established Model Train hobby store in Denver was being demolished. Writing that story that included my childhood love of trains, a devastating fire at my parents home and my father's recent death after a long illness. Check out Abandoned Choo Choo if that interests you. It's one of my favorite stories! 

So this whole extended photography tour is an extension of that story.

I'd hoped to have done this photo taking roadtrip several years ago. Unfortunately, numerous issues kept popping up so this trip would go on hold, until the timing worked out better. Pretty much all of my vacation days in 2020, went to making up time thanks to Covid. Time in 2021 and 2022 were taken up by an illness that required many trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. (Where I found the most charming abandoned Kmart!)

After that situation cleared up, I set out on regenerating my lost vacation time at work. If nothing bad popped up out of nowhere again, I'd have a week of time by mid-September. I circled the second week of October on my calendar, and began making plans for My Stupid Dream Vacation to Fargo!

First up was drafting a "scavenger hunt" list of everything I wanted to see along the way, and once we got there.

Early incarnation of that list, before it moved to a digital copy.

I even broke out the BIG notepad for it!

Before I left, I told a co-worker that if I didn't come back with at least 2,000 pictures, something went very wrong. After returning and copying everything into the trusty Macintosh PowerBook G4 (who turns the big 2-0 next spring), totaled 3218 Images. Which did not yet include scans of postcards, receipts, etc., or any photos Laura took, from the trip. 

Which began on...

Sunday October 8, 2023

==================

I'd requested an 8am departure, and I was ready well before that. We left at 9:45. Putting us nearly 2 hours behind schedule. Normally I'm against schedules during down time and prefer to just wing it. But losing that nearly 2 hours of daylight would complicate what I wanted to accomplish today. Once it's dark, I can't take any more pictures, which is the entire point of the drive. By early October, light would start getting low around 6pm, with total darkness by 7pm.

Oh well, nothing ever goes exactly how you plan it.

Anoka

Technically we started in Coon Rapids, but that was just to drive onto the Round Lake Blvd. exit ramp onto westbound highway 10. In normal times, I would have used the Anoka 7th Avenue exit, but that was closed due to the ongoing construction. The goal of which is to make traffic flow up 10 better through Coon Rapids, Anoka and Ramsey. I guess there's another year or so of the project to go, before we know if it makes any appreciable difference.

This project included new bridges and intersections throughout town. There's even an A (for Anoka) logo, fastened on the new bridges. This interchange at Ferry Street will now feature one set of lights controlling an X shaped ramp system. Which should help traffic flow. It worked wonders at the Hanson Blvd/highway 10 intersection in Coon Rapids.

Just then I noticed the batteries in my digital camera were dying. I didn't put new ones in before we left, and had no idea how old these were. So I pulled off at Main street to put new batteries in the camera. The same exit that used to lead to the -now gone- Anoka Perkins and Pizza Hut. Work was being done on that land, but it was too early on to see what it was. Not too likely a place for boothrotting...

Back on 10, westbound...

Temporary construction traffic lights sit disabled on the side of the highway. Which is now getting very close to the cemetery. Lanes of traffic are weaving back and forth, depending on where work needed to be focused. This is year two of a three year (I think) reconstruction of highway 10, through Anoka and into Ramsey. It doesn't yet look like the final design, but it does look a whole lot different than it did 5 years ago.

Or 40 years ago...

Ramsey

Highway 10 is still torn up as you enter Ramsey, but it clears up past this abandoned Burger King.

Still empty, and a construction storage site now. I took a bunch of pictures after this place closed in 2020, but haven't gone back to update them. I can't see any changes to the property as long as the highway is still under construction, so I'll probably check back on things here, next spring.

Up next on the list of towns to cross is...

Elk River

Half of the new apartments on the former lands of Saxon Motors are open. The other half are still under construction. The whole plot of land sure looks different from when it housed an abandoned car dealership. And a soon to be demolished abandoned car dealership.

I'm going to hit the fast forward button to just southeast of St. Cloud. There was nothing very new or notable about Big Lake, Backer or Clear Lake. This part of the route has been covered to some extent in my two prior St. Cloud Roadtrip stories. Once, for a baseball card show, and for the recent arson of The Press Bar. 

Roughly where the tiny township of Cable is/was, I saw my first train of today's drive.

I'm pretending that tagging is covering up Mr. Bungle.

Just beyond that, you pass the maroon silo announcing the Minnesota Visitor Center (in the middle of the state?), the cement factory and the Minnesota State Prison, you're in...

St. Cloud

Road construction begins as you enter the outer retail circle of fast food, cheap motels, and car lots. That closed KFC isn’t a closed KFC anymore. Pure Pleasure south is demolished, Pure Pleasure north is still open. For gas stations, Kwik Trip and Holiday are going strong, But the third place gas station, tapped out since the last time I was coming through St. Cloud. The big SuperAmerica is now closed, and became the first official unplanned stop...

Luckily, there was a short turn lane to pull off 10, accessing the Americana Inn and other businesses. The first clue this place closed a while ago, was that it was still a SuperAmerica. The chain re-branded to Speedway, a few years back. Visual clues at the property lead me to believe this station closed in November 2020. The interior is pretty trashed. Some of the windows are boarded up, cooler doors are tagged, and the former cashier booth had been torn apart.

In short, it was awesome!

Back on the road!

The Highway 10 and St Germain intersection is going through yet another alteration, as part of the  construction that stretches through St. Cloud. Highway 10 is free and clear for a while after leaving St. Cloud. Sauk Rapids was smooth sailing, although I regret not exiting on Golden Spike Road, for a quick photo. "Perkins in the Pines" closed in 2018, and was demolished in 2020. Today it's an extension of an existing parking lot. But I did come by in 2019 and got some decent pictures. This was a food stop on nearly ever drive up north, in the early 1980's.

Just past the Gold'n Plump Poultry Campus, it's fun to see the Sauk Rapids Sugar Daddy's is open again. It had closed a few years back, and was on the market with an asking price of $850,000. Here's a set of interior pictures showing pretty much every room in the place, from the real estate agent, in April 2022. From the outside, the building couldn't look more boring. It's basically a pole barn. But the inside looked pretty decent for a rural titty bar.

Not too much further up highway 10, is the newer overpass bypassing the small town of...

Rice

Now you have to exit the highway via ramp, to access the BP/McDonald's combo. Years back there was just a standard intersection, controlled by a single flashing yellow light. The cross street leading into town had a single flashing red controlling their access to 10. They had to stop every time. Drivers on 10 didn't. Sounds so unsafe! Would sure hate to need to make a left turn out of Rice, onto northbound 10, with only a flashing red light controlling traffic...  Imagine that you really needed to go to...

Royalton

Because you heard they had some really hot deals on Antiques.

But there are no Antiques, and that cool old building is absolutely destroyed inside.

I don't know when this ceased being an Antiques store, but it looks like it's been a while. This building stood out to me, even as a little kid (pretty sure it still had that same Antiques sign on it back in 1983). So it was an automatic inclusion when I made the pre-trip photo list.

We pulled off the highway and parked a block in, behind this store. I walked around the roughly 2 block "business district" of Royalton. Even finding a vintage psychedelic 7-Up sign, that I remembered seeing in Hawley, MN, as a kid. Glad I found it too. It was no longer attached to any of the buildings in Hawley. After satisfying my downtown Royalton photo needs, we had one more stop before proceeding on...

One cannot simply drive through Royalton and NOT stop by Treasure City!

The tourist trap to end all tourist traps. And it's incredible. We walked through the store for way to long, looking at all sorts of cheap crap that no one needs, for way too long. But you get caught up in a large room packed full of attention grabbing loud colors and shiny objects. There's even a 200lb "Man Eating Clam" (No Your Mom jokes, please). I was so disappointed they didn't have Aunt Edna's old "I'm so horny the crack of dawn isn't safe" can coozie for sale... I looked.

But I did find a laser-etched wooden plaque commemorating my time as a Ginger.

Along side some vague positive inspirational crap. 

Yup, they nailed it... That's me...

Finding this little Slot Machine pencil sharpener was a huge deal for me though. A stop at Treasure City, when I was 8 or 9, brought this little toy to my collection. It either broke or got lost a few years later. But I always thought it was really cool. While I put no effort into seeing they still existed, it popped into my head, here and there over the years, and I kind of wanted it back. Well, here it is, 40 years later. I can and did replace it for only $4.95. The box it came in still looked like 1983 as well. 

Between the Antique shop and Treasure City, Royalton will have to be it's own story at some point.

But now we're seriously behind schedule, and we need to get to...

Little Falls

Laura wanted to pull off for food, but everything is way too busy. While turning down all of the options, it gave me the chance to get a few pictures of what reminded me of a mini-Riverdale. This part of Little Falls wasn't like this 40 years ago.

Back then, O'Reilly, Smokey's and Pizza Ranch was a Pamida Discount Center, before it was split in thirds.

If we had more time, I'd wanted to make the detour 12 miles east of here, to Genola, MN. Taking pictures of that area is also something I'd like to do. But my memories of that town are only 20 years old, not 40. So there's no real rush to accomplish anything there. Nothing much to write about between Little Falls and Randall (I'll talk about Randall on the way home). And if it weren't for this falling over billboard, I wouldn't have anything to talk about in...

Cushing

Going through here, highway 10 used to just be a single lane each way. So at some point, a big bunch of land was purchased and converted to freeway, slightly west of the towns it used to cut through. One of the most notable changes to this part of highway 10 goes around the town of...

Lincoln

Making a right turn off Highway 10, onto Azure Road, will take you on what used to be Highway 10. Not far from the highway is this railroad bridge. It was built new in 1985, replacing a much narrower span, crossing the tracks below. When this bridge was going up, one side of the road was closed at a time, with temporary stoplights to allow only one direction of traffic to cross at a time. To alert traffic of this surprise stop, rumble bars were installed in the road. I'd never seen them before, and it was explained that was to get your attention as a driver, so you'd look at the signs alerting you to an unplanned delay.

And I have no idea why that pointless memory stands out so clearly now. But it does, so we had to stop at this bridge so I could walk around and take pictures of it.

Oh, Fish Trap Lake is rising.

So roll up your pants.

Here's the point where old highway 10 ends.

The new highway comes in from the left and continues straight into the town of...

Motley

40 years ago, this was all just a 2 lane road, one each direction, with thick trees on both sides. There were some hills in here, but they've been smoothed out with the freeway going in. Another casualty of highway expansion was the old Long Prairie River bridge. It used to be a cool mesh of angled steel girders, covering the river. Now it's just a boring, flat, cement platform allowing safe and uneventful passage.

Good, the Morey’s Fish Sign still has the big fish on top of it!

And a little further up the street, is the...

Olde Tyme Trading Post 

I did make the drive up to Hawley with my dad, back in 2004. I had no digital camera at the time. My cell phone didn’t even have a camera on it. Not to mention that driving and shooting a 35mm camera wasn't a cost effective method of documenting the drive up Highway 10. We stopped at the Olde Tyme Trading Post, on the way home. I bought a copy of Life Magazine, from 1957, with the feature story being the (baseball) Giants moving from New York City to San Francisco. 

Laura and I stopped to check the place out (and use the restroom). She bought a small bowl of pumpkin flavored ice cream...

I bought an empty tin of Red Owl brand Powdered Sage. The date on the tin said 1948. The woman running the store asked if I collected Red Owl merchandise. Not really, but if I see something I want, I’ll pick it up, but I don’t go out of my way.

Later that night I opened the tin and sniffed the inside. Didn’t smell like sage. More like rust and mold. 

Not sure why I did that…

Laura found a Phillips 66 road map from 1970, which paired up with the tin of Sage, quite nicely.

Then she added a small strip of Hubert H. Humphrey 1976 election stickers.

All of this great old school booty was ours for the bargain price of $20!

Again, we stuck around too long and were even further behind my flexible schedule. 

After all, we gots to get to...

Staples

As you approach town, Highway 10 now splits. This is new (to me). In every travel I’d made through Staples before, the divided highway converts back into a single lane each way as you drive through town. Today, Highway 10 continues a block south as a 4 lane road. Old highway 10 has reverted back to its previous identity, as 2nd Ave. If didn’t know this used to be highway 10, 2nd Ave offers no clues. Even the old traffic lights have been removed from the intersection with 4th Street.

Standing out in my mind since I used to look out the car windows to see the old Staples Theater, just up the street. According to Cinema Treasures, the single screen Staples Theater opened in 1930 and closed in 2014. I distinctly remember coming through Staples in 1984 and seeing Ghostbusters on the marquee. I hadn’t seen Ghostbusters yet and really wanted my parents to stop for it. But my dad wasn’t into that idea for some reason.

I parked the car and walked around town for pictures, after getting the theater, I walked south a block to the Staples Railroad Depot building. Which is used as the Chamber of Commerce today, as well as an Amtrak station, when those trains come through. Staples used to house a big rail yard and switch house, serving as a major rail hub until the 1980’s when that all closed. Tracks continued on to Fargo from Minneapolis, and branched off to Duluth (the set of tracks that run through the center of Motley) from here. 

Getting back on highway 10 to leave town, it’s very noticeable how much the railroad presence is now absent from Staples. (At least The Spot Cafe is still open, along with their cool neon sign.) Lines of waiting trains used to extend beyond the city limits to the north. Railway buildings lined the highway, which have been cleared to allow for the additional lanes. 

My inner child is very disappointed by Staples.

Although the abandoned theater is still all sorts of awesome.

Speaking of disappointing, here's...

Aldrich

The smallest town on the Highway 10 route to Fargo. Only 48 people lived here, according to the 2010 Census. 30 years ago, it was almost twice that. Their old green city sign used to list the population as 88. So times must have gotten tough in Aldrich. The Googlesmobile didn't bother with driving most of the town, and after I did, I can kind of see why. Coming out of Staples and going all the way to Wadena, Highway 10 was still just 2 lanes, the last time I’d come through.

And what happened to the old Aldrich cheese shop on 10, with the bright yellow neon?

I’d never left Highway 10 coming through Aldrich before. But this building was the reason I pulled off today. No idea how old it is, or what its previous use was (bank? general store?), but it looked really cool. Would love to have seen inside. Other than another boarded up commercial looking building (with a ridiculous pro-Drumpf poster stuck to it) down the road, dowtown Aldrich was mostly houses. Some of which were actually lived in!

Back on 10, so we can check out...

Verndale

Roughly 13 times as many people live in Verndale, than live in Aldrich. And that's still not even 700 people! Many years ago, my dad had relatives that lived somewhere on the southwest side of town. We visited a few times on drives through, back in the mid 1980's. We didn't check today, but I'm thinking they probably weren't home.

Verndale was notable to me for the old Burlington Northern caboose, resting comfortably in McNair Park. Though I wish they were taking better care of it. Since the concept of cabooses was dropped as a cost cutting measure, in the 1980's. Finding one in the wild today, especially still painted in their original colors, is quite a rarity. As a little kid, I liked waving at the guys sitting up in the top seats, as the trains crossed the streets. 

After I walked around McNair Park, we drove through downtown Verndale. A decent amount of people were milling around town, so we got back on 10 and forged on toward...

Wadena

The highway narrows back down to 2 lanes, a few miles before reaching town. I'm assuming that's because buying up the land for freeway expansion, from the rural businesses lining the road. Although the big, smelly chicken coups between Verndale and Wadena were empty. At least they were still there. I did get pictures. One of my favorites being this shot of a closed off railroad spur. So glad I timed it right and achieved a difficult focus, on this shot. 

40 years ago, the railroad branched off and went north, crossing highway 10 pretty much exactly where I snapped this picture. I never saw a train use these rails during my limited exposure. About 35 years ago, an "Oh Shit" sign was affixed to the crossing markers.

Roughly around the same time this joke as made. In November, 1990, I took Drivers Ed at the high school, with my two best friends at the time. We screwed around and didn't take it seriously and were immature 15 year old jackasses (damn it was fun!) until we were yelled at quite convincingly to shape up or be kicked out. One of the things we discovered was that a pencil eraser easily removed the ink off the Drivers Ed manual. Most of the diagrams were altered, including the road signs. The "Exempt" railroad crossing sign now became the "Oh Shit" sign.

Because we were immature 15 year old jackasses.

I don't know when the tracks were officially removed. The land to the north had been somewhat smoothed down, and you could not tell that railroad tracks went through here. The highway 10 pavement shows no evidence of a tracks cutting through. So it's been a while.

Believe it or not, the picture of that rail line ending was one of my most desired of the entire trip!

Wadena Holiday gas station is now a log cabin! 

The Holiday of my youth is not the Holiday of today. Back in 1984, I bought Weird Al Yankovic's first album on cassette here. Well not here because that building had been demolished and replaced by the typical Holiday Brand Convenience Store. It was no longer a tightly condensed version of the great Holiday Superstores, Minnesota's own WalMart, before we had WalMart. It kind of saddened me, and I opted to not go inside. 

Even though I was parked just behind its back wall. Laura was still hungry and wanted to take a McDonalds break. Knowing how much their McFood would mess with me while driving, I was hesitant... She was persistent despite my protests. Oh well, I'm hungry too. 

While eating, I started looking up the June 2010 tornado that ripped through town. Notable because my parents had been on this same highway 10 trip to Fargo, and went through Wadena within days of the natural disaster. My mom took some pictures of tornado damage on her 35mm camera, but didn't realize it was set to panoramic. Years ago, she gave me a set of these photos, and my mission for Wadena was to try and match up those old photos with today. Using the assistance from the Googles, I found a few of the locations, but most of the pictures didn't match up with anything I saw online.

The old Wadena High School was destroyed by the tornado, and was rebuilt to look completely different.

I did take a current day picture from roughly the same spot.

And McDonald's did attack quickly. Luckily before we left town. 

So I did end up going to Holiday after all...

Highway 10 didn't return to a 4 lane freeway for a couple of miles west of Wadena. It was nice to see the old sights mostly intact through that stretch of road. The Wadena County Fairgrounds look the same. Merickel Lumber is still going strong. That double level motel with the red walls and white railing, is now renting as apartments. As is the single level, blue and white motel. Both still look pretty decent. 

After blowing past Blufffton, we needed to pull off the highway again, because I wanted to see...

New York Mills

My dad went to school in New York Mills, but that school wasn't there anymore. We didn't go through New York Mills very often on our drives to Fargo, since you have to leave the highway, and there's little to do in town for a traveler. So I didn't have a whole lot that I could relate to in 2023, with my only frame of reference coming on July 4th, 1984.

New York Mills celebrated the town's centennial by renaming their "main street" as Centennial 84 Drive, which connects to both sides of highway 10, where it swerved to bypass the town. My family came up for the big 4th of July celebration, which became a family reunion of sorts with cousins, aunts and uncles I hadn't seen much of. I remember it being very hot.

My dad and I, eating ice cream in Central Park, July 4th, 1984.

I was SO disappointed the Elevator buildings behind the park were gone.

Someone moved the picnic tables too...

And I looked all over, but couldn't find this parade float...

Back in a 1998 episode of the Dr. Demento show, the weekly Demented News feature (put together by Whimsical Will) ran a story that referenced New York Mills, MN, as a "noted think-tank". I laughed and laughed.

Laura fell asleep in the car while I was walking around the city streets. She didn't wake up when I got back in the car either. I started driving to the western side of town, and up a road that led to a mini-storage and New York Mills very own Dollar General. Only when I pulled into a driveway to turn around, I hear a very groggy: "Where are we?"

Getting back on the highway soon. 

Since daylight was going to fade soon, we decided to hold off on visiting Perham, until the drive home. Because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to stop in...

Frazee

So we could see the...

World's Largest Turkey!

This 22 foot tall Turkey statue, sits at the top of a hill, overlooking the entrance to Lions park. Where I climbed down some semi-sketchy stairs and found the remnants of a dam, allowing draining of a small lake, in to a smaller creek, flowing off to the south. Someone spray painted "Yo Mama" on one of the aged concrete dam platforms. But you'll have to wait for my detailed Frazee, MN. story for those pictures. As well as the one I took of the highly crusty restrooms. A hand written sign on the door warns you they are bad, and to just drive into town, to use the facilities at All in All Sinclair. 

Which was where we parked and Laura waited while I walked around Frazee. This was another town set off the freeway that we rarely drove into when I was a kid. Which is why I wanted to get a good look at it now. And I was glad I did. Frazee offered up a nice selection of older buildings in its "downtown".

One of my favorite's being Klemm's Service!

By the time we left Frazee, it was pretty much too dark to take pictures while driving.

Now, we were only about 10 miles from...

Detroit Lakes

Which will be covered better on our drive home. But another highly desired photo was this railroad crossing, west of Detroit Lakes. The tracks branch off and go to the south. I have waited for trains here before, and it must be an active line since there isn't any "Oh Shit" signs around.

Speaking of signs that's not there now... There used to be a white, rectangular sign near the railroad tracks that read: Richard's Spur. Assuming a reference to the spur in the tracks. Years ago, that sign always had a block of miscolored paint after the r in Spur. Someone would inevitably paint an "M" at the end as soon as it was removed. Often saw it covered, but a couple of times, I did see the sign reading: Richard's Spurm. Even if it's spelled wrong, that's still funny!

This was the last picture I took before we got to our hotel, the Hawley AmericInn. Which was still about 25 miles away. Too dark for more photos, so Audubon and Lake Park are just going to have to wait. 

Hawley

AmericInn motel room, featuring a nice jetted tub, even though it didn't fill deeper than knee high. A TV to watch the Twins lose to the Houston Astros, in the ALDS. (The fact that the Twins were in the ALDS means they finally won a post season game, three in fact!)

I set up the Mac PowerBook G4 on the table for some writing and Laura started doing internetty stuff on her computer. 

Almost like we were still at home!

Monday October 9, 2023

==================

I woke up a little bit after 9am, took a shower in a dangerously slippery motel bathtub, and ate a surprisingly decent motel breakfast. Laura was making a couple futile attempts to get out of bed, but soon gave up on that. She said she wasn't feeling well, and wanted to sleep longer. I told her I was going to go out driving around, and when she was awake and ready, I'd come back and pick her up. Then we'd figure out what to do later.

This goes back to a conversation we had about a week before embarking on this voyage of dumbness. I hinted at the contents of my scavenger hunt, and she asked: "It's ok if I don't go with on a lot of this, right?"

Absolutely!

She went back to sleep and I gathered up and left. Crossing over to the north side of highway 10, and the familiar street of Hawley. I'd only driven myself around Hawley a few times, none in the last 20 years, but once I got on the streets, I remembered where I was going. With a population around 2,200 (2219 people in 2020), Hawley was a fairly large town, compared to many on the route. Meaning there was a bit more of a downtown to walk around. 

I drove past my grandmother's old (Adam's Way) apartment and turned left onto 6th Street, up to Front Street.

Where I parked in front of this vacant lot.

Well, the one in the distance. Between the two brick buildings, on Front Street. (The Garrick Theater is the two story brick building, on the left side.) My strongest memory of downtown Hawley came from visiting the grocery story that used to operate out of of storefront in the cluster of buildings that filled this gap. That was at least 40 years ago, if not longer. A few days later, I asked my aunt about it. She said the name of the grocery store was Jack n’ Jill, and that the floors were very uneven and the building became unsafe. I saw it was gone when I using the Googles to scout possible photo stops. Bummed me out because I really wanted a picture of that building. 

At least the elevator (west of the railroad tracks), was intact. Though it didn't look very operational today. Something I appreciated in each of these towns, was the size of the elevators, and how they displayed the town identity.

After shooting pictures of the elevator, I walked a several block loop back to Front Street. Where I encountered such wonderous places as the Hawley Fire Department, the Hawley Community Center, Hawley Implement, Hawley Lanes (featuring the Three Fingers Pub), the former Hawley Motors, the State Bank of Hawley, that sweet Rexal Drug sign, Hawley Family Dentistry, the Hawley Library, Hawley Chiropractic, Hawley Co-Op Creamery, the Hawley Herald, the City Hall of Hawley, Hawley Chamber of Commerce, Hawley Emergency Response Team... And earlier this morning... Hawley Wood Lumber.

Once my downtown Hawley photo needs were satisfied, I drove down to Valley Street, which serves as a frontage road for highway 10. Which also has it's own, very narrow, underpass with the railroad tracks going overhead. On the other side, I drove down 5th avenue, to check out a few points of interest.

Like the elevator, from the east side of the railroad tracks.

5th avenue runs parallel to the railroad tracks, then is suddenly closed and dead ends. This is somewhat new. A road used to cross the winding Buffalo River multiple times, while going back east to 240th street, just outside of town.

You can still cross it via the Googles, dating back to September 2013. 

Nothing much of interest in the residential areas around town, and the usual light industrial and farm equipment fronting the highway. Though retail was gaining a stronger presence along 10. Convenience stores and a couple fast food places have popped up over the last 20 years. Plus a decent sized grocery store, next to the church my extended family attends. Hawley had definitely grown since the last time I'd seen it.

Now I had to make up my mind as to what I'm doing next. I haven't heard from Laura, so I don't know if I should go back to the motel or not. It hasn't been all that long, so I might as well move on to some of the other areas I wanted pictures of. Let's see if gas station zen brings clarity.

The Arco / Express Lane convenience store provided a local map showing the area between Hawley and Fargo. But I decided to go the opposite direction. We're saving Detroit Lakes for the drive home, so I'll just go to Audubon and work my way back.

Audubon was really boring, so I snapped a few pictures while driving around town, without even getting out of my car. From here I'll go back west to check out Lake Park, with a brief stop by Boyer Lake along the way. Take note of the height of the water, compare to highway 10 above its left bank.

Looks nice, but not very exciting...

Not like 13 years ago, when  my parents took this picture of Boyer Lake...

When the water levels kept rising higher and higher. Eventually, highway 10 had to be raised up a few feet to keep from flooding. I found a story on DL Online, from April 2009, talking about possible solutions to the rising lake. But I didn't find anything that said how the problem was resolved. 

Highway 10 doesn't seem much higher today...

Speaking of, Lake Park had something awesome to offer me, before I even left the highway to go into town. 

A strangely pieced together and completely vacant strip mall. This odd combination of mismatched buildings seemed to be all different ages and sizes. the interiors ranged from cluttered to clear. The Googles offers some information. the middle part was the oldest, with a previous life as a gas station and auto garage, that morphed into a large classic car collection. The structure on the right side was added between 2009 and 2013, and featured several stores and an ice cream shop on the end. The left side was started in 2021, but I don't think it was ever completed. 

This complex was still open in September 2022, but a year later was completely empty.

Kind of sad with as cool as it looked 5 years earlier.

In order to get to downtown Lake Park, you have to drive up 2nd Avenue. A few blocks in, you pass St. Francis Xavier church. Where I was baptized on 4-20-1975. That sort of thing is more important to people other than me. 

Today was Columbus Day. Meaning the banks were closed, and I could park in their lot without anyone noticing or caring. My Lake Park walk around downtown was notable right away, thanks to Jeff's Food Center.

Currently getting a new roof!

Well, the front entrance isn't boarded up, so I wonder what can be seen. But I'm guessing with the roof renovations, I'm expecting the store itself to be gutted.

Not at all! I couldn't see much, but there's a nice old staircase and some classic antique display coolers! Thanks, Jeff's Food Center! From there, I walked around several blocks of downtown Lake Park, then over to the large city park on the east side of town.

Even though it will reopen next summer, I always love seeing an empty, uncovered large swimming pool. They just make cool pictures. Especially with some light fluffy clouds in the deep blue sky. After making my rounds through town, I went back to the car. Before leaving, I decided to walk up to the railroad bridge, and take some pictures up there. 

I wasn't standing on the bridge for very long before I heard a train coming. It was heading east, so I took a picture of it approaching, then I crossed the road to get some shot of it continuing east, under my feet. Most likely, in about 4 hours, this train will be passing under the Main and Round Lake bridges, in Crapids. Walking back down off the bridge, I momentarily got distracted by taking pictures of the graffiti on passing rail cars. Occasionally you see something really nice looking. But most of them are terrible.

Perhaps my favorite, are the ones where you can tell the artist was scared off by something and had to flee before finishing. Sometimes you'll even see the paint trail off where they started running.

Whatever... Where to next?

I still had not heard back from Laura, so I opted to stay out a bit longer. I'm guessing she's still sleeping. Leaving Lake Park, I say a sign for an intersection with County Highway 1. Also known as Cormorant Lakes Drive. Which would lead to Cormorant Village and Upper Cormorant Lake. 

Approaching the County Road 4 intersection on Cormorant Lakes Drive, actual rumble bars are placed to wake you up after nearly 10 miles of dull two lane road. After another few miles of dull two lane road, you start to see more signs of civilization.

The Roadhouse sits at the intersection of County Road 4 and County Road 5. 40 years ago, the Lakes Drive In stood on this plot of land. They had really good greasy cheeseburgers, that tasted EXACTLY like the old Double Stacks that Wendy's sold. Before they changed their beef patties, in the mid 2000's. I don't remember exactly, but I think the Lakes Drive In was closed and gone by 1990.

Continuing down County Road 5 takes you in to Cormorant Village. A small cluster of civilization that owes it's survival to the travelers who visit the surrounding cluster of lakes and recreation areas. In 2023, Cormorant Village consists of a liquor store, a real estate office, a bar/restaurant/venue, community center, a vacant retail store named Sassy Pants and...

Cormorant Store. According to their own merch, the store goes back to 1872. I'm sure the building has gone through many changes over the years. It's about a medium sized grocery store in size, with a decent hardware and outdoors section. No fresh meat or produce, but just about anything else you'd need if you were staying in a cabin for a week or so. Plus a full sized convenience store section, that also dealt with the gas pumps.

The store it was today bared little resemblance to 30 years ago. The cafe on the side of the building was long gone. When I was here today, there was a small crew of workers building something in there. Possibly expanding the retail floor?

I saved the heart of the matter for last. The reason I drove off the main path to this areas was my grandfather's cabin was on Upper Cormorant Lake. I last saw it in June 2000. I was last inside it in April 1993. I was already dismayed at the new house construction going down Ideal Beach Lane. A now ironic address.

Wow... This just looks so wrong...

Yup, the suburbs have invaded... 

The office is gone too. 

I wish I had a picture of it.

My grandfather built this cabin in the early 1970's. He sold it in 1995 (I think). It looks great today, after several renovations. The triple windows, used to be a garage. The brick cabin next door dates back at least 50 years. So as different as his cabin looks today, it stands out because of its neighbor.

Looks great, but not what it was.

Lotsa fun and fond memories at this cabin.

My loop around the Cormorant brought me right back to Lake Park, and a happy little abandoned gas station as I hit town!

Formerly known as The Lake Place. With a selling point of "Minnows Leeches Crawlers Worms" above your front door, how can you go wrong? The fact that I couldn't buy gas here alerted me to the fact that I needed to fill the Honkquinox. Which I did at the Casey’s across the highway. Complete with a couple slices of Casey's awesome sausage pizza. 

I ate entirely too much Casey's pizza while driving around Hawley on my stupid vacation!

After getting back to the Hawley AmericInn, Laura was still not up for doing anything, so I watched the Phillies almost beat the Braves. Losing in the bottom of the 9th, after leading the whole game. She was doing whatever she was doing, and I spent a great deal of time working on a story that no one will read.

My old zine, Wasted Quarter, was started 30 years ago, in October, 1993. So I was working on a story to honor that event. The honor I chose was to post a ridiculously long list of words, sentences and phrases, that were pulled from my writing archive. Stuff I've written or said, and anything else you can imagine. If I wrote it down, from whatever source, it made this massive list.

Googles slapped a explicit content warning on my story, for obscene language. Which I can see. There are far more uses of a word that starts with "F" and ends with "uck" (and I'm not talking about firetruck), than I typically use. There are also many instances of thoughts that possibly create mental pictures that could be rather disturbing, once stripped of context.

Which was the entire point of this story. An absolute flood of content with absolutely no context.

Either way, thanks to the Googles stamp of displeasure, NO ONE has read the story. To date, it has a mere 8 hits. About half of those were me, testing to see if the story could be accessed via several different means.

So that bums me out. I spent a ridiculous amount of time putting it all together and and it will forever be ignored because of my own foul language. In a way, I'm okay with that, because it seems somewhat fitting for what it is. I'm not going to argue that it's got objectionable words and thoughts, if you want to interpret it that way. I'm not even going to hold a grudge at the Googles over it. Anyone who really wants to read it will. That includes the limited audience who understands it and would want to read it. 

But the story is finished. I don't care if it's labeled "offensive" by anyone. I stand by it and what I was trying to say with it, and I'm moving on. 

Tuesday October 10, 2023

===================

Laura and I were up late last night, and she again wasn't feeling up for it, after eating our cheap motel breakfast. Telling me to go and check back with her in a few hours, if she was feeling better, I'd drive back and we'd do something. So she went back to bed and I went out to Highway 10.

As I figured out my route, I drove up to the Hawley Rodeo. Which is kind of underwhelming, now that I've seen it in person. I remember hearing about the great Hawley Rodeo as a kid, and there not even provided seating. Glad I saw it. About 10 or so miles south of here was the site of another local event that known in the county, but not outside of it...

The Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion, in Rollag, MN. Or as I always know of, from advertising around my grandfather's cabin, the Rollag Threshing Show. I'd never been to Rollag before. But since I knew of the name, because I knew of the location and significance, it made sense to get some pictures of town.

Same can be said for the tiny town of Downer, MN, about 10 miles west of Rollag. I been through Downer before, since it was on a straight route to Moorhead, after it intersects with I-94.

I just wanted a picture of the Downer sign. 

Because that sentiment rules!

This was just a quick drive through both towns, since I forgot to do that yesterday, when I was visiting the Cormorant area. A ten or so mile drive up from Downer, on County Road 9, would put you right back at highway 10, on the outskirts of Glyndon. 

With the much larger than I remember it being, dirt tracked Buffalo River Speedway, on the northeast corner. But I'm going west into Glyndon right now. Another town I don't have a lot of specific memories of. The Highway Host restaurant is gone. Even though the building isn't. Just a slightly larger ARCO convenience store now. 

My interest in Glyndon had a railroad twist. I was looking for the railroad spur, that previously crossed highway 10. Before going on north of town. Remember crossing these tracks on the way to Dilworth, 30-40 years ago. But Googles showed me these tracks had been removed as well.

I found the end of the tracks on a gravel road leading past the Glyndon elevators, before entering a trailer park. Had to be obnoxious living less than 20 feet from railroad tracks, before they were decommissioned. 

The end of those railroad tracks, taken from the Highway 10 perspective.

Now we can go to Dilworth, without any threat of an oncoming train!

Used to be, if you wanted to see oncoming trains, Dilworth is/was the place to go! The town was founded as a train station, and continues today as one of BNSF Railroad's busier hubs. 

Dilworth's railroad history is honored in Whistle Stop Park, in the center of town, with an old steam powered locomotive. Unfortunately, they put a really small cover over it, so getting a decent picture is impossible. There was no cover over the engine 40 years ago... I get why it's needed. But go bigger so you can actually see what's under it.

Break time at the Dilworth Casey's, I called Laura after eating a slice of Casey's pizza. She had just woke up. I asked her if I should come back to get her, as I about to cross a few photo targets off my list in Moorhead. She said as long as we can go back tomorrow, she'll stay at the motel today.

Cool, I can split my Fargo/Moorhead scavenger hunt list between two days! 

First was taking highway 75 north, then weaving around the residential areas to find the house my mom grew up in. Looks a lot different now, and would imagine the interior has undergone a great deal of updating, since I last saw it in 1991. 

Camper Van Beethoven's Key Lime Pie was one of the cassettes I listened to endlessly during that 1991 Fargo/Moorhead visit. This album still brings this area to mind, whenever I hear it.

Especially Jack Ruby.

After some more exploring of that part of town, I returned to highway 75 south, for my next stop on the tour. An abandoned Burger King, found via the Googles Maps. A somewhat recent and nice remodel, only to close in April of this year. Taking pictures of this place... Kinda made me feel... You know...

BLEESSED

Earlier this summer, my mom gave me a newspaper article about the Moorhead Center Mall. The mall opened in 1973, and the story said that all leases will be terminated on or before December 31st, 2023. Moorhead Center Mall would be demolished soon after. In fact, demolition of the west side of the mall had already begun inside Herbergers, which closed in 2018.

In total, 9 blocks will be cleared for construction of one of those "lifestyle centers", mixed used retail/residential configuration. No question that by this point in the Moorhead Center Mall's life cycle, it's better used as anything but a shopping mall. Moorhead's city hall is currently the mall's biggest anchor. And from what I understand, will remain as Moorhead's functional capital while the mall and surrounding buildings are demolished. 

I know that I'd been here at least a few times, though not in the last 30 years. But the idea of taking pictures of a doomed shopping mall was too great to pass up. While I'd been wanting to make this trip for over 5 years, news of Moorhead Center Mall's closure was the tipping point to make it happen now.

Another Great Place to Shop

"Yeah, we're great... I guess... I mean you can go anywhere really... We're tired..."

That tagline just sounds defeated. And considering the mall turned 50 this year, I get it. From the looks of that very 1990's Saved by the Bell inspired logo, Moorhead Center Mall went through it's quarter-life crisis believing it was still as hip and cool as Fargo's West Acres. 

But it wasn't.  

That logo might say 1995, but the interior cannot help but say 1973. It's dark, the hallways are narrow and the storefronts are tired. I don't think you could do much to this place to update it to the point where it mattered again. The Moorhead Center Mall has simply reached its expiration date. About 20 years ago. Just that no one told it... Today it was less than 10% leased, and that's being generous. 

I wanted to buy something while I was here, hopefully getting a receipt from one of the few remaining merchants inside the mall, that said Moorhead Center Mall on it. I wandered through a closing drug store, but they didn't have anything I was interested in. Even the candy bards were There was a large antique flea market in one of the larger storefronts. 

Wandering around I found a couple things that seemed kind of cool. Then I was shocked by finding an officially printed representation of "Beer Root and Dogs Hot Eat" for $30. Which I passed on for being ridiculous, and now I regret because looking into it, that wasn't a bad price. About to give up on finding something cool, when I saw a long desired personal holy grail item in the front display window.

Something I last saw at an antiques shop in 1998, in Ogallala, Nebraska. With a price tag of nearly $100. Rightfully turned down then...

Yes, this sweet vintage Pac Man Lunchbox does include the thermos. Which I did not open. Just in case there is 40 year old milk rotting under the twist-off drinking cup.

Thanks Clint Armstrong. Although I hope shortly after your mom wrote your name on the other side, that your lunchbox wasn't stolen by schoolyard bullies. Who then sold it on the black market. Where it traded hands for the next 40 years, in a series of low level, non-documented transactions. Eventually finding it's way into a doomed and dying shopping mall, in Moorehead, MN. 

I guess if that is really what happened to your lunchbox, Clint, I may be obligated to return it at some point.

But I'll make you prove it first.

(Nice bonus 420 in the Moorhead Center Mall address!)

Because I have a documented transaction! 

Your beef is with FMA at Booth 25, and not me!

And you'll have to catch me, because I'm fleeing the state!

Fargo, here I come!

Crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge, over the Red River, into North Dakota. Just a few blocks in, I turned north on Broadway, for some more checks on my scavenger hunt list. Still upset the sun messed up my shot of the...

Fargo Theater. I'd hoped for a decent picture of that unique sign. On the whole, I would have really liked a whole lot more clouds and less sun on this trip. Would have made a bulk of these photos a lot better. 

Damn you nice days!

A bit further up Broadway is St. Mary’s Cathedral. My parents were married here in 1967.

So that's pretty significant for me. 

From here, I weaved some city streets west, until I reached N University Drive, for some other targets. Including where my grandfather worked and where my mom was caught in the infamous Fargo F5 tornado of June 1957. 

All this driving has worked up quite an appetite, and it's time to visit another key landmark on my stupid vacation:

In August 2023, the Gods of Fast Food past sent me an unbelievable Burger Time signal. One that was too powerful to be ignored. Not only was it time to write my (long anticipated?) story about the Coon Rapids Burger Time, I was instructed to make a pilgrimage to a currently existing Burger Time restaurant for field research.

That story is coming soon... Maybe for X-Mess?

If you're good!

And I mean good like a yummy delicious Burger Time Bigger Bacon Cheeseburger, with pickles, onions and ketchup. I ate my first one since 1996, today. While sitting in the car, listening to a Twins game on the radio. Just as I did on my first visit to the Coon Rapids Burger Time, in 1988.

For this moment, it was the greatest fast food cheeseburger I'd ever eaten...

(Although Griff's puts up a serious challenge...)

After a fantastic lunch, I continued driving west on Main, to Interstate 29 north, to 19th Avenue. Past the NDSU Beef Research facility, past the Fargo International Airport and directly into the parking lot of the...

Fargo Dome!

Just like Las Vegas has it's residency acts at certain casinos, I've always pictured that at any given moment, Garth Brooks is driving circles in a monster truck, while roping cattle, inside the Fargo Dome. 24-7, unless college football is happening. Streams of people are constantly going in and out, just to drink beer and watch him all day long. 

Playing over the P.A.... Chris Gaines!

Okay... That was really stupid.

Time go back to the hotel and watch the rest of the Twins loss to Houston. Then we're going to pick up a few things in Detroit Lakes and get dinner. Hopefully get to sleep somewhat earlier. Laura said she would get up in the morning and we'd go back to Moorhead and then Fargo. Since we're going home on Thursday, tomorrow would be our last day in town, and I still had a couple of big targets to get. So I was going with or without her.

Wednesday October 11, 2023

======================

Laura did wake up and get ready and was on the road with me at a reasonable hour. Up first was a ten or so mile drive northeast of Hawley, to the tiny town of Hitterdal. No real reason, I just wanted to visit Hitterdal.

I parked on the street and did a quick walk around all 2 blocks of downtown Hitterdal. Then drove to a better vantage point for the customary elevator photo. The sun was going to be difficult in terms of pictures today. Well, Hitterdal was fun... Time to go back to Hawley, for another stop on our way to Moorhead.

My grandparents (my father's side) grave at the Hawley Cemetery. I remember coming up here in the spring of 1986, when my grandfather was buried. He died in January, but the ground was frozen, so his body had to wait. This was the first death I experienced were burial took places months after death. I understood it, but it seemed strange to me. My mom and sister didn't come with, so it was just a trip for my dad and I. If I remember right, we left early that morning and drove back home immediately after.  

And now, Laura and I were on our way to Moorhead. She was upset that I went to Burger Time yesterday, as she wanted to go. But I went to the Fargo Burger Time, yesterday. Today I want to go to the Moorhead Burger Time!

Just as delicious as yesterday! The cashier noticed me taking pictures, and I explained that we had driven up from Minneapolis to get food here. I showed her a picture of the completely trashed Coon Rapids Burger Time remains, I had taken a few months ago on my phone. She called her co-worker over to look at the picture. She even gave us a few bonus cookies with our order, for being "super fans". 

It's a damn good fast food burger!

Our plan for the afternoon was to visit the Hjemkomst Center, by the banks of the Red River. Before we went into the museum, I walked down to the access point, under the bridge. A floating dock extended out into the water, but nothing was around to use it. 

The Red River looks like a sickly tannish green right now. There is a really cool "Moorhead Parks" arched sign between the bridge supports, but this picture doesn't show it off too well. 

To the Hjemkomst Center we go!

The Hjemkomst is a 76 foot long ship, built by a former Moorhead school teacher (my mom was a student of his), between 1972 and 1980. The ship was assembled inside an old warehouse, in Hawley (which is no longer there), before moving to Duluth, MN. From there, it navigated the Great Lakes and out to the Atlantic Ocean. It's ultimate destination was Bergen, Norway, arriving on July 19, 1982. Once it returned to the States, it made a few stops from the east coast, and eventually back to Moorhead. Where a museum was built around it. Laura was interested because she had visited Bergen, when she was in Norway, about 25 years ago. So she knew the story from that end. 

After historic boat educational fun time, we were on our way to the very last spot on my scavenger hunt list... 

West Acres Mall

Yes, it makes no sense that I would actually want to go to a near fully leased, financially healthy and fairly busy shopping mall. The exact opposite of what I got from Moorhead Center Mall, yesterday. We missed our Interstate 29 exit, and had to weave back around from the southwest side. Glad I did, or I may have never seen Space Aliens Grill & Bar! Eventually we found the frontage road that loops the entire perimeter of the mall property, starting point being the West Acres Cinema. Settling on a southeast corner parking space and mall entrance, for one specific reason...

Well, there's been very little baseball presence during this roadtrip so far!

Just inside this mall entrance is the official Roger Maris Museum. Roger Maris was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, in 1934. He and his family moved to Fargo in 1944. In high school, Maris excelled in baseball, played semi-pro ball after graduating. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1953, and made the major leagues in 1957. 

Maris had a 12 year career major league career, with the Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. His 1961 season in New York is why Maris is a big deal, even if he's not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record, with 61. A record that stood until a steroid trifecta destroyed it between 1998 and 2006. 

Allegedly...

Maris wasn't in favor of a museum in his honor, but agreed on the condition that it be "put where people will see it". He also wanted it to be free of charge. Which is pretty cool. According to the West Acres web site, the museum was remodeled in 2003. It looks good, and the 61 banners detailing his 61 home runs in 1961, are a nice touch. The display used to have most of his 61 home run balls, at least the ones that were recovered. Home run #61 is in Cooperstown, even if Maris doesn't have a Hall of Fame plaque.

I thought it was really cool to have this historic and important baseball memorabilia stashed inside a Fargo shopping mall. The last time I was at West Acres Mall, was summer 1991. Back then, West Acres had two open card stores. JWW Sports Cards, and a smaller store, named something I don't remember, across from the Roger Maris Museum. Prime real estate for a mall store selling baseball cards, one would think... 

But no! JWW Sports Cards, the card store tucked away in the basement, on the other side the mall, is the one still going strong after 30 plus years! Hats off to you, gentlemen! You stumbled onto a winning formula in the card market. The smaller card store, named something I don't remember, is now occupied by the West Acres Clinic of Essentia Health. But I'm not going to show a picture of that now.

Back in 1991, I bought cards from both stores. Mostly packs back then. Or expensive singles of hot stars and rookies. From brands like 1991 O Pee Chee Premier. Which are utterly worthless today!

Coincidentally, I finally picked up my long desired unopened wax box of 1991 O Pee Chee Premier, at the St. Francis card show. Just a few days after returning from Fargo. I didn't pay anything close to $25 for the box. Or the $7/pack they were at both West Acres card stores in the summer of 1991. 

Entering JWW Sports Cards today, I see boxes of priced Top-Loadered singles, behind the counter. They are why I'm here, let me at them! I told the guy who seemed to be running the store that I was here to do some digging. He said to let him know when when I was finished with a box and he'd swap out the box for a new one. 

Contents of which were exactly what I was hoping to find here. Low level singles, inserts, parallels, autographs and relics, for teams and players I collect. JWW was providing a new inventory for me to pick through. Laura was off looking around the store and would periodically come back to ask me about items she found.

Unfortunately, I drew the attention of one of my least favorite card store visitors. The loudmouth who isn't there to buy cards, just tell everyone he sees about how his cards are better than everyone else's. Including the inventory of the store he's in. AND not buying anything while he's there. 

2019 Topps Silver Pack Black Refractor - Kohl Stewart

I'm looking for visually striking, rare, oddball, parallels of common players from the teams I collect. Meaning I'm absolutely NOT interested in PSA 9 or higher slabbed Michael Jordan rookies. I see what you're doing and I don't like it, and I don't want you near me. I'm not impressed by all the high roller cards you allege to acquire. I'm irritated by your constant insinuation that since I'm looking for visually striking rare oddball parallels of commons from the teams I collect, that I should be passive-aggressively mocked for it. I should be collecting your way because that's what you like.

1993 Stadium Club Team Sets - David Nied Autograph

AWESOME!!!

After I gave him a politer version of "Take your smarmy humblebragging elsewhere, I do not care, nor do I want to hear it." Which he did. I went back to digging through boxes of cards I'm interested in, from an entirely new -to me- inventory. Which I love doing. It's calming and relaxing. Having some twit hovering and explaining to me why what he collects and how he collects is so much better than what I collect and why I collect. Because what I collect isn't going to get the best grade and sell for the highest profit.

Because that's absolutely why I've done this for over 35 years...

A few minutes later, I looked over and he was now in front of the singles case, annoying Laura, who was looking at the more expensive Twins cards inside. Her collecting style is picking up cheap cards of Twins players she likes, every now and then. She absolutely can't relate to your babbling about how your three PSA Mickey Mantles should all have graded higher than they did, and how much you want to crack the cases open for resubmitting. Soon, she came back over to me and asked what his deal was. 

Small penis.

She also brought me something of interest, she found during her browsing of the store: A blister-packed 2001 Pacific Baseball Minnesota Twins team set.

Packaged by the FAIRFIELD Company! I didn't know they were doing re-packs dating back this far! It was $7 now, and not $2.99. But I wasn't complaining. I needed almost every Twins card in the 2001 Pacific set except for maybe two. These years and brands are not easy to find in the wild nowadays, so $7 is a no brainer.

But the prize find of the day, amongst the hundred or so single cards I dug out of various boxes, goes to this fine specimen...

1961 Topps Twins Team

Off-centered, to the point where it could almost be considered mis-cut, but 4 sharp corners with bright colors. Included in the high number series, Topps still had to use a 1960 Washington Senators team photo, with the footnote at the bottom. I've wanted this card for a very long time, but cant recall seeing one in person. I didn't even balk at the $40 price tag. Some cards are just worth it.

After not-as-expensive-as-I'd-budgeted Baseball Card Fun Time at JWW, we made our way to the West Acres Mall Food Court. Looking to find a quick easy dinner before driving the 30 or so miles east, to our hotel in Hawley. Laura opted for the cup of mini wieners shoved inside pretzel nuggets, and a Coke. My gourmet dinner of choice was...

A cardboard box of deep fried chicken pieces and fries, with some surprisingly good cold toast. After some limited food trading, we agreed that my meal choice ranked higher on the official Honkass Yummyometer scale.

While eating and people watching, we debated the phenomenon of teenage girls not wearing pants out in public. Many of them wear shirts and-or jackets that come down to just below labia level. To complete the outfit, these shirts and jackets are almost always paired with shorts that disappear well before the bottom of the shirt or jacket. We sat at our table in the food court and watched tens of teenage girls walking around us, nearly all of them appearing to be completely devoid of pants.

No idea when that trend started, but it seemed pretty strange seeing so much of it concentrated in one place.

Kind of hard not to stare.

On our way out to the car, before passing the Roger Maris Museum (for a few additonal photographs), we spotted an aquarium. I can never turn down looking at an aquarium. Laura agreed and we killed a good 20 minutes or so, just watching fish.

By now it was after 7pm, and completely dark outside. We were supposed to hurry back, so we could meet my aunt at the hotel. Since it was dark, I couldn't take anymore pictures either. We listened to the depressing ALDS game 4, between the Twins and Astros on the radio on the way back from Fargo. Second loss in a row, and the Astros knocked them out of the playoffs tonight. All wasn't lost for baseball tonight, the Phillies stomped the Braves and the D-Bags beat the Dodgers.

Thursday October 12, 2023

====================

We were up late again, and I don't think Laura slept at all tonight. So it was time to pack up the Honkquinox and go. 

Farewell AmericInn Hawley, you provided a quality stay for a great price. I'd stay here again.

I'd been wanting to get a picture of a train crossing the Hawley Railroad bridge, the entire time while we were up here. Oddly enough, the timing didn't work out until we were getting ready to leave town for the last time.

Thanks BNSF!

Since we didn't get any pictures on our way up, here's only the happiest parts of...

Detroit Lakes

First up would be the old Perkins. Research via Googles told me that Perkins had closed this location a few years ago and the building was sitting vacant. However, when we drove by Sunday, I saw the traditional Perkins oval shaped pole sign was covered with the new logo of Outlet Recreation Park Models. I was concerned the old family restaurant had been converted. With an RV business, now operating inside.

But it would seem that Outlet Recreation Park Models was only leasing the sign and parking lot. Which had RV's on one side, but the Perkins itself was untouched. Weeds were growing pretty high on the sidewalks, a nice touch and indication of a lengthy absence of customers. I walked around the building and took photos, but all of the dining area window blinds were puled, and I couldn't see inside anything other than the front lobby. 

The Detroit Lakes Train Depot was another key target. 

I always thought the depot was larger than this. Sure seemed like it when I was a kid.

Since we were here, we may as well get a close look at the actual Detroit Lake Shore. We parked and walked around down to the marina, and up to some closed beach stores. Before leaving we drove down a few block for pictures of a small motel and Zorbaz! (Which I would have liked to have eaten at, but that didn't happen this time...)

During the early stage of vacation planning, a new destination popped up during a Minnesota Twins radio broadcast. A representative for Detroit Lakes Washington Ball Park, was interviewed about a restoration effort. He said the ballpark was first established in 1897, with the (first) grandstand built in 1908. I'm pretty sure he said that Babe Ruth made an appearance here. But I couldn't find anything to verify that.

Leaving Detroit Lakes, passing by Frazee then exiting off Highway 10, to visit a town skipped on Sunday...

Perham

The highway exit (the Otter Trail Scenic Byway, to be specific, lead to Main Street and Downtown Perham. They actually did call it Main Street, even though it was previously Highway 10, before that moved west to bypass town. Although now Perham is stretching out to the highway, and even across it. 

Perham was larger than I remembered, and none of it really looked familiar. My dad was born in this town, and I'd hoped for some actual landmarks. My aunt, that we met with last night, said that so much of the town has been torn down from what she remembered, she couldn't give too much information about points of interest we would see driving through. 

Since nothing really grabbed my attention during my drive through, I'm choosing the Perham Elevators to represent the town. Shortly after getting back on Highway 10, Laura requested a gas station break soon (since we didn't get out of the car in Perham). That means another visit to...

New York Mills

And another visit to a Casey's! Seems there are no Kwik Trips northwest of St. Cloud. This is clearly Casey's Country, and Casey's making a killing. And he makes good, convenient -yet greasy- pizza. After finishing up, we drove a bit further down Miller Street for pictures, and I saw this chalk drawing in the parking lot.

That's pretty good...

Back on highway 10, we coasted past Bluffton, and straight through Wadena, Verndale and Aldrich, slowing down a bit for Staples. We didn't pull over and stuck to the "new" highway 10, driving through town. When highway 10 was a block north of here, I remember catching glimpses of the railroad buildings and equipment that started as the downtown buildings ended, when we drove by. Now I'm driving where they used to be.

And I can't believe this next picture is Staples. It looks like could be any second or third ring Minneapolis suburb. 

I did try to get a picture of each town's Dollar General. Because -like grain elevators- there was one in literally every town with a population over 1,000. This was Staples infection of the Dollar General virus. One opened up in Coon Rapids a few years ago, and I have yet to go inside. Looking at how they have attached themselves to the entire route to Fargo, they've got to be making a killing as a franchise.

Something that really stood out to me compared to 30 years ago was virtually no retail left in these small towns, save for maybe a convenience store by the highway. Any sort of grocier is miles away in another town. Vacant buildings fill these small towns, as it just not cost effective to try and run a retail store in town anymore. It's easier for people to drive 20 or more miles to a larger town, or get necessities at the gas station. 

I get it, but it sure made these places feel desolate.

Like...

Randall

This is actually the first time I've ever stopped in Randall, which is trailing in a three way race to second smallest town on the drive. Nothing tops Aldrich in tiny, Bluffton tried but ended up with about 150 too many people. Audubon, Verndale and Randall are close, Clear Lake and Motley are slightly larger. And Lincoln is unincorporated, so I couldn't find a population. I'd imagine less than 500, but I don't know how big an area it draws from.

But Randall has a Casey's (and a road traveling north to Fort Ripley), and we needed restrooms. 

Casey's... Very useful, but not overly interesting.

Although, it's not too often that you see an abandoned and boarded up gas pump at an open convenience store. An additional day trip will have to take place in the future. Because there wasn't enough time on our drive up, or back, to pull over and give a good look to...

Little Falls

I'd like to see the Charles A. Lindbergh Museum. I'd like to see some of the 100 year old buildings along the river downtown. And take that side trip to Genola, that I mentioned earlier. 

Since we didn't do any of those things today, here's a picture of Highway 10 crossing the Mississippi River, just northwest of town. We forged on through Royalton, Rice and Sauk Rapids (where there were a lot of oversized pickup trucks in the lot of Sugar Daddy's), before a right turn at the St. Germain Street intersection, in...

St. Cloud

Despite the darkness causing problems with taking photos, there were a few things I wanted to see in St. Cloud, from earlier trips. Number one being...

The Press Bar.

Well, the vacant lot left behind after it's last owner burned it down in a poorly thought out insurance scam. He's in prison for doing it now, and due to his shitty selfishness, this all that remains of a once well known college bar. I drove up to take pictures just a few days after the fire. You can read about it here!

The St. Cloud Perkins had also been demolished since I was last through town. I knew I'd regret not circling back to take pictures back in 2020, when I saw it. And my drive by picture didn't turn out that day. The Wendy's I photographed was also gone. In addition to Little Falls, I'm going to have to plan another day trip to St. Cloud for some more pictures. Probably too much to pack into one day... 

And winter's coming... Probably next year.

Before going inside for burritos, I was standing next to the car while Laura collected herself on the passenger side. Looking across the parking lot, I see this ridiculous vehicle park in front of Arby's doors. Not in a parking spot, even though you can CLEARLY see an open space, very close to the doors. He just stops right there in the middle of the driveway. (And that's not bullshit?) Decal of 45 in the backseat (Prison Mike was a far better window decal...), with a hilariously placed dent in the door beneath it. Let's go Brandon, No More Bullshit, Don't Read to Me... All the greatest hits, in either flag or decal form, attached to his stupidmobile.

Someone's overcompensating!

Okay, now I have to see what comes next... Laura is still switching things around between her carry-on bags, so I will stare some more! Drivers side door opens. I see a pudgy head, two arms and a low sagging gut emerge. It was pretty dark at this point, but he was wearing dark sweatpants with a wife-beater. A shade of blue, similar to that of his car. Unfortunately, his wife beater only goes to his waist, while the hairy fleshy underbelly hung close to his knees. As he waddled around the car to the entrance of Arby's, he was tugging at the shirt with each step. Futile effort to cover something you knew you weren't going to hide.

Dude, you ABSOLUTELY do not need more Arby's. If you really think you do, you park on the far edge of the lot and waddle your dumpy ass to the door. You need the exercise! I'd say you were the most selfish, arrogant, disgusting human being I could find, but his name is on your flag. Very close to the word "bullshit". 

After about a minute, Laura is ready to go inside. But I tell her to wait. I briefly summarize what I've just watched, and tell her that I have to see if he comes out quickly, or if he's seriously waiting for a new order. "Well, I'm going inside..." You don't get it! I wait about another minute, before I give up and go inside myself. She was still looking at the menu and we were behind a few people waiting to order. Giving me plenty of time to continue Arby's Watch. 

Close to 10 minutes later, I see him come out, teetering towards the car door. Hands full of two stuffed bags of Arby's. I'm imagining what his order was when Laura snapped me back into reality. It was our turn to order. 

Class. All around, pure class, sir.

You've outdone yourself. 

Bravo Burrito was tremendous, as always. 

I'd been looking forward to it the entire drive home, and it did not disappoint.

One quick final detour before hitting the detour that will complicate rejoining Highway 10.

Even though I knew Bonanza had been demolished over the Summer, I was thrilled that the sign was still standing. I wish it would have been daylight, but I liked this enough. Took a picture when it was still open, back in 2019. Both of them will fit in nicely when I get around to writing about the Bonanza in Coon Rapids. Which opened in 1985, closed in 1995. Most recently had been Khan's Mongolian BBQ. Closing in 2019, after a near 20 year run. It was demolished a couple years ago, and is currently becoming a car wash.

At least St. Cloud chose pavement. 

We''ll close this out with an instrumental from our friends, Camper Van Beethoven, that represents St. Cloud to me.

Albeit from a different era.

On our way back out to highway 10, navigating the highway 23 construction in the dark, I found the abandoned Burger King had finally been demolished. Considering that I'd just written about that place, I was wondering if it withstood the road construction and a looming U-Haul encroaching from the north. But even in the dark, I got a quick enough glimpse to notice the property no longer had a visual barricade between me and U-Haul.

Not like I wanted a Whopper after all that delicious Bravo Burrito.

In order to get to Highway 10 southbound, we had to weave through a couple residential streets. Which seemed strange, especially in the dark. The road crew did a decent job in keeping us posted as to what the detour route was. Once getting back on 10, we didn't stop before pulling into the garage. Too dark for pictures anyway.

We were home by 9pm. Car unloaded and Harley petted and fed by 9:30. Wisely our return on Thursday evening meant I still had Friday through Sunday to relax my way back into work mode. I would unpack slowly, backup all my files and start taking more notes, and continue writing the Wasted Quarter 30th Anniversary story that the Googles scared people away from. I even got just a little bit of extra sleep. Not enough, but a little!

It truly was the perfect vacation, at the time when I really needed it.

I did!

But no one showed up...