The Journey Begins

Well here we are in the great state of North Dakota! The last week was a blur of packing and last minute arrangements. We spent many days packing our things in the basement and moving them into storage in Myrtle's attic or trying to squeeze what we could into the car.

Early Friday morning, we began our long trek that will ultimately end in California. Our first major stop is Linton, North Dakota. We'll be visiting Paul's family for about three weeks before setting out on the road again.

Touring Leinie's!

Enjoying the free samples ;-)

The trip up here was a blast! We did it in two days, stopping in Eau Claire, Wisconsin overnight. We chose Eau Claire because it is exactly half way between Fort Wayne and Linton. It is a not so little known fact that Paul and I are both huge fans of Leininkugel's beer. The Leininkugel brewery is in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and we have often joked that we should make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of our favorite brew. As we were planning our trip, we looked up Chippewa Falls, just to see where it was in Wisconsin. As luck would have it, Chippewa Falls is only five miles from Eau Claire!! We left Fort Wayne early enough to get to the brewery while they were still running tours. The tour was great! It was a beautiful area, our guide was funny and informative, and after the tour, we got to sample five different beers, all for free! After the tour we found a nice local diner and had a fish fry dinner. Then, as evening fell, we ambled through the picturesque town until we happened upon a homemade ice cream shop, which we patroned with delight. It was a wonderfully relaxing end to a long day of travel. We stayed in a modest hotel and rested in preparation for another day of driving.

Beautiful riverwalk in Fergus Falls

The next day, we took a rather ambling trip to Linton. Our route took us directly through two of the places where Paul had gone to school. We decided to stop so he could show me his alma maters, and some of the memorable landmarks in each place. It was so much fun! First, we stopped in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, a beautiful town where Paul attended seminary the first time. He only stayed there for six months, training to be a pastor in the Church of the Lutheran Bretheren. He left because the born-again theology drove him to despair, and into a long period of doubt. We visited the old seminary, and he showed me where he used to live. We walked along a beautiful river walk that runs through town, and he took me to his favorite place to eat. After a couple hours of fond reminiscing, we hit the road again.

The annoying phone call professionals ;-)

Our next stop was in Jamestown, North Dakota, home of Jamestown College where Paul earned his undergraduate degree. We walked all around the campus as Paul rediscovered his old dorms and classrooms, and told hilarious stories about his college days there. After our campus tour, he took me down to the telemarketing firm where he used to work. It's still there! Who knew you could run a successful business based on annoying people in their homes?! We had dinner at his favorite food haunt, and we lost ourselves in memories and coffee. We finally pulled in to the farm at 9:30 in the evening. We stayed up for a few more hours, catching up with family. When we finally crashed, it was wonderful to fall into a familiar bed after two long days of travel.

It has been a great start to what I know will be a memorable journey. :-)