Tag Archives: Carrington

Barb’s Hometown — Carrington, ND; October 9-11, 2015

When we left the Grand Forks area, we motored west through Devil’s Lake (and a little south) about 100 miles to the small (population 2,075) agricultural town of Carrington, where Barb had gone to school while living on a nearby farm.  Out of 12 children, Barb’s brother Tim is the only one of her siblings still living in the state.  Tim has three  energetic, industrious and admirable sons who have also remained: Tyler, Preston & Austen.  In every sense, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

We parked our camper in the municipal campground, a pleasant enclave in an attractive park adjacent to the main highway that bisects the town.  Tim and his sons joined us for dinner (called supper in this part of the world) on the camper one evening.  On another night, we heard loudspeaker and crowd noises.  When we went out to investigate, we realized that the city park was adjacent to the Carrington High athletic field, and that a football game was underway.  Barb is a former cheerleader for the Cardinals, so of course we had to bundle up — it was cold — and go see a bit of the game.  There were no cheerleaders to be seen.  Barb asked a bystander, and learned that there had not been cheerleaders for the high school for many many years.  Guess things have a way of changing.

It took us two attempts, but Barb and I finally succeeded in getting to the Chieftain Cafe early enough to order their famous caramel rolls to supplement our breakfast.  Standing outside the cafe is a Muffler Man, in this case a Native American.  (Follow the links to learn more.)

Barb visited one of her aunts while we were there but that was about all we had time to do.  We had planned to go out to visit Tim’s cabin at Lake Juanita and to spend more time with Tim, but on Sunday morning we learned that a big windstorm was going to hit the area later in the day.  So we cut our visit short and almost made it back to Bismarck before the wind hit. The wind was only 30 to 40 mph that afternoon but in the 60s that night, during which our camper was doing some not-so-restful rocking and rolling.

See our next blog for an account of our third 2015 visit to Bismarck.

Carrington, ND — July 17-20, 2014

We had gone to Carrington for Barb’s high school reunion, but that was not our only experience in the neighborhood.

Barb’s sister Audrey flew in to Bismarck from Colorado and joined us for the Carrington visit.  We stayed with Barb’s brother Tim, who lives just a few miles north of Carrington.  And we enjoyed seeing Tim’s three sons:  Preston, Tyler and Austen.  Barb’s uncles Joe and John were also briefly back to their old stomping grounds.  Barb’s brother Hugh stopped in briefly on his way to Minneapolis from the oil fields of western North Dakota, accompanied by his girl friend.  Barb’s friend Monica, occasional guest on Tusen Takk II and another graduate of Carrington, drove over from New Rockford, where she has been helping her mother recover from a stroke.

When the reunion was finished, we joined Tim on an expedition to his cabin east of Carrington at Lake Juanita.  On the way back we stopped for lunch in the wee town of Grace City, a town so small that it lost in 1991 its consolidated school to a neighboring village.  The halls contain large pictures of the most recent graduating classes; in 1990 there were four and in 1991 there were five.  We were inside the school because the building has been made available and the old school cafeteria has been converted to a cafe gratefully patronized by the small community.  (The food was good.)

We also went on an expedition to see the farm and the large house where Barb and so many of her siblings were raised.  And we visited the Carrington cemetery where for genealogical purposes Barb had me photograph many tombstones for Carr, Hoffman and Lange.   And of course we visited several times the renowned Chieftan, the iconic restaurant in Carrington.

On our drive back to Bismarck I got some pictures of abandoned farms and of ducks and pelicans and swallows.

After returning to Bismarck, we also visited other areas in the Dakotas, but that will be covered in our next post.  Stay tuned!

Barb’s High School Reunion — Carrington, North Dakota, July 17-19, 2014

We left (in Trinidad) our beloved Tusen Takk II earlier than usual this year — on July 15 —  so that Barb could attend a high school reunion in Carrington, North Dakota.  We flew in to Bismarck, North Dakota, where sister Zona & mother Evelyn live.  Barb’s sister Audrey soon joined us from Colorado, and the three of us all drove to Carrington (population 2,097) on July 17, where we descended upon Tim (Barb’s brother) and his three sons: Tyler, Preston and Austin.  The reunion was an “all school” affair, so there was a mix of relatively new and definitely old graduates.  Barb’s class (combined with two others) had some events separately, and there were a number of events in common, including three street dances on successive nights that closed off Main Street in the bustling metropolis of Carrington.

 

Barb and Audrey had a marvelous time visiting with former classmates and some of their many relatives who either live in the area or who came to Carrington for the reunion. Barb was especially pleased that her good friends Monica and Lynne were there.  The three of them went to the same college (Minot State) after high school, lost touch for a few years, and then found each other again some years ago.

I had an especially interesting conversation with one of Barb’s former classmates; he wanted to know what I found so interesting about living on a boat and cruising the Caribbean.  He had been on one Caribbean cruise and said that had been enough; he expressed surprise that I hadn’t long ago gotten bored with the whole scene.  How to explain the appeal of visiting so many different cultures in the Lesser Antilles.  How to explain the pleasure of wearing a T-shirt and shorts (or less) in the middle of January.  How to explain the wonder of a hike through a rain forest or a scuba dive in gin clear waters.  How to explain the camaraderie among cruisers or the beauty of the sea.

And yet, we have been awed by the beauty of the plains with its sweeping vistas, so filled with wildlife and bursting with golden and green flora.  North Dakota is a place we will continue to enjoy returning to.