Week 2 in Gary has been a mix of long shifts, long drives, and one perfect afternoon on the water—reminding us why this lifestyle works for us.
Carl started shift work this week, hauling corn silage to Riverview Dairy. Since he is a night owl, he prefers the 2:00 pm to 2:00 am shift. Thursday was a short day, with just two hours of work due to rain.
I started my week going from small town to small town to small town to small town to run errands. Unlike in larger towns or cities, accomplishing simple tasks in small, remote towns often requires a lot of driving!
First, I drove about 25 minutes to Ada for a much-needed hair styling and to drop off a UPS package at the local office supply store that also serves as a UPS drop-off location.
Next up was Twin Valley, just down the road from Gary, to unload our recycling. As hardcore recyclers, we’ve continued to recycle as much as we can, even though we have been to towns and states that have little to no recycling. Twin Valley has several single-stream recycling bins that we take full advantage of while in the area. I also planned to get filtered water at the grocery store, but it was practically deserted, with an elderly lady standing at the cash register and me asking if they still had a water machine. Yes to the water machine; no to having water!? That made absolutely no sense, but luckily another grocery store in another town has one.
A side note: Rumor has it that Twin Valley’s grocery store may be closing or may be seeking another buyer. It changed hands just a year or so ago! It would not surprise me. Given their location and the size of the surrounding population, I imagine it is hard to price items in a way that is cost-effective and attracts business. Their prices are very high, and a Dollar General right down the street does brisk business.
Then I drove to downtown Gary to do laundry. “Downtown” Gary has a bank with friendly folks (I’ve stopped in there over the years to get quarters), the laundromat, a post office that is open half-days, a fire station, a couple of churches, and one of those American Legion bars that probably serves some type of bar food. There might be another café that is open a few days during the week, mostly in the mornings and early afternoons. And that is the sum total of downtown Gary! Two huge loads and a couple of hours later, I was on my way to my final stop in Mahnomen to get two five-gallon fills in our water containers. Of course, they are super heavy, and I asked a nice man at the store to help me get them in the truck.
Four towns, five errands, and nearly five hours…all accomplished!
The rest of my week was working on a book project and finalizing Carl’s travel plans back to North Carolina to attend a close cousin’s funeral this next week. But I had one afternoon of kayaking bliss with my friend at her lake house. We stopped in Waubon for lunch at The Landing Café, then drove to Tulaby Lake for a quiet and enjoyable excursion on the lake. The water was almost like glass, the sky was its beautiful blue, and the temperature was perfect. We ended our day with ice cream in Waubon on our way back.
It was a full, busy week for both of us. This week, Carl travels to NC while I hold down the Airstream fort, continuing on my book project, picking a crochet project, and working on some other administrative things I never seem to get to!
Home or on the road, work or play, life or death…our journey keeps on going. And our goal is to keep it riveting.
About our first week back in Gary, MN, this year – Gary, MN … WE’RE BAAACCK!
