The Longest Day

 As I write this, it is early morning on the train in east central North Dakota heading to Havre, Montana, the sun just rising, distant clouds a slight shade of pink against the big blue sky.  It has been too long since I last visited this keyboard.  And now, 10 months have passed, and I am breaking free of the pandemic, of the politics, of the heated divisive nature of our society.  

I am simply going to ride my bicycle home. 

North Dakota morning from train

There really are no words that have not been said or written in so many places about the tumult of 2020-2021.  I can offer nothing new to this dialogue except this: it has been quite simply a remarkable year, a historic period in which the COVID pandemic, the racial justice movement and our divisive politics all converge in a perfect globe-consuming storm. Even this sentiment is not new.  And through it all I discovered what so many have discovered: we can adapt, work from home, and actually enjoy it!  I seemed to have gained much time in any given day.  I could watch my garden grow, go dormant, and rise up again this Spring.  But to you loyal readers that had to work from home and tend to your children’s schooling – I feel for you – that has to have been very tough!  But I think as a society we now appreciate teachers and childcare workers more, but also appreciate more family time and the ability to watch them grow in daily increments.  

Even perhaps, the family meal has more meaning now.

Society will be forever changed by the events of the past year.  Work will not be the same – at least when it does return to “normal” it may have been long enough to somehow seem different.  Hopefully, we will have made meaningful strides in social justice and policing when we look back at the George Floyd martyrdom, whose violent, shocking death but mere miles from my home shook the world, only because it was caught on video, for otherwise this incident would have been one of many relegated to an inequity dustbin – summarily ignored.  Maybe we can now get to a point where we can all breathe -  together as one people.

And of politics, what a truly shameful display that history will record.  The Capitol riot that no one thought could ever happen was incited by a deranged President who puts his faith in lies and deceit, and mercifully had been booted from office by the electorate, but not from memory or lingering influence.  But the political divisions and hateful rhetoric continues with stupid people saying and doing stupid things. While I have always been a centrist conservative, I can say now that the Republican party is rotting from the inside out, and no longer is even close to representing any of my centrist conservative values.  Good riddance!

Approaching Havre, contemplating the longest day and the journey ahead

Amidst this backdrop, I am finally on the train following the longest of days yesterday (May 15).  So much time and mental energy went into the planning of this trip – a countdown to yesterday.  The day finally arrives.  On a whim, I decided to bring my freshly boxed bicycle to the train station to check it in early, only to find out they no longer take a boxed bike, but I could “roll-on” my bike fully assembled, and schlep my gear on board. Glad my intuition told me to check again as I would have been hastily assembling the bike in the station while a wedding event was roaring in the same great hall.  So I went home to reassemble my bike, and then fidget over small tasks in the garden just to pass the time, enjoy a nice Becky-made dinner, take a walk, until I could finally board at 11:30PM.

So in this backdrop of the past year+, I am escaping.  I plan to ride from Havre to Fort Benton, and meet my dearest friend from high school, Kathy Siebert (with the full support of Becky). We will paddle a canoe for 5 days on the Upper Missouri Breaks, celebrating a pledge we had made with our departed friend Andy to meet every 5 years for an adventure. Andy is with us as well(on what would be our third such sojourn), riding in an envelope in my pannier, a gift of widow Amy.  Following this, I will ride through Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota, riding past Devils Tower, the Black Hills, the Badlands, and numerous small towns that dot the South Dakota and Minnesota prairie. 

Many miles to ruminate, reflect and absorb.  It was the longest of days, and indeed a metaphor for this whole past year.

Just off the train in Havre - not this old Great Northern Locomotive!