The roads of my childhood

Going back to South Dakota is always an interesting trip. There are still so many remote spots and the sights of old abandoned farm houses, green or plowed fields takes me back to my childhood days riding in the backseat to grandma's. On this trip, we hit almost all the old familar roads as we spent a night in Wilmot. A night in Wilmot means going to the playground -- which is no longer the playground of my childhood as that was moved to make way for the new auditorium, which isn't new anymore. Familiar store have changed hands and no longer bear the signs I remember. I struggle to remember what was there before. Some houses look the same and I try remember who lived there 20+ years ago.

Today we drive the old familiar route to visit grandma, though we won't visit the house I remember. We drive through the same towns: Henry, Clark, Doland but will end in Redfield, not Hitchcock. I watch the familiar farmland go by. Families are probably on the same farms though the head of the table is someone of the next generation. It amazes me these little towns continue to survive. Rival high schools still join forces to compete against other joined schools in some sports.

Partly cloudy blue skies, big sky like Montana. I had forgotten how many trees there are in Minnesota and I like being able to see all of the sky again.

The ride is familiar and comforting. But I don't know there will be many more rides upon this road. Grandma does not have much time left and I know this ride will not become familiar to my girls. Not in the way it is for me. We'll not drive to their grandmas' several times a year. And I wonder what travel will look like for them with their own children.

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