TheJudge310
Saying Goodbye
August 17th, 2011 might have been one of the hardest days of my life.
I started off Day 8 in St. Paul Minnesota. I walked outside the hotel lobby and realized that in my parking lot, was a LAKE! What the hell? Holy crap, I was tired last night and had I driven one way and not the other I'd of ended up underwater. That's a little scary! I took a few shots and hit the road, I had a long drive ahead of me if I wanted to get to Walker and back within a day.
The drive took about six and a half hours, I think my entire iPod shuffled in that time. Driving alone through the Minnesota countryside was both fun, boring, and scary all at the same time. There was a ton of farms, a ton of green, a ton of lakes, and ONE LANE to do it all in.
Had a close call trying to get around a dumb trucker who for whatever reason sped up when he saw I was trying to pass him, until another truck showed up on the other lane! I had to slow, get back behind him just in time, and take a deep breath. Son of a bitch! I made sure to show him how we do in Cali after that as I cut him off and flipped him the bird as I went.
Along this drive, I also saw "World Man", I took a picture of him with my phone as I drove, he was pushing a giant globe down the highway in the middle of nowhere. I was like what the hell was that guy??? Later on I found out he pushed that globe across the US to raise awareness for diabetes. I'll post that photo later, but I thought it was interesting how our journies collided in that moment. I also stopped at a forest just short of Walker, beautiful! I've gotta go back to Minnesota one day that's for sure.
During the last few minutes of my drive into Walker "Coldest Winter" by Kanye West hit the iPod. I couldn't help but cry, but I still had work to do so I whiped away the tears and kept going. Walker is a lovely town, I guess I came during "busy season", the workers were all having to deal with tourists and were slightly irritable, not the Minnesota I'd seen everywhere else! Still some nice people in the batch though, but you wanted to tell them you haven't seen tourists until you've seen Anaheim in the summer! I went to a few stores and shops, drove around the small town for a bit... Searching...
Then I found what I was looking for. I walked up on a museum for war veterans the town had. I stood in front of it and said to myself, this is where I should leave my grandfather's gold tie. I didn't have any documents on me, but I figured I'd try... but I considered... and I considered, and as I was considering I saw a beautiful rock garden beside it. I walked to the rock garden and found a statue of a bird with a long neck and it was clear to me... This was the spot...
I hung his tie around the bird's neck, sure it could be looted, sure someone might just remove it the next day even in the remotest of remote places, but that's not important. If the tie's story carries on with the next person, then that's the story it's meant to have, but my grandfather wasn't the type to want to be hailed in a museum, he was a quiet man who prefered to go about his business without praise, without worship, even though he deserved it so much. This was his fitting end, this is how he'd of wanted it, and after all the times he took me birdwatching it was like that bird statue was meant to be there... For him. And so the story was written, and so the story ended.
I can't think about that day without getting emotional, I must have looked so stupid sitting in my car with my california plates with a bowl of bubble gum ice cream crying my eyes out but I didn't care. After I was done I got back out and crossed the street to go to the park across the street, which bordered Walker Bay. I walked around for a bit taking photos, as I had the whole time knowing I'd want to remember this place.
At the park I found a nice place to sit, right by the water, which is when I took this photo. I looked out at the lake, so far from home, almost 3,000 miles later and 8 days after I left I knew I had finally found what I was looking for. I found my inner peace... And I was finally able to say goodbye.
I drove back to Minneapolis shortly after this and ended up meeting a good friend of mine that night, we went out and had cheese filled burgers (yes you read right) and talked for a good 2 hours. I had never met him before but we'd known each other for 10 years as well. Great way to end the night and take my mind off the heaviness of the day's events.
I'll never forget Day 8, I'll never want to, but on that day I took pictures and walked around the city my grandfather was born in like I'd never see it again. I left a part of him there, but now I know... I'll be back. Whether that tie is still there or not, I'll be back to check, and I'll be back with more time than a few hours to spend.
Now I know what my grandfather meant when he said he still misses Walker... Now I miss it too, almost as much as I miss him.
Saying Goodbye
August 17th, 2011 might have been one of the hardest days of my life.
I started off Day 8 in St. Paul Minnesota. I walked outside the hotel lobby and realized that in my parking lot, was a LAKE! What the hell? Holy crap, I was tired last night and had I driven one way and not the other I'd of ended up underwater. That's a little scary! I took a few shots and hit the road, I had a long drive ahead of me if I wanted to get to Walker and back within a day.
The drive took about six and a half hours, I think my entire iPod shuffled in that time. Driving alone through the Minnesota countryside was both fun, boring, and scary all at the same time. There was a ton of farms, a ton of green, a ton of lakes, and ONE LANE to do it all in.
Had a close call trying to get around a dumb trucker who for whatever reason sped up when he saw I was trying to pass him, until another truck showed up on the other lane! I had to slow, get back behind him just in time, and take a deep breath. Son of a bitch! I made sure to show him how we do in Cali after that as I cut him off and flipped him the bird as I went.
Along this drive, I also saw "World Man", I took a picture of him with my phone as I drove, he was pushing a giant globe down the highway in the middle of nowhere. I was like what the hell was that guy??? Later on I found out he pushed that globe across the US to raise awareness for diabetes. I'll post that photo later, but I thought it was interesting how our journies collided in that moment. I also stopped at a forest just short of Walker, beautiful! I've gotta go back to Minnesota one day that's for sure.
During the last few minutes of my drive into Walker "Coldest Winter" by Kanye West hit the iPod. I couldn't help but cry, but I still had work to do so I whiped away the tears and kept going. Walker is a lovely town, I guess I came during "busy season", the workers were all having to deal with tourists and were slightly irritable, not the Minnesota I'd seen everywhere else! Still some nice people in the batch though, but you wanted to tell them you haven't seen tourists until you've seen Anaheim in the summer! I went to a few stores and shops, drove around the small town for a bit... Searching...
Then I found what I was looking for. I walked up on a museum for war veterans the town had. I stood in front of it and said to myself, this is where I should leave my grandfather's gold tie. I didn't have any documents on me, but I figured I'd try... but I considered... and I considered, and as I was considering I saw a beautiful rock garden beside it. I walked to the rock garden and found a statue of a bird with a long neck and it was clear to me... This was the spot...
I hung his tie around the bird's neck, sure it could be looted, sure someone might just remove it the next day even in the remotest of remote places, but that's not important. If the tie's story carries on with the next person, then that's the story it's meant to have, but my grandfather wasn't the type to want to be hailed in a museum, he was a quiet man who prefered to go about his business without praise, without worship, even though he deserved it so much. This was his fitting end, this is how he'd of wanted it, and after all the times he took me birdwatching it was like that bird statue was meant to be there... For him. And so the story was written, and so the story ended.
I can't think about that day without getting emotional, I must have looked so stupid sitting in my car with my california plates with a bowl of bubble gum ice cream crying my eyes out but I didn't care. After I was done I got back out and crossed the street to go to the park across the street, which bordered Walker Bay. I walked around for a bit taking photos, as I had the whole time knowing I'd want to remember this place.
At the park I found a nice place to sit, right by the water, which is when I took this photo. I looked out at the lake, so far from home, almost 3,000 miles later and 8 days after I left I knew I had finally found what I was looking for. I found my inner peace... And I was finally able to say goodbye.
I drove back to Minneapolis shortly after this and ended up meeting a good friend of mine that night, we went out and had cheese filled burgers (yes you read right) and talked for a good 2 hours. I had never met him before but we'd known each other for 10 years as well. Great way to end the night and take my mind off the heaviness of the day's events.
I'll never forget Day 8, I'll never want to, but on that day I took pictures and walked around the city my grandfather was born in like I'd never see it again. I left a part of him there, but now I know... I'll be back. Whether that tie is still there or not, I'll be back to check, and I'll be back with more time than a few hours to spend.
Now I know what my grandfather meant when he said he still misses Walker... Now I miss it too, almost as much as I miss him.