The deed is done!
As of the start of September Geogal and I are officially empty-nesters.
The travelogue that follows will detail not only a physical journey but an emotional one as well. As often happens with longer sojourns that into unfamiliar territory there were surprises along the way and an ending no one expected.
Preparations for the taking-child-to-college trip began some time back. In mid-summer I decided one corner of our kitchen/dining area will be set aside for child’s belongings that would go to the dorm. As expected, it began small and gradually increased in cubic feet as the days passed. Then departure day drew ever closer and Geogal (fully exerting her role as Geomother) continually reminded child that she needed to speed up her packing and preparation. Result? An even larger assortment of containers and boxes.
Yet no problem! Unlike some other families headed toward this academic destination we had the luxury of a Chevrolet Suburban, plus the additional space afforded by the older SUV we agreed to let Geoana have during the college years. Social media gave us a few chuckles as we saw postings from parents who drove either smaller SUVs or crossovers, featuring pictures of a vehicle packed to the point where every cubic inch was filled accompanied by a message noting: “Filled to the max!”
An aside about our truck: Not only is a Suburban useful for taking a youngster’s belongings to an institution of higher learning but it’s also something of a tradition in my family of origin. In 1979 I helped mom, dad, and Geosister the older pack her belongings into our 1976 Rosedale Red Suburban (Silverado trim package) and we all trekked 150 or so miles to the University of Texas at Austin (hook-‘em!). Fast forward to August 1986 and Geodad took yours truly, again with luggage and dorm room items to New Mexico State University. Using the same 1976 Suburban. Forward again many years and in 2012 my own household loaded up Geogal’s necessities into our 1999 Suburban and traveled to Colby, Kansas for her to enroll in professional school. (Fortunately she was only away for one school year.)
Now it’s my child’s turn and our spacious transportation is a 2008 Suburban. Some traditions work well.
I went to work Thursday morning, returning home in mid-afternoon. After I changed into casual clothing it was time to “get packing!” I’m not referring to carrying a firearm, either. No question I was concerned about this process even though I knew vehicle space wouldn’t be an issue. (I’m sure some of the angst was due to a combination of the unknown plus my own coming-to-terms with child truly leaving home.)
First pleasant surprise: Geoana and I packed everything in less than 45 minutes. That corner of the kitchen? Empty. And we accomplished this before Geogal got home from her workday. Score one for the father-daughter team!
As a result we left before evening hit. Mind you, we weren’t planning on driving all the way to Minnesota this day, just to Liberty, Missouri and a hotel for the night.
Why not just take it all in one day and do this on Friday? Because…another small stressor. This school included, in its dorm check-in schedule, an opportunity to bring your belongings into your room between 1 and 3 p.m. on Friday, with official move-in day taking place on Saturday. Geogal figured if we had a shorter drive on Friday we could make the time window.
And that meant no sleeping in on Friday morning. Yep, we were up early, munched down the hotel breakfast and were out the door, topped off the gas tanks and northbound on Interstate 35 before 8 a.m..
Missouri becomes Iowa. The rainy weather that greeted us out the hotel doors gave way to partly cloudy skies before we logged 100 miles. While eager to reach the destination I reminded myself to engage in mindfulness and simply enjoy the moments as they happened. Soon my patience was rewarded and we were on the outskirts of Des Moines. From the junction with Interstate 80 it all feels like familiar territory given our numerous trips to Mayo Clinic from northwestern Kansas. Des Moines morphs into Ankeny and it’s not very long before we’re passing Ames. Then it’s lunch time.
Pleasant surprise number two: A nice picnic lunch at a rest area. Geogal and I both agreed that in the interest of healthier eating and economizing, we would put the large cooler in the very back of the Suburban and load it with lunchmeat, bread, fruit, chips, canned soda, canned seltzer water and bottled water.
In one of those rare instances the plan worked like a charm. Temperature was reasonable and the wind was nil. Found a shady picnic table under some trees and enjoyed our midday meal. Rounded it all out with dessert—well, OK, candy bars from the rest area’s vending machine. Back on the road!
As was the case for the entire northbound journey but much more evident this date was my ability to enjoy the solitude afforded by being the only one in this vehicle. Geogal and Geoana were in the smaller SUV and seemed happy with each other’s company. I, meanwhile, derived the benefits of my alone time with the ability to listen to whatever struck my fancy. Meaning: if I wanted to sample the offerings of local terrestrial radio then so be it!
As expected the FM dial served up more of the usual: satellite-fed formats with the occasional local spots. AM was only a bit better. Around the Clear Lake/Mason City area I heard about the upcoming high school gridiron contests to take place that evening. One guy (I think he was on an Albert Lea station) droned on in such a monotonous fashion that I had to click to something else before succumbing to highway hypnosis.
Yet I finally did what I’d been longing for ever since we started these Minnesota sojourns. Utilize the benefits of a good radio receiver and tune into the regional blowtorch stations. Two in particular: Des Moines’ WHO and Minneapolis’ WCCO.
Most of our previous journeys were in vehicles deficient in the actual radio function. Not a huge surprise given less attention than ever is given to old-fashioned FM and AM. No doubt due to the younger generation’s preference for streaming audio or enjoying their own playlists loaded onto the smartphone. Combine that with internal electronics being subject to years of very hot then very cold temps and a heckuva lot of factory audio systems give up the radio ghost after not many years. Yet since our vehicles always had SiriusXM available it didn’t mean we had to sacrifice listening pleasure while on the open road.
But today I finally get to listen to the distant, but still listenable, signals from the aforementioned. Occasionally I note in this blog how one of my road-traveling pleasures involves tuning in to heritage AM stations as a confirmation that I am indeed getting closer to the destination. Not unlike how, back in 2006, while driving up California 1 heading toward Monterey (that day’s stopping place) we made a leisurely stop in Big Sur and while the gals explored a rummage sale I stayed in the car and easily tuned in San Francisco’s KNBR (680), KCBS (740) and KGO (810). Clear as a bell for all.
Back to the present: Very much enjoyed the sound of WCCO-AM becoming stronger and more clear the closer I got to the Iowa/Minnesota line. (Not that I particularly enjoyed the content, but that’s secondary to any DXer.) Also took time to listen in on Yankton’s WNAX (broadcasting live from the South Dakota State Fair!) and Fort Dodge station KWMT. Both of these are just barely audible from my listening post in eastern Kansas. Let’s hear it for flat terrain and good ground conductivity!
For me this is very close to traveling paradise. By myself, but not alone!
Next stop was the Petro truck stop in Albert Lea as both tanks needed topping. A look at the clock showed us arriving during the afternoon window was very do-able. The gals said they would return to the Interstate after filling up while I needed to use the facilities. So we said goodbyes and then I was on my own (in a sense).
When it was my turn to merge onto northbound 35 I had visions of “Smokey and the Bandit” given we did have a deadline and both drivers, between Albert Lea and journey’s end, engaged in certain violations of the speed limit. But no load of bootleg Coors beer.
Wait? We were separated by about 15-20 minutes at that point! How did I know about the girls’ highway speed?
Geogal told me later.
Finally I see the landmarks of child’s college just up ahead. Within a matter of minutes I’m on campus and longing for the speed and efficiency of the open highway. Turns out we weren’t the only ones wanting to make the window of “drop off the belongings.” For a school of only about 3000 students it seemed most of Minnesota was there. The friendly folks directing traffic had me park on the lawn which initially seemed odd but wound up giving me easy access into daughter’s dorm.
Unloading was fairly smooth and I quickly noticed many students, plus family members, were not adhering to the “just take the items into the room and be done with it until tomorrow” philosophy. Meaning they’re assembling and unpacking. Full confession: that included Geoana and her roommate.
What’s a father to do?
Evening rolls around and it’s time to relax given our primary mission is complete: Daughter will officially admit tomorrow, all her belongings save the overnight bag (she’s bunking in our hotel room tonight) are in her dorm room and we had a pleasant journey overall. No arguments, no bad feelings.
Saturday August 31 is quite the full day. Workshops for parents and for students. We’re separate for the most part. For the late afternoon the institution was quite clear to parents: After the official welcome ceremony concludes, the students go out one way and the parents go out another. Say your goodbyes!
Reflecting on this experience nearly a month later I’m still surprised none of us shed any tears. Geogal had a good observation as to why: Geoana wasn’t upset or clingy (just the opposite, in fact) and she appeared to adapt right away both in the geographical and social aspects. Child’s doing OK, so what’s to be upset about?
The same held true for the remainder of our (mom and dad’s) time in Minnesota. Geogal and I headed home on Tuesday after enjoying a leisurely Labor Day in and around the Twin Cities.
Again, the journey back to Kansas was uneventful and still no tears.
The surprises kept coming!
So now this scribe and his wife are home in a house that now feels quite different. Child is taking her latest journey into adulthood. We’ve officially entered a new life stage.
Let’s see where it goes…and where it leads us.
