Planes, trains and automobiles
Gene Steinmeyer
If you have never seen the John Candy and Steve Martin movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, rent it this week. You’ll roll off the couch. If you are adding up the bills from the holidays, you may need a good laugh.
Stranger than Hollywood, I had a friend have a real life experience that would rival that of the late, great John Candy. The ending at Steve Martin’s home would be eerily similar to the ending to the real life story.
My friend is Brad Folkestad, the sports information director at Bemidji State University. In case you have never heard of Bemidji State, the average low temperature this past year was lower than International Falls, Minnesota, recognized as the coldest spot in the continental 48 states.
It’s so cold at Bemidji that the university advertises free parking when Bemidji Lake freezes over shortly after Thanksgiving. It’s so cold, Brad planned a bachelor party in a six-bunk ice house in the middle of Lake Bemidji. If you can’t beat the cold, join it.
Brad winter sport responsibility is the university’s hockey team. They break early for Christmas break. Each year he comes to Hawaii to be my official sports information director for the basketball tournaments I run in Honolulu just before Christmas.
Needless to say, Brad gladly accepts his Hawaiian assignments, but reluctantly leaves his wife and four kids in the frozen northland. There’s a certain amount of guilt, but he does enough shopping to overcome that emotion.
A few years ago, Brad left after the games ended and attempted to fly back to Bemidji. He was scheduled to fly into Seattle, then to Minneapolis and finally home to Bemidji. The weather in Minnesota was supposed to be reasonable, so Brad didn’t have many worries as he boarded the plane in Honolulu.
That’s when the fun began. For some reason, the airlines flew into Seattle even though the airport had been closed to outgoing flights for two days. When Brad got off the plane in Seattle, he knew there was trouble.
The sight Brad saw was wall-to-wall people. Some were in lines and many were just sleeping anywhere they could find a spot, either on the floor or on the seats. He really knew there was big trouble when he saw luggage stacked to the ceilings.
While waiting in line at customer service, Brad called the airlines. He was informed that even if the airport opened soon, the backup of flights would not allow Brad to get a ticket until Dec. 27, two days after Christmas.
Brad became a man of action. He found his luggage and starting asking questions. He heard the train station was open and running. Brad found a taxi that was willing to fight the winter storm and crept to the train station. With all his luggage and presents from Hawaii, Amtrak informed the despondent traveler that no trains were moving in the near future.
It was then he heard that buses were running. With his arms full, Brad found another cab that took him to the bus depot. Unfortunately, the news for the buses was the same. Nothing was going in or out in the near future.
Brad knew he was in trouble getting home before Christmas until someone yelled to the crowded bus terminal, asking if anyone was interested in chartering a bus that would take them to Spokane, Washington. Brad and many other despondent travelers pooled their money, about $70 each, and a bus was chartered for Spokane.
Chains were put on the bus for the treacherous trip through the mountain pass. As they were creeping toward Spokane, Brad racked his brain if he knew anyone from Spokane. He called relatives and friends with no luck. At the last second, he remembered a former assistant sports information director at Bemidji that worked for the sports department at Gonzaga University in Spokane.
Brad thought his friend had probably left for home for Christmas, but was surprised to find him still in Spokane. He agreed to pick Brad up at the Spokane bus depot when it arrived at midnight. Brad slept the late night of Dec. 23 and early morning of Dec. 24 on his former employee’s couch.
The next day Brad found a plane that flew to Minneapolis on Christmas Day. He grabbed the ticket, but his adventure was far from over. His friend was in town because Gonzaga played a basketball game Christmas Eve. With nothing else to do, he volunteered to help his friend at the Gonzaga game.
He was given a Gonzaga event shirt. His job was to help with promotions. He rebounded shots from a free throw contest and was on the floor helping with other promotions at the Gonzaga game. When he wasn’t helping with promotions, he was working security, sitting at the end of the Gonzaga bench.
The next morning, Brad was on his way to Minneapolis. No weather problems on Christmas Day — except the only flight to Bemidji that Brad could make was late Christmas night. He would miss all the traditional Christmas activities of his family.
Nothing would stop Brad now. He called relative after relative until he found one that would pick him up at the Minneapolis airport. As soon as all the luggage and presents were gathered, the uncle and Brad took off for the four-hour trip to Bemidji.
Brad and the uncle burst through his front door just as the family had set down to eat their traditional Christmas dinner. Despite their frustration, the family was excited to see its absent husband and father.
Planes, trains and automobiles; it’s good to be home for Christmas.
