Sports

See America! Take a Bus from Fargo to Frisco The Road to Texas and Toyota Stadium Leads to Some Interesting People Watching

Craig Schwinden

Sports Editor Upon receiving my credentials for the national championship game in Frisco, I began considering exactly how I would get to Texas. Obviously, I would really like to fly, but looking at the prices at the late date I did and watching the pain the airlines (and their customers) were going through, I thought about a bus trip. After having the first bus line cancel on me, I was able to get a seat for the trip to Frisco. While I was reading the itinerary, I thought to myself, “this might be a story in itself”. It was…and now after sleep, several visits to

THURSDAY, JAN 6th -

Two buses depart the Elks parking lot in north Fargo a little late at 6:36 pm. I am on bus #2. We were waiting for a couple of guests that did not show. By 6:46, we are headed south on I-29. As soon as we turn onto the on ramp, “If You’re Gonna’ Play in Texas (You Gotta’ Have A Fiddle in The Band)” plays…hmmm, that didn’t take long. 9:58 pm – We make our first stop in Sioux Falls, SD. I was going to look for a ‘Dakota Marker’, but no one told me we crossed the border. Maybe I am not newspaper reporter ‘material’? We stop at a Flying ‘J’ travel plaza for snacks, drinks, and to stretch our legs. It’s ‘warmer’, but still bitter cold at 8 below zero. After I purchase some snacks and water, I get on the bus. I immediately sense a problem. My Bison blanky is not on the seat where I left it. I look up into the storage compartment and my backpack is gone! You’re kidding me, right? Stolen already?! Now what do I do? So, as I start to ponder my future (maybe they’ll take me back to Fargo? Maybe someone can float me some money? The trip is already paid for, right?), I look up and a gentleman is looking at me with a broad grin. He asks, “did you get on the wrong bus?” I look around and realize there is, indeed, something wrong with this whole bus. “We pulled in shortly after you guys. This is bus #1”. Ooops… this just might be a long bus ride. 10:38 pm – On the road again (and on the correct bus) and the “fiddle in the band” song comes on again…Yeppers! It’s going to be a loooong bus ride. 1:10 am – I awaken to the voices of women singing, “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain. uuughhh…zzzzz… 2:31 am – zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… 4:01 am – zzzz…no…No…NO!!! MOMMY I DON’T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL TODAY!!! What the…just a nightmare…just go back to sleezzzzzzzz… 5:27 am – somewhere between Topeka and Emporia, in Kansas. We have stopped so the bus drivers can switch out. I’m awake again, but the good news is the bus is quiet. 8:02 am – Guthrie, OK. We have stopped for a refuel and people are up and about. The gas station we stop at is suddenly packed with the Green & Gold and the locals are staring and confused. After dropping us off, the busses leave to fuel and clean restrooms. Meanwhile, 40-some odd Bison fans stand outside a gas station in Oklahoma…kind of sticking out, don’t cha ya know. A police officer pulls up and says, “ya’ll from North Dakota?” After several people say “YES!” He says, “aren’t ya’ll supposed to be in shorts or somethin’?” Very funny…then I check the weather. It is 6 degrees ABOVE ZERO!! 11:56 am – Back on the road. One of the guides shouts, “we’re about to cross into Texas!” People scramble for their cameras to get a picture as we cross the Red River into Texas. Yes…you guessed it. “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, (You Gotta’ Have a Fiddle in The Band)” starts playing (again). Well, we did get to Texas…shortly after the border, we see the first building in Texas. It’s an adult video store. One lone person (yes, just one) yells, “Let’s stop!” No one responds and the bus keeps right on moving. That guy is wishing for the fiddle song to play one more time right about now. 1:14 pm – Dallas, TX. Since we can’t get into our hotel rooms until 3:00, we stop at a barbeque place in north Dallas. Excellent ribs and pulled pork. Everyone is in a good mood. Several people come up to some of us and ask, “are you gonna’ win this year?” Or they say, “we sure missed ya’ll last year.” It is true what they say about this area. The people (and yes, the businesses) are all very welcoming. I see signs that say, “Bison Fans 20% off” and “Welcome Back, Where’ve Ya’ll Been?” 3:00 pm – at exactly 3:00pm, Bus #2 pulls into the hotel parking lot. I’m suddenly not tired…I move into my room and unpack. We have about 2 hours before we leave for the pep rally. I turn the TV on, turn my laptop on and catch up on some emails…………………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 8:45 pm - I wake up and I’ve missed the pep rally. I look at my phone and one of the guides tried to call me when the bus was leaving…. ooops. Well, now I’m in and might as well get a good night’s sleep. But I start to write this story first…” I start humming, “If You’re Gonna’ Play in Texas, You (Gotta’ Have a Fiddle in The Band”). Just go back to bed, Craig.

mom where she cooked my favorite meals, and some therapy, I’m ready to tell my story. To read the story in ful, visit ndsuspectrum.com or scan the QR code

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