In a strange sort of twist, Sandy from my work who sponsored a couple of bars very far back (79 and 80) is now taking the quest on the road. She'll be in North Dakota to visit her family, and while she's there, she's going to do a mini-quest in Park River, ND. Okay, there's only five bars there, but it's a one night quest, and she's got low tolerance, so it should be fun.

If I'm not mistaken, the whole thing will go down on or about the night of our last bar, but in a distant and cold state. After her return, there will be posts about the bars she's seen, the night life in Park River (such as it is) and so on. Just like the real quest, but very, very small.

So raise a glass to Sandy clearing out her home town, just like I'm clearing out mine.

Sandy has confirmed that she'll be doing the quest in Park River on the very night of the Last Bar, so that her Last Bar will be on the same night (okay, her first bar will be to, but at least there's some synchronicity.)

NorDak (North Dakota for those lucky enough never to have been there) has liquor laws which allow just about everything in every bar, and drinking goes on at pretty much all of them til 1 am, so there shouldn't be a problem getting all (five of) the drinks in. Maybe she can even arrange sponsors.

Curiously, I'm getting amused and interested about her quest, small as it is, in much the same fashion as I did about the one here. Funny.

Due to unforseen complications (birthday of nephew, like he won't have more), Sandy's Quest has been shifted almost certainly to Thursday night. So she won't be drinking heavily at the same time we will, and we are sorry. But it does mean her quest will be done within the scope of ours, which I kind of like, too.

Plus, she's got her first sponsorship lined up already. Don't know what bar I'm sponsoring, but in the tradition of Glen, I've sent money to help her along.

Good luck, Sandy. We're all behind you. (And I'm not talking about the quest, just about having to go to Nordak. [Shudder])

Sandy has returned from Nordak with details of her strange and very cheap quest to drink at every bar in her home town of Park River (population about 6, I think. Okay, it's bigger than that, but it's North Dakota, people.) Five bars, one husband, one sponsor, one night!!

I'll post things as soon I can get her notes from her. Or she'll post them if we give her access. Or whatever. But soon!!!

So Sandy went on her Park River quest about a month ago, got back into town four weeks ago, and only yesterday managed to get me her write ups.

That being the case, I'm only just posting them now. But without further ado (or at least not so very much) here's Sandy's Quest. All posts are from Sandy's point of view, so the use of "I" in them signifies Sandy, not me, and so on.

Okay, here we go.

American Pie is playing on the jukebox as we walk in, and the bartender is the only person there. She's sitting at the bar playing solitaire. We asked if the place was open [Jason's note: we is Sandy and her husband Selv, who was driving] and serving anyone or if it's a club. It was open and anyone over 21 can drink there.

She makes me a very pleasant rum and coke for 2.25. She asked who we were and I told her that I'm Sandy Wilkes. She says, "I know Sandy Wilkes and you can't be her." I showed her my ID to assure her it was me. I ask who she is, and it turns out she's the old chiropractor's daughter. People don't really have names in Park River. I'm not really Sandy, I'm Paul and Maxine's daughter.

So just as we were finishing up 2 men (actual customers!) walk in and order their drinks. They are old and wearing baseball caps. And then we head out to hit then next bar.

There are more people here than at the Legion Hall, but somehow it seems sadder. Like all the bars on Main Street, there are just two little windows. A person couldn't even fit through them. Maybe that's the point. Country music was playing on the jukebox.

There are ten or twelve people at the bar and four more playing pool. Since there's no room at the bar, we go up and get our drinks (me a rum and coke, my husband juice) and take a seat at a table. The bartender didn't seem at all curious about two strangers in the bar. Some people keep looking at us; I am mildly recognizable but my husband is a complete stranger.

Sitting there listening to the chatter at the bar...it's only a little after 8 pm and the words are already slurring and there's talk of fights. Even at 2.25 my rum and coke is a waste of money. I found it so distasteful that I coule not finish it even thought I was more than halfway done. So we left it, and left the bar.

Assorted rock music plays on the jukebox during our stay at the Field. I walk in and there are decorations everywhere, there's a birthday party going on. Our bartender comes over, and I realize it's Brooke, one of my friends from school. She gives me a strange look and says, "Sandy?" Yup, it's me.

(There is a range of about 4 years younger and older that actually gives you a name rather than just a family. Ourside of that range you kind of become a reference point, like the old so-and-so place just after the stop sign there.)

Once again I am rum and coke, and once again, it's 2.25. The coke is pleasantly fizzy and the drink is correctly proportioned, quite tasty. Looking around I notice the walls are white, really white. The place doesn't smell overtly of paint or cleaners, so I can only guess that they keep it generally clean daily.

Another country music bar with not many people in it right now. There is a big TV playing a game. At this point I go into the bathroom. Very odd bathroom with no locks, not really comfortable with that. The 1st door seems to just push right in then the one stall has just the old salon-style swinging doors that cover mid-shin to mid-chest but my head was up over the doors. Didn't like that one little bit. It's probably one of the worst bathrooms I've ever been it. It was clean but I felt very exposed. I came out and my man had gotten our drinks.

Rum and coke, 2.25. The bartender seemed more interested in the game then in us. There was one other table of people who kept looking at us, wondering who we were. Some more people came in and a strange man who seems to be about a half a bar behind us comes in. With him comes some other guy who is very drunk. We are sitting near the men's room and Very Drunk needs to use the facilities. The door to the men's room is a regular door but where there should be a knob there is just a hole and there is a push handle. The man, obviously unable to see straight, is trying to go in. He feels the door, finds the hole and starts to play with his zipper. I have no intention of watching this play out. "Just go in the bathroom," I tell him, and drink as much of the bad rum and coke as I can so we leave.

The Alexander House is the last bar in Park River. It is very different from the other bars in town. It's up on the hill at the edge of town so it's physically seperated from the other bars all on Main Street, as well as being attached to the only hotel in town. It also has a restaurant. I don't know if I can give word to what a splendid break this was from some of the bars. Real windows, real tables and chairs, a fire place and a drink menu. While the game was on (I have no idea what sport or team, but most of the town was watching) the bartenders paid more attention to peope than TV.

I had my rum and coke, 2.50, and my husband found a drink for himself, an Alpine Warmer (hot chocolate and peppermint Schnapps). Even though my drink was only 25 cents more, it was heavenly after the last one. The bartender (I can't recall his name, and didn't write in down, but in typical Park River fashion, I know he's Tammy's dad) wa really friendly. We also had onion rings (yummy! batter dipped and everything a good onion ring should be) and fries. Unlike the other bars, which all pretty much had a pool table and two dart boards, there was none of that, but that would ruin the atmosphere.

Overall very pleasant, and Jason picked up the sponsorship all the way from Seattle.