Going to take classes at Nancy Crow’s Barn near Columbus, OH is a great adventure. The setting is beautiful. The food is excellent and the opportunity to study with Nancy is unparalleled.

When my friend Jayne Willoughby Scott and I got together to plan our route to Ohio we envisioned our first travel day as the longest. We planned our first night in Minot, ND.

"Should we book a hotel?" Jayne asked.

"Oh no," I said. "Minot is a small town and we’ll be there on a Thursday night. I can’t imagine there will be a problem."

On October 1st at 7:00 am we embarked on our journey. It was a gray rainy day but we were filled with enthusiasm. Our spirits were high as we approached the border. The Customs officer looked in the back of Jayne’s SUV and shook his head. He asked if we couldn’t just take an art class in Canada. "Not like this one," we said.

Our estimate of our arrival time in Minot was dead on. We thought we would find a hotel and enjoy a nice dinner. We were hoping for a good night’s rest and an early start the next morning because we were beginning to imagine completing the trip in three days instead of the allotted four. How were we to know that it was Norse Hostfest?

The first hotel was full. We spied an even nicer one next door. There we discovered that there were no rooms available in all of Minot. We decided to drive on to Bismarck, but first we needed to eat dinner.

At the restaurant we learned that there was a Scandinavian festival, something like a German Oktoberfest, in full swing. The waitress seemed surprised we didn’t know.

When we left the restaurant it was raining harder. We asked for directions at a gas station. Although it seemed clear we had to stop a second time for clarification. We were getting very tired, but we reassured each other that we could make it.

We drove through thick fog and increasingly harder rain. There was road construction complete with large orange barrels along the side of the road. The infrequent on-coming vehicles sometimes neglected to dim their lights. Did I mention that we were tired?

We finally arrived in Bismarck at 11:30 pm. As we approached the Best Western we made jokes about having our choice of rooms in Bismarck. Jayne went in to register. When she came out she was not smiling.

"There are three rooms left in all of Bismarck. A smoking room, a bridal suite and an executive suite" she said. She listed off the prices. We didn’t want to sleep in a smoking room and the bridal suite was nearly $100.00 cheaper than the executive suite (though considerably more than we had expected to spend). So it was decided, the bridal suite was the reasonable choice.

We didn’t take advantage of the spacious living room, nor did we soak in the hot tub in the bedroom. We skipped the free breakfast in favor of an early start the next morning. However, we thought the huge king-size bed with its comfortable pillows was worth every cent.

There were many more memorable events during our month-long trip. Our classes were outstanding. We met wonderful people. We saw incredible sights (like the thousands of Snow and Canadian geese gathering on the Saskatchewan flyway). We laughed and cried. We worked hard and loved every minute of it.

As we headed home we wondered if we might spend our last night in Minot. Alas, we only made it to Bismarck. Our last day of travel like the first was very long.

That last night back in the Best Western (but not in the posh bridal suite) we reflected on our experiences. Jayne and I were both grateful for the opportunity to work with Nancy Crow again. She shakes us up and demands more from us. We appreciate her honest feedback even when it is hard to hear.

Our adventure was indeed excellent. Jayne has signed up for the Master Class next fall. I am hoping to join her. There are more adventures waiting.

© C O P Y R I G H T   2 0 0 9.  Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.