What used to be an easy, under-an-hour drive to Crosby, N.D., for Estevan's Kelly Tytlandsvik turned into an adventure that lasted more than 20 hours.
A big fan and long-time organizer of the annual Threshing Bee in that town, Tytlandsvik didn't want to miss the important event, so he took on all the challenges the closed Canada-U.S. border poses on travellers these days.
"Five o'clock in the morning, we left Estevan, and then went to Regina, and then flew from Regina to Vancouver. And then from Vancouver to Denver, and from Denver to Minot. And then a fellow from Crosby had someone come down and pick me up at Minot and drive me back to Crosby. I got to Crosby at two o'clock in the morning North Dakota time," shared Tytlandsvik.
The Regina Airport doesn't fly internationally, so Tytlandsvik ended up crossing half of the continent to get to the destination, which is 50 kilometres away from Estevan. And while there were a few options for flights time-wise, the route and duration of the trip were about the same for all of them.
When he realized how complicated the route would be, he first had a lot of doubts. But his family insisted that he had to go, as he hasn't missed a single Crosby Threshing Bee in about 40 years, except for last year. And even that one wasn't up to him.
"I really enjoy coming here and help them with stuff down here for Threshing Bee. I got friends here coming in from all over. Every year we come to the Threshing Bee. My oldest daughter had never missed one until last year. And she's 36 this year," Tytlandsvik said.
Last year the Crosby Threshing Bee was held in a different format and was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tytlandsvik couldn't go to the U.S. for that one, but he didn't want to turn it into a habit.
"I hated to miss another one, so I went through the extra effort to go all the way around to get here. They were happy to see me," Tytlandsvik said. "This year it was a regular show."
Kelly's wife Gale Tytlandsvik, who is originally from the U.S., is a dual citizen, so she was able to drive their camper across the border without any problems and make it to Crosby in a matter of the more traditional 40 minutes.
The 52nd annual Threshing Bee took place on July 16-18 with many guests attending the event, celebrating agriculture and its history. Traditionally the show attracts 6,000-8,000 people.
"People come from all over the world to be here because of the big old tractors," Tytlandsvik said. "I really enjoy coming to it. I'm happy I did what I did. I'm happy to be here."
