Chapter 5

We headed for Milwaukee and circled the area to see if we could attract any attention. We made some widening circles but saw no signs of recent habitation. Our next planned stop was Minneapolis/St. Paul, the twin cities.

We watched the ground closely but saw little signs of cultivation or harvesting on the trip as we flew low and slow. We circled around twice to catch anyone using smoke to get our attention but saw nothing either time. The main airport was blocked by a couple of crashes and Bennie and I decided that we didn't want to land on a damaged runway. We flew gradually widening circles looking around for people and for an airport without success as to people. We did find an airport in the northwest corner of the metro area. We went around some more in circles but saw no one. We came back to the airport and looked it over carefully from a height and then low and slow. The runway wasn't perfect but looked as good as those where we had landed. We took a guess at the wind and landed without incident. We then moved over to the hanger area and, as was our habit, stopped with a good hundred feet or so between us and anything else. While it left us exposed, it forced anyone coming to us to be in the open. We cut the engine and opened the doors and listened. There was nothing to be heard.

We exited the plane taking the key, our rifles, and the gas tester. We walked around checking out the airport and watching for any people or animals. It stayed quiet. The place had a lonely feel to it but I didn't stop looking and listening. We walked over to a couple of tanker trucks. Looking up, Bennie said, "The top is open. Let's skip it." We went to the second one and opened the valve just a little and smelled Kerosene for jets. We shook our heads at each other and moved on.

The field had dirt on it from lack of use. It was interesting that most of the planes looked a little damaged but the tops of wings and fuselages looked clean. Bennie had noticed also. He said, "I believe the snow cleans them every year. Also, some of the weight may have harmed them over time." We continued to hunt around and found, quite easily, the tanks. After testing, we found one that would give us good fuel. We could get the plane closer but not close enough. Bennie found a pallet jack and mounted a pallet on it along with some empty barrels. Those we could fill. We had a hand pump that had seen service already. We pulled the cans back and put it to use. It wasn't fun but we got the plane filled up. We brought the barrels back and filled them one last time and sealed them up. We planned to return.

We walked around a little more and went into the office and checked out some maps finding one for Duluth and another for Winnipeg. We took those and left for the plane. We still hadn't heard or seen any sign of people in the last few years. We heard animal sounds but not even much of those. We got back into the plane and took off for Duluth. We flew low and slow looking for signs of people in the fields or smoke rising into the air.

"Bennie, where is everyone? This is vacant even for the times."

"I'm not sure. It gets cold here in winter and, perhaps, people headed south or couldn't handle the cold without power and didn't make it. Maybe, we ought to work over Duluth a bit more to try to figure it out."

We were headed north and a little east for Duluth and seeing no signs of people. We did fly out over Lake Superior but there were no boats out on the water. We flew around the city in our usual ode, low and slow. We hoped we would attract attention and people would make an effort to let us know we were seen. After about thirty minutes, Bennie said, Let's land this thing and try some foot unless we can find some wheels. It's getting late and we need to find a place to hole up, too."

I brought the plane in for a soft landing. The airport was clear and we had our choices of runways that were long and clear. I picked the longest and came down for a gentle touch and rode along looking for the general aviation section. We found it and stopped the plane out from a good-looking hanger. We went through our process of cutting the engine, opening the doors and listening. It was quiet with a light wind. We left the plane taking our rifles, the key, and the gas tester. We looked around for gas trucks or fueling points that we could use.

I was wearing my "female" outfit of a halter-top and tight shorts while Bennie did his rock look, a big rock. Bennie looked intimidating, a natural look for him and I looked like an innocent young woman. It meant that anyone with a bad attitude tried to capture me, which wasn't easy, or tried to take Bennie out, which was even more difficult. Bennie had eyes in the back of his head and could smell better than most anyone. I was still waiting for someone to sneak up on him without being detected.

We roamed around the airport until we found a couple of bicycles. The tires were out of air but one of the bikes had a pump. We pumped them up and they held air. We rode after that and covered more ground quicker than before. We found gas that was useable and then began to search for signs of people around the airport. There were none. It was now late afternoon.

Bennie said, "Let's go back, fill the plane, set up camp, and go exploring tomorrow. We aren't on a tight timetable so a day really looking around is something we can afford."

"Suits me."

It was a plan that worked and, in a cargo area of the hanger, we even found a mattress set that we pulled out of its shipping covering. We placed our sleeping bags on it. We cooked a simple supper and talked awhile before retiring to our comfortable bed for the night. We spent a comfortable night and woke up in the early morning a little cold when we got out of our little bed. I told Bennie I was wearing more clothes today unless it warmed up. We were using our little heat cups for a fire. They didn't give a warm sense of warmth like firewood but were easy to use when there was no firewood. I heated water for tea and cooked a quick breakfast. After finishing our meal, we cleaned up and prepared to go out to explore Duluth on our borrowed bicycles.

Duluth wasn't flat but, to a Georgia girl, it was close. Other than our legs not being used to the specific motion, we had no problems since both of us were young and in good shape. We rode around on the main highway, an Interstate, and looked for smaller signs of recent human activity. I said, "Bennie, I don't even see large animals. You don't suppose we are looking at another wild predator situation, do you?"

"I hope not. I haven't seen any tracks or suggestion that is true. This area gets really cold during the winter according to your Uncle Jim. Of course, you know that. That's why we're here now and not later. I don't think the big cats can handle the really cold weather."

We rode along in silence. I had to admit that the bicycles were a fun way to travel on somewhat level ground. At lunchtime, we stopped for a quick bite of some soup we heated and moved along again. It was quiet and the city had a lonely feel to it. We had made the circle tour. I said, "Bennie, do we want to get back to the plane or look anywhere else around here?"

"We have ridden all around and flown yesterday. If no one is at the airport, we have to assume it's a bust and move on tomorrow to Winnipeg."

We pulled into the airport and still saw no one or any sign of anyone. We brought our bikes into the hanger though I didn't think we would use them again. I pictured our trip back as being quicker than the trip up since we planned to retrace our steps. We decided to string our antenna for HF and talk to home tonight.

After supper, we got everything tuned and talked with Mamma Shirley and George. Mamma brought us up to date on happenings in Preservation and George told us about our new people who were working into Protection. Things were going well. We told all where we were and the status. Bennie's turn came and he talked with his father and told all that our next stop would be Winnipeg and that we would leave in the morning. We were looking at about four hundred miles to there from Duluth. He also told all that the weather was colder than we would think for this time of year. He reported that it was almost to freezing this morning. That doesn't happen in Georgia or even Tennessee. We signed off and went to bed on our mattress.

In the morning, which was cold to us, we put everything away and prepared the plane for flight. Poppa Jack had given us notes to put up on our travels telling about Preservation and how someone could contact us. We left a few scattered around the airport. It was Bennie's turn to fly and he taxied out and made a smooth take-off from the runway. We headed west-northwest in our usual mode, low and slow. I kept hoping I could see cultivated fields or moving people in wagons or anything that would show that mankind still lived in this area.