Snow, stitches… and ‘sweet Caroline’

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This article was published 07/02/2022 (1432 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Decades ago, daredevil snowmobilers battled the frozen prairie and their machines in a gruelling 800-kilometre race that turned its annual winners into legends.

Cheering fans lined small town streets in scenes comparable to cycling’s Tour de France, as International 500 competitors sped by on the treacherous journey from Winnipeg to St. Paul, Minn.

The glory days of top racers tearing through snow-packed fields and ditches for big money and notoriety are long gone, but their exploits still inspire Roger and Wyatt Kram.

Riding 1973 John Deere 400 snowmobiles, the father and son from Fargo, N.D., recently recreated the endurance race in an unforgettable adventure that became hair-raising at times. They came up with the idea during a car ride in 2018.

“Nobody could believe that we actually did it. People were telling us, ‘I can’t believe you made it,’” said Wyatt Kram, a 35-year-old trailer manufacturing engineer. “With the amount of miles we knew we had to put up in a day, we really had to push hard and run our sleds like we were in a race.”

From the late 1960s to the early ’80s, I-500 racers needed about 14 hours of sled time, spread over four days, to reach the finish line.

Going a bit slower, the Krams gave themselves six days, as they covered as many as 185 kilometres a day on their charity ride. To cross the border into Canada, they had to meet COVID-19 entry requirements, including a negative test result within 72 hours of arrival.

When they set off from John Deere retailer Enns Brothers in Steinbach on Jan. 24, Roger Kram was riding solo, while his son followed in a support vehicle hauling an enclosed trailer.

Slowed by snow-clogged rural roads, Wyatt Kram became separated from his dad, who ended up running out of gas as he cruised along a forested trail.

The first snag of the cross-border journey put the 67-year-old hospital maintenance engineer in a tricky situation in unfamiliar surroundings. The wind chill was about -35, his mobile phone was giving up on him in the cold, and the sun was starting to set.

Dressed in warm layers and equipped with a map, he spotted a passing car in the distance. He walked about a kilometre to a road, where a health-care worker named Caroline picked him up.

He dubbed his saviour “sweet Caroline.”

“When I was walking to the service road, a lot of different things were going through my mind. I told people after the ride, ‘Don’t do this stupid thing like going alone,’” Roger said. “After I was scolded (by Caroline), she said, ‘Get in the vehicle, and I’ll get you to your son.”

“She called me and said, ‘I have your dad,’” said Wyatt Kram, with a laugh.

By the time they reunited in Woodridge, about 50 km southeast of Steinbach, and recovered the snowmobile, the Krams decided to load their sleds into the trailer and drive across the border to Roseau, Minn., their first leg destination.

From there, the father and son rode together through Minnesota while a relative drove the support vehicle. At various stages, they were joined by family, friends and strangers thrilled by what they were doing.

Day 2 highlights included stops at a Polaris plant in Roseau and an Arctic Cat plant in Thief River Falls. Day 3 brought blizzard-like conditions and rough terrain.

“We had to cross a highway while the visibility was next to zero. That was probably the hairiest moment,” Wyatt Kram said. “It really felt like the I-500 ride of the 70s.”

The fourth leg — from Detroit Lakes to Alexandria — almost knocked the elder Kram out of the ride. His sled tipped over and hit a tree as he navigated a curve.

A huge gash on his forearm wasn’t discovered until they stopped for lunch.

“I thought it was pretty darn gross,” his son said of the injury.

While the rest of the riders carried on without him, Roger Kram was driven to a hospital in Alexandria, where 13 stitches were needed to close the wound. Despite the injury, a doctor gave him the OK to carry on.

“My wife said there was a smile on my face that was unbelievable at that moment,” Roger Kram said.

After an overnight stop in Becker, the Krams rode 48 kilometres to their finish line — the Midwest Ride-in, the world’s largest vintage snowmobile show, in the Minneapolis suburb of Elk River.

Al Garin, 92, who once competed in the International 500, joined them on those final 48 kilometres.

Roger Kram, who served in the U.S. navy during the Vietnam War, and his son are raffling a restored 1972 John Deere 400 and other prizes to raise money for the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard.

“I feel strongly about helping out the veterans who went and served their country,” Roger Kram said. “The outpouring of support we have received has been unbelievable, from family and friends to people who have never met us before.”

After taking time to rest, the father and son have been reflecting on the “amazing” people they met and memories made special by completing the journey together.

“The ride couldn’t have gone any better. There were a lot of things that worked out for us,” Wyatt Kram said. “There were some tough days, but it makes you appreciate the whole ride.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching