An angel among us.
That was the title a woman from Stephen, MN gave to Becker’s own Milissa Johnson — owner of Three Ladies Laundromat.
It all began January 24 in Winnipeg when the Gerszewski family (Mindy, Daniel, Shantel and Zachary) took to the frigid airs of Canada and Minnesota to participate in the 56th annual I-500 snowmobile race.
History
The I-500 snowmobile race was first run in 1966 in which 56 drivers entered the contest to navigate the two countries from Winnipeg to St. Paul in -35º weather. The cost that year to enter was $5 for what was perceived as a four-day trek. Larry Hennig — a professional wrestler from Minneapolis — was one of the “celebrities” to enter the contest. He was 30 years old at the time.
In the assembly of 57 drivers, one woman was in the field (she rode with her husband) and only 24 sleds and drivers finished the race to St. Paul. The winning time was 13 hours, 36 minutes and five of the first six sleds were Polaris brands — manufactured from a plant in Roseau, MN.
Since the first race, the map to reach St. Paul has changed over the years but it still involved some of the coldest temperatures of the year and challenging tracks. The Gerszewski’s race was actually to conclude in Elk River.
2022 Race
The Gerszewskis rode vintage snowmobiles to honor the first racers and they had no major issues with their sleds other than replacing spark plugs daily, having a bogey wheel and a recoil swap out. They averaged about 115 miles a day and many of the mornings began with temperatures around -20º.
“Just a perfect amount of snow this year,” said Mom, Mindy. “We ran into a blizzard near Thief River Falls, mostly rode ditches. There were a few groomed areas that were a Godsend because of no suspension on these (sleds).”
This was the first time the Gerszewskis were attempting to tackle such a long haul on their vintage sleds. Mindy notes that almost every small town along the track holds vintage snowmobile runs every year.
“It brings a lot of money into the communities, creating wonderful family” she says. The time spent on the trails and the reminiscing — along with people donating their time to follow along with trailers in case of break downs and donating food to local bars.”
Mindy says she grew up on John Deere sleds and when her kids were little, she and her husband bought their first John Deere for them to tool around the yard on.
“The rest is history,” she said. “The kids are out on their own now but come home for the local vintage rides.”
Angel Watching
As the Gerszewskis were nearing Becker, they realized their clothes in their luggage had become soiled in gasoline so they looked for a laundromat. They noticed the Three Ladies Laundromat along Hwy. 10 and dropped in to see if they could remedy their situation.
“The owner, Milissa could see us smelling our clothes and hear us say a few swear words, so she had come up to see what our dilemma was all about,” said Mindy.
Milissa, you see, was watching the store on her camera system at home and noticed the suitcases laying in the parking lot. So she hopped in her car and raced up to her store.
“I’m sure her seeing our open, empty suitcases sprawled out in the parking lot peaked her suspicion,” said Mindy.
When Milissa Johnson arrived and walked through the door, she just said “so is it diesel or gas we’re trying to wash out?”
Mindy said she was afraid Milissa would be upset about the smell and using her machines for this, but Johnson just jumped right in trying to remedy their issue.
“She (Johnson) brought different washing detergents to try and wouldn’t let us pay for the many rewashings,” said Mindy.
“From then on, she (Johnson) kept seven-to-eight washers going — rewashing — trying different detergents she brought with her,” said Mindy. “No charge for the washers, detergent or the time she spent with us. Just an angel!”
The Gerszewskis ended up spending over five hours at the laundromat, washing clothes over and over and power washing their trailer. They got a room at the local motel, ordered some pizza from Godfathers and drank a few beers.
“We also spent time organizing the daily trip photos and sharing them on Facebook,” said Mindy.
The Next Day
They ended up going back to the laundromat early the next morning for another washing, then finally drying (resulting in the gas smell finally gone).
“We were afraid to dry them the night before for fear of blowing up the place,” said Mindy. “So we took them back to the hotel, soaked them in vinegar in garbage bags in the tub.”
Because of the help of Milissa Johnson, the Gerszewskis were able to complete their trip to Elk River and cross the finish line. The Gerszewskis said they met a lot of wonderful people along their ride, but none like their angel amongst them.
“The world is so sad right now with the negativity so I wanted to share that angels and good people still exist,” said Mindy. “God bless you (Milissa) and all of your family! Thank you. You did more for my psyche and worldly outlook than you could ever know.”
