Where I lived in central Minnesota there was a dirt road that dissected cornfields midway between Staples and Motley, a straight line that pretty much went from nowhere to nowhere. There was little traffic, a few farms and lots of flat horizon, so you could see somebody kicking up dust for miles. That was the point.
Everybody knew where it was, including, eventually, the county sheriff's department. Maybe that's because we simply called it: "The Drinking Road." The Drinking Road was both a destination, where young people sat on the hoods of cars and drank beer when they were too young or too broke for the bars, or a stealth exit from bar to home.
It was a long time ago, but for all I know it still exists, because in rural areas drinking and driving have long been considered commonplace, part of a culture where great boredom, loose liquor enforcement and great expanses can lead to unfortunate consequences.
"Don't worry, I'll take the back roads" was a pretty typical salutation at the end of the night.
Nationwide, more than half the traffic deaths happen on these roads and about a third of them involve drinking. With New Year's Eve approaching, several people in outstate Minnesota are working to change that.
One is Kathy McDonald, of Rush City, who has provided one-third of the expenses for Safe Cab rides in a several-county area for the past half-dozen years.
McDonald's family has owned McDonald Distributing Co. since the end of Prohibition. Sure, for a company that distributes Anheuser-Busch products, it's a sensible business decision, but those who know McDonald says she's also just doing what is right.
"Kathy has gone unnoticed," said Isanti County District Judge James Dehn, who helped found the Safe Cab program in 2005. "She's funded us and kept us going. She's one of the people who has been diligent in lowering DUIs" in rural counties. "She's just great."
