Sure, it took more than seven years, but at long last the Weekly has finally traveled to North Dakota thanks to 20-year Pleasanton resident Brandt Esser, meaning the paper has visited all 50 states.
“There was an article in the paper that said the only state the Weekly hadn’t visited is North Dakota, and I said, ‘I can fix that,'” Esser said.
Esser, 47, submitted the photo of himself reading the Weekly in the badlands of North Dakota to be included in the “Take Us Along” column, which features Pleasanton residents reading the newspaper all over the world. The column started in 2001 when former Police Chief Tim Neal sent in a photo of himself reading the Weekly in New York City. Since then, more than 1,000 reader photos have been published and still a hundred more are waiting to run.
North Dakota was just one stop on Esser’s trip as he drove across the northern United States with friends Todd Tomich and Bill Brown. Their ultimate destination was Oshkosh, Wis. where they went to an air show. Esser heard of the air show from Tomich, who is a commercial pilot for Northwest Airlines. Although not an aviation aficionado, Esser said he was interested in going on the trip because it sounded like fun and he loves to travel.
“I’m always up for an adventure,” said Esser, who works for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a buyer.
The trio passed through seven states in total including Idaho, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming, stopping at landmarks, such as Mt. Rushmore and Little Bighorn, along the way.
While taking the photo in North Dakota, there were 30-mph winds blowing in 100-degree heat, which is why Esser said he’s not surprised he’s the first reader to visit the state.
