The Time, It’s a’Changin’….

 I94 runs east and west across some of the most awesome, yet intimidating vistas in the country. North Dakota was fascinating in its own way, but Montana deserves the “Big Sky Country” name. Montana is the fourth largest state by area, but ranks 46th in population at just over a million citizens! It’s a transition state, where the eastern half is characterized by prairie terrain and badlands, turning to mountain ranges in the west. Acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, Montana was explored by fur trappers and, of course, Lewis and Clark, with homesteaders, miners and ranchers pouring in soon after. Today, ranching, agriculture, and minerals make up a large part of the state’s economy. And, speaking of economy, one of Montanas  industries is as one of the country’s largest location of  microbreweries! Who knew?

Zipping along with the speed limit holding at 80, we marveled at the surroundings.

Near LaSalle, we spotted the worlds largest cow.

And at the Gladstone off ramp, we saw geese in flight!

Unbeknownst to us, Montana is one of the country’s largest wind turbine locations.

Tens of thousands of acres of grain and corn are grown every year (hence the microbreweries?)

Big Sky, indeed!

We stopped for the night at Small Town RV Park in Terry, Montana. Terry is a town of some 500 souls that harks back to the old west, with dirt roads and derelict buildings.

The rv park is operated by a couple who believe in customer service! All the expected utilities are available, along with a personal trash can, an entry mat, a guide to Montana attractions, and a half dozen fresh farm raised eggs!

We will be leaving tomorrow, heading to the most populous city in the state. Going west!

The time? We’re in the Mountain Time zone now.

Feeling Better!

 We haven’t had time to fully explore Bismark like we should. There is an extensive downtown that we’ve missed, for example, with many opportunities to shop and eat!

We woke up this morning to a rousing thunderstorm. It rained for an hour or so, then quit as these summer midwestern storms are known to do. We had an appointment in Mandan, ND, and didn’t want to drive into an unknown city in the rain, but fortunately the weather cleared.

Our appointment in Mandan was at Schwan Buick Cadillac and GMC.

The radio/gps/camera system in our truck decided to quit working, but thanks to the good folks at Schwan we are back on the road. Unfortunately, the episode cost us most of two days. We will just have to come back and spend a few days!

The midwest has given us some great experiences, time with family and friends foremost among them, but now it’s time to move into Mountain Time via Interstate 94. We’re looking forward to seeing some mountains and pine trees!

Of Flowers, Farms, and Memories

 We have stumbled into a state at a time of year famous for a universally loved flower. The last week of July and the first two weeks of August see a burst of bright yellow from the thousands of acres of sunflowers in North Dakota. 

The state was inhabited for thousands of years by various Native American tribes, the Mandan, Ojibwe, Cree and Lakota, finding a hospitable land covered in prairie grasses, a staple of the Buffalo diet. This fertile land has continued to prove to be a great place to grow crops that are vitally important to our country. North Dakota is the largest producer in the U.S. of cereal grains and 53% of the country’s sunflower seeds. Today was sunflower day.

We headed north out of town along the Missouri River, along ND1804, enjoying a cloudy, cool day.

Thousands of acres of sunflowers, soybeans, and corn flanked our journey.

Along the way we stopped at a couple of historical points of interest. Painted Woods, and the story that was told, was particularly touching.

We also stopped at Double Ditch Indian Village. This encampment was in use from the 1400’s to 1785 and had a population of about 2,000 people. Little remains of the earth mound community on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River other than a plaque identifying the area. The name derives from the defensive ditches that were dug around the perimeter of the village, an outer one and an inner ditch apparently dug as the village became smaller.

Just north of Washburn, ND, we happened upon a statue commemorating the friendship that developed between Lewis and Clark, and the Mandan chief Sheheke during the first winter spent by the Corps of Discovery in 1804.

Along our journey we came up and personal with grain crops nearly ready for harvest.

The elevators used to store grain are quiet now, but will be busy in a few weeks.

We could not get enough of the beautiful sunflowers!

Our day has been saddened by the memory of our late Sister in Law. Today was her birthday. Linda was a vital member of an extended family, and a joy to be with. She is missed.

I trust there are joyous and abundant sunflowers in heaven, Linda!

Go West, Young Man! Plus or Minus…

 We left the fairgrounds in Fargo, heading west on Interstate 94, through Tower City, Valley City , known as “The Most Beautiful City in North Dakota “, past Eckelson Lake and the McLain Waterfowl Production Area. We caught a long distance look at the Worlds Largest Buffalo as we passed by Jamestown, and in a couple of hours approached Bismark, the capitol of North Dakota. 

On our journey we noticed the unique beauty of the state. Like a dinner plate. Fine china, for sure.

We’ve checked into Hillcrest Acres RV Park at sbout 3 in the afternoon. This is a working persons park, with every space except ours occupied by long time residents. We will be here for a few days and expect to meet some of the neighbors. We already have a relationship with the guy on the south side because he was removing the wheels from his trailer this evening. It sounds like the neighbor on the other side is walking his Mastiff. We’ll be fine….

It’s Been Awhile!

 We spent several wonderful days with Donna’s brother, Cara and Bruce, sharing memories and telling jokes! On Friday, July 25, Bill and Diane, our friends from Michigan cruised in for a few days, and joined the family for an afternoon celebration the next day. They’re on the right below.

Our nephew, Chuck, and his lovely wife, Jill, on the left in the photo above, hosted a great afternoon party and dinner! Their home in an elegant neighborhood in St. Paul, MN, is perfect for a party! We enjoyed an absolutely perfect meal of homemade chili with lightly toasted buttered bread and ice cream and cake for dessert! Wonderful!

Late the next day, Bill and Diane and Donna and I dropped by a local brewery, the Liftbridge Brewery, which is named for the lift bridge at the edge of town that carried traffic across the St Croix river and allowed river traffic to travel up and down the river. We tried a bit of everything at the brewery, including a flight for Bill and Diane.

My choice was a slow-pour Czech inspired beer that left me a bit worse for wear!

Donna selected a Mango Blonde and critiqued it like a pro: “light, hint of flavor, cool and easy drinking.”

It seemed that we ate and drank for a week straight! A meal at Machete Cocina Mexicana took us two hours to eat! A little talking, a little drinking and a little eating filled a great evening.

Thunderstorms rolled through on two consecutive nights, downing trees, flooding streets, and causing leaks in the trailer!

Our Michigan friends and ourselves finally allowed things to return to normal with our family, and hauled north to Duluth. Known for its shipping, primarily of iron ore aboard “salties”, Duluth is a strong blue collar town. We traipsed down to Canal Park to look at the shipping channel and the lift bridge.

A quick stop at Grammas Tavern let us enjoy a warm day with onion rings and…..beer.

A short walk through the tourist shops killed a couple of hours.

Bill and Diane are members of the Moose Lodge fraternity, and invited us to join them at the local moose for a ….beer.

We were able to take a drive along the western shore of Lake Superior, and stopped for a little rock hunting and a couple of photos of two lovely ladies.

Unfortunately we have had to part company with the Michiganders and headed west. 360 miles later we pulled into West Fargo for a quick overnighter. We are in site 15 at the Red River Valley fairgrounds.

This is a barebones location, with a Renaissance Fair on one side and a Friday night derby race on the other. Between the noise from the events and the rowdy neighbors we may not get much sleep tonight! Oh well, at least it’s only 50 bucks a night…..