Hi folks:
It is Friday night late. I have a strong Internet signal at this Flying J in Fargo, North Dakota. But, I am not sure how long I am going to last in here. The air conditioning is going strong. So, this might be shorter than I would wish.
First, July 9th: from Beach, North Dakota, I got off the Interstate and visited the southern portion of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This park incorporates land that Roosevelt owned. Among other things, this park has a scenic drive that is awesome. That is what I did mostly, stopping to have a picnic lunch along the way. The best part was all of the cute, little prairie dogs along the way. The colors of the scenery was second. Other animals of buffalo, deer, and horses were seen.
Afterwards, making it to Williston, for the first time on this trip, I did the "stay in the Walmart parking RV lot" that folks always mention. Don't worry. I wasn't the only one there. As a matter of fact, there was a little village of us. One poor little camper somehow had made it there minus one tire. It was being replaced early in the morning.
This was not in the original plan, but I was so close to the northern beginning of U.S. 85, I made my way to the Canadian/U.S. boarder. Thus, the picture you will see with two feet and a straight line. Backtracking toward U.S. 52, I came up on the town of Fortuna, ND. It is the first town in the U.S. on 85. According to the postmistress, the official population is 12. She was sad to report that the only reason the town and postoffice was still there was because of the grain elevator in the town doing business. There was one tavern as well.
Turning east at Fortuna and traveling ND 5, brought me to my goal of being on U.S. 52.
Portal, ND is a larger town, with a larger post office, and not-so-friendly boarder inspectors. More about them, if you ask me. At both portals, the same kind of markers exist, but there is no painted line across the road at Portal, ND. Unlike U.S. 1 in Key West, FL the U.S 85 and 52 signs do not say "begin" and "end" ---just the first sign for "South" (85) and "East" (52), and the opposite on the other side of the road.
Driving along, I would see these fields of bright yellow on top of a green crop. Today, stopping at an Agricultural office, I was told that the crop is canola (where we get canola oil--better for us when we cook stuff in it.) The yellow is the flower of the plant, and it is only in bloom for a couple of weeks--at this time of the year. The plants are harvested in the late fall using a combine, like corn.
After staying the night in Minot, ND at a travel center, today, I had to take a detour off of U.S. 52 to go to Rugby, North Dakota. It has been determined that Rugby, North Dakota is the geographical center of North America. There is an obelisk to mark the spot, along with the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican flags. There was really no explanation that I found on how this spot was to be determined the geographical center. Ummm, more research is needed.
Rugby was a neat little town, complete with a public library that has an official name of "The Heart of America Library." Inquiring how and when the library got its name, the assistant could not tell me. Ummm, more research.
It is Friday night late. I have a strong Internet signal at this Flying J in Fargo, North Dakota. But, I am not sure how long I am going to last in here. The air conditioning is going strong. So, this might be shorter than I would wish.
First, July 9th: from Beach, North Dakota, I got off the Interstate and visited the southern portion of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This park incorporates land that Roosevelt owned. Among other things, this park has a scenic drive that is awesome. That is what I did mostly, stopping to have a picnic lunch along the way. The best part was all of the cute, little prairie dogs along the way. The colors of the scenery was second. Other animals of buffalo, deer, and horses were seen.
Afterwards, making it to Williston, for the first time on this trip, I did the "stay in the Walmart parking RV lot" that folks always mention. Don't worry. I wasn't the only one there. As a matter of fact, there was a little village of us. One poor little camper somehow had made it there minus one tire. It was being replaced early in the morning.
This was not in the original plan, but I was so close to the northern beginning of U.S. 85, I made my way to the Canadian/U.S. boarder. Thus, the picture you will see with two feet and a straight line. Backtracking toward U.S. 52, I came up on the town of Fortuna, ND. It is the first town in the U.S. on 85. According to the postmistress, the official population is 12. She was sad to report that the only reason the town and postoffice was still there was because of the grain elevator in the town doing business. There was one tavern as well.
Turning east at Fortuna and traveling ND 5, brought me to my goal of being on U.S. 52.
Portal, ND is a larger town, with a larger post office, and not-so-friendly boarder inspectors. More about them, if you ask me. At both portals, the same kind of markers exist, but there is no painted line across the road at Portal, ND. Unlike U.S. 1 in Key West, FL the U.S 85 and 52 signs do not say "begin" and "end" ---just the first sign for "South" (85) and "East" (52), and the opposite on the other side of the road.
Driving along, I would see these fields of bright yellow on top of a green crop. Today, stopping at an Agricultural office, I was told that the crop is canola (where we get canola oil--better for us when we cook stuff in it.) The yellow is the flower of the plant, and it is only in bloom for a couple of weeks--at this time of the year. The plants are harvested in the late fall using a combine, like corn.
After staying the night in Minot, ND at a travel center, today, I had to take a detour off of U.S. 52 to go to Rugby, North Dakota. It has been determined that Rugby, North Dakota is the geographical center of North America. There is an obelisk to mark the spot, along with the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican flags. There was really no explanation that I found on how this spot was to be determined the geographical center. Ummm, more research is needed.
Rugby was a neat little town, complete with a public library that has an official name of "The Heart of America Library." Inquiring how and when the library got its name, the assistant could not tell me. Ummm, more research.
Leaving Rugby, going back to U.S. 52, I followed it east as much as possible, including the towns where U.S. 52 went through before Interstate 94 was built. I found some interesting court houses, and churches, and other buildings along the way. In Bowbells, ND late on Thursday, I found a Dutch Windmill. A sign in a restaurant stated that people establishing land claims in and near Bowbells were from Indiana.
Well, I need to attach the pictures, and leave this Flying J restaurant before my nose turns into an ice cube.
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