North Dakota

We have now been in 49 states after finally making it to North Dakota.  When the bridge is finished we’ll tackle Hawaii.

Jamestown

Frontier Fort R.V. Park in Jamestown, N.D. was our next destination.  On the way we saw loops in the sky and didn’t know what they were.  Judy took a great picture that later we found out was the Navy Blue Angels practicing for an air show the next day. 

After setting up we took a walk and saw a beautiful palomino horse that let Mike feed him grass, a stagecoach drawn by two beautiful dark brown horses with a barking dog on board as it passed us, and the Frontier Village which was only a block away.  It’s another place where you step back in time to the days of the old west with the typical prairie town shops they had in those days like a saloon, trading post, one-room schoolhouse, general store and a church.  We also visited the Louis L’Amour Writer’s Shack.  He was born in Jamestown and was a popular western writer. Another on-foot stop was looking at the largest buffalo monument, Dakota Thunder.  This statue has been watching over this town since 1959 and was built to attract tourists off the interstate highway and into town.  We spotted the statue while we were on the highway  This buffalo is 26’ high, 14’ wide, 46’ long and weighs 60 tons.  It’s huge to say the least!  There is a herd of buffalo and they roam 250 acres adjacent to the Frontier Village and the Museum but they weren’t in sight.  Mike went back after dinner and saw their white buffalo which is considered sacred by the American Indians.

Before heading out the next morning we visited the Basilica of St. James, also in Jamestown.  This American Gothic-style church is one of only 60 minor basilicas in the United States.  “Basilica” is a title assigned to certain churches because of their antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as centers of worship.  St. James was the 34^th church in the United States to be designated as a Minor Basilica. 

Bismarck

Our drive to Bismarck took us past many corn, wheat, and sunflower fields.  After setting up and having lunch we went to see the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn.  The drive there brought us by more sunflower fields.  We watched an introductory film narrated by Steven Ambrose, giving an overview of the Lewis & Clark expedition.  President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with 44 soldiers to ascend the Missouri River, explore the Louisiana Purchase, and explore everything to the Pacific Ocean.  On their trip they stayed in the Mandan and Hidatsa Indian villages, building Fort Mandan about ten miles from the interpretive center.  They lived in this fort, their outpost and safe haven on the edge of the unknown frontier for five months in the winter of 1804.  Unfortunately we couldn’t visit the fort since they have been trying to repair the damage in the area due to the flooding of the Missouri River. This is where they met Sakakawea who accompanied them on their trip, giving birth to her son on this journey. 

 

After dinner we drove to see the state capital which looks more like an office building than the usual domed capital buildings we are used to seeing.  It was just an ordinary large, tall, white stone building.  In front of the building North Dakota is spelled out in red and white petunias.  To read the floral display you almost have to stand in South Dakota. 

Medora

On the way to Medora, home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we stopped at Painted Canyon Visitor Center and Overlook and saw the upper margin of the badlands.  The canyon is wide and shallow with wind and water-sculpted formations.  Compared to what we have seen previously on other trips, these are not very vibrant colors, but pretty and very different from the miles we’ve traveled this trip.  Since we were road-weary naps were on the agenda after lunch.  Before having dinner in the trailer we walked up and down the streets of Medora and walked past all the shops just waiting for tourists.  We enjoyed a dish of ice cream and then walked back to the trailer for grilled chicken salad.  

The next morning, after enjoying a home-cooked breakfast we went to the visitor’s center at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  There we watched a movie about Theodore Roosevelt coming to this area at the age of 24 wanting to shoot bison and see the prairie.  He grew to love and respect the N.D. Badlands which he credited with fostering his belief in conservation.  From there we took the 36-mile drive through the area seeing great formations of rocks showing erosion and weather elements.  We feel it is prettier than the S.D. Badlands since so much of these are green with grass, trees and shrubs.    In 1947 Congress set aside a national park in Roosevelt’s honor; incorporating his own ranchlands in order to offer all Americans a glimpse of what so inspired America’s first environmentalist president.  The area is rugged, has surreal beauty and abundant wildlife.  We saw a deer jump out in front of our truck, but it had quick reflexes and turned so we wouldn’t hit it.  Mike had quick reflexes also, stepping on the brakes.  Judy spotted a huge buffalo eating a shrub not too far from the road, but the shrub it was trying to eat was hiding its face.  Farther down the road through the park we came across three adult and two baby buffalo just resting and waiting for us to take pictures.  There were many villages of prairie-dogs and also a few wild horses were spotted.  It was exciting to see all these animals in the wild.