Lovely Daughter and Lars loaded up the Harley and the entourage on Monday morning and headed back home. Ole and I weren't quite ready to deal with reality yet so we decided to prolong the issue just a bit and went north from Medora to Tioga, ND.
I'm sure you've never heard of that town - it's just a wide spot in the road but it's in the middle of the oil fields of North Dakota. Bet you didn't know that North Dakota had oil, did you? Right now they're sitting on one of the largest oil reserves in the world - the Bakken Formation. Ole has a cousin that lives in the area that he hadn't seen for a number of years so we decided to detour a bit on our way home (about 300 mile detour) and stop for coffee. We had a great visit along with the most delicious berry pie that she had made and then headed for Minot (Mind Rot as it's known around here.) The area I live in isn't the edge of the world, but you can see it from here. Minot IS on the edge of the world.
I guess I shouldn't be so hard on the area as it's beautiful in its own way. Here's one of the scenes along the highway - now who cannot smile when you see a field full of sunflowers in full bloom.
Our goal was to head for the International Peace Gardens, located on the Canadian/North Dakota border. Ole and I have lived here all our lives and have never been to the Peace Gardens. We had originally intended to spend a day or two, camping in the Gardens themselves, but I'm sure glad we didn't follow through on that plan. I was SO disappointed and we both decided it just wasn't worth the time and effort that it took to get there. So after our tour, which took less than an hour, we were on the road again headed back to reality - home.
I wasn't feeling very well anyway, so the thought of home was comforting. The night we spent in Minot I had stopped at the Walmart deli to pick up something quick for supper. I purchased honey barbecue chicken and macaroni salad. Now my first clue should have been how dirty that store was. I don't think I have ever been in a dirtier Walmart. But - duh - it didn't register - and by 3 a.m. I was up spewing macaroni salad in several forms (sorry if that was too graphic!) I still had a rolly stomach the next morning with a total lack of energy, so riding in the RV, rolling along the highway and flying over the bumps didn't do a lot for how I felt.
By late afternoon I was feeling better and we were getting closer to home so we decided to stop in the famous/infamous Local Watering Hole for a burger instead of going home to cook. Everyone was surprised to see us home, so we had a good old gab session and compared Sturgis notes with several people who had been there also.
I think Lucy and Simon were both happy to be home - and somehow I think they could smell they were home. They sat in the open windows with their noses wiggling and whiskers moving and started meowing and begging to get out. For the entire month that we traveled neither of them showed any interest in getting out. Guess they enjoyed the safety of their moving house.
So, anyway, we're home and now we have to deal with unpacking and cleaning. And if I don't get busy - that won't happen either. :-(
Love Lena
9 comments:
I've heard of Minot...some company I used to deal with in a different job was there...but I can't remember who it was. Oh well...Welcome home
We've been in Minot! Picture a cold, cold December. Flew from St. Paul to Minot. Could not catch another flight to our destination because of the weather. A private 4 seater was sent for us...I was co-pilot. It was cold and miserable. Our final destination...the banana belt of ND...and dang, I can't think of the name. Will look it up and repost. Needless to say, the Trout did not take the job. Hurray!!
Williston...of course it was Williston. Talk about having cabin fever. I can't imagine living there and would sure like to hear from people that do!!!
Williston? The banana belt of North Dakota? (muffles loud laugh). That's really a good one. Minot is AT the edge of the world, but Williston actually hangs over!! It's really not that bad anymore as it's really growing rapidly due to the second oil boom. They can't build houses fast enough and the infrastructure is having a hard time keeping up. Anyway, even if I don't like Florida, you're in a much better place than if you had settled in Williston.
Minot -- wasn't that the Little Town on the Prairie?
Sorry to hear about your mis-fortune with the food. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
hehe I grew up less than an hour from Tioga. I havn't been up there in years. I always remember my mom listening to the local (very local, as in who visited who, who was in the hospital, that important small town stuff) Crosby news on the Tioga radio station. I spent a good portion of my teen years in Minot at Dakota Square (think West Acres, but smaller). Welcome to my corner of the planet.
If there is a bright spot in the center of the universe, Williston is the spot second farthest from it, (Crosby being the first). I can say that as my mom lives there, I grew up north of there (60 miles) and spent half of the first 18 years of my life there, or so it felt.
Glad you made it home safely. We have begun the bumpy ride home, and are in Tok, Alaska. Minot is paradise compared to Tok!
We, too, decided to visit the International Peace Gardens, and like you were disappointed. It's nothing like we had imagined it would be!
We will be waving at you some time next weekend I think.
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