Sept 14, Tuesday
States seen: South Dakota, North Dakota (new), Minnesota
This was day 6 of 11, so the midpoint of our road trip. We
spent some time walking around Rapid City,
went to get breakfast, then wove our
way through a series of off-the-interstate farmland highways where, for hundreds
of miles, I literally passed like 5-6 cars.
Stopped for gas and uh, relief, in
a small-town gas/mini mart. Talked to a guy there from Belle Fourche (pronounced
bell foosh). It was wide open farmland. We were able to pull over and take a
pic of the North Dakota State sign.
We came up on Bismarck, North Dakota,
where
we stopped for lunch at the Laughing Sun Brewing Company for some pretty good
burnt ends.
People seem VERY serious about not exceeding posted speed limits in
these places, which drives a guy from LA nuts. But I was wary enough to think
that maybe it’s because the cops are VERY serious about it too, in which case I
ought to watch my step. I had no problems, but it was making me nuts how slow
they were going.
After Bismarck, Shell took over driving. We took the 94 east…
very east….
…like nearly a straight line, until Fargo, where we stayed at the
Radisson Blu Fargo downtown just off the Red River.
We looked up some things to
do in the area and found a few of them were just across the river into
Minnesota. So we walked across to the Hjemkomst center
where they had a replica
Viking ship built by some Norwegian descendants, that they sailed through the
great lakes and the northern Atlantic over to Norway.
There was also a replica
of a wooden stave church.
Went back and walked up and down Broadway, which
seems like the hippest street in Fargo,
where we saw some Bison statues with
artwork on them. Trying to take a picture of one, some people stopped and we
got into a conversation with them. They had been in Fargo for the last 30 years
and shared some experiences with us.
We went back up to the hotel room to get some good pics of
the sunset,
… then went to get dinner, and got back late, ready for a good
night’s sleep.