A highlight of our time in North Dakota was the opportunity to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for this journey that we have shared together and we look to the future with joy. While we were in South Dakota, we had a photo taken that was similar to the one taken 40 years earlier during our honeymoon. We thought that you might enjoy seeing those pics.
From the Black Hills we drove north through South Dakata using the backroad highways to Bismarck, North Dakota, staying for one night, then on to Grand Forks, ND, right on the border with Minnesota, on the day of our actual anniversary. This is the college town of the University of North Dakota, and we used Lyft, for the first time to get a ride into town. What a great way to get around! Our anniversary dinner was at the brewery and pub called the Rhombus Guys.
We’ve been driving the small state highways to go north and east across North Dakota and Minnesota. We don’t drive fast with a trailer, so we like state highways better than big freeways where trucks pass us going 75 mph. West of Grand Forks, each small town had a small WWII jet in the center square. East of there, in Minnesota, many small towns had tanks instead. Most churches in these small towns have the word ‘evangelical’ in its name, and it was mostly church groups that signed up to keep sections of the highways clean. This is definately Lutheran country.
It may be the land of 10,000 lakes in Minnesota, but you don’t see many because of all the trees! Millions of them every mile it seems. We drove through tiny towns with names like Ray, Blackduck, Margie, and Big Falls. Big Falls was larger with over 250 people and the traffic signs had me slow down to 30 mph for all eight blocks of it! We stopped in the quaint town of Little Fork to get gas. Sue enjoyed talking to the lady inside, while I talked with ‘Joe the mechanic’ about how great lithium grease is, as well as different grades of gas.
We’re not saying this area is remote, but the last hour before almost reaching the Canadian border, at Voyageurs National Park, only 4 cars and 4 trucks passed me. Maybe one car every couple of minutes is seen coming from the opposite direction. Our two days of travel will now have us resting at Kabetogama Lake and Voyageurs National Park for four days.