ND – Jun 2022

No deer were harmed in the making of this blog!  Well, the truck was fixed ($7k later – fortunately mostly covered by insurance), and I’m back on the road.  Sadly, I had to totally skip over Sioux Falls, SD, and proceed to Fargo, ND to get back on my preplanned schedule.  I usually only drive between 200 and 300 miles on travel days, spending anywhere between 3 to 4.5 hours driving.  Having to skip Sioux Falls caused me to travel over 450 miles at over 7 hours behind the wheel.  Not fun!  But I got there without issue, so there is that.

Travel Planing

As you all are very well aware, fuel costs continue to climb – including diesel.  When I fueled up in Fargo to drive to Bismarck, and again in Bismarck in preparation to proceed to Dickinson, it ran me $300 and over each time to fill the tank.  I’m not necessarily complaining as I knew full well that this was going to be an expensive trip when it came to fuel.  But geez – is it ever gonna stop increasing?  As a result, I’ve begun to review alternative full-time RV options that are less dependent on fossil fuels.  May have to go this route if the increases continue!

The other thing I learned during this trip is to perhaps pay a bit more attention when I’m booking campgrounds.  I use a tool called RV Trip Wizard, and love all the features it has – including helping me choose a campground around an area I want to explore.  I generally look closely to campground reviews, satellite images, and campground amenities before making a final selection.  For a campground in the area of Fargo, my choices were few.  I ended up picking a place that was roughly 40 miles away from Fargo, near the Sheyenne National Grassland.  It got great reviews, looked good from above, and had full hookup pull thru sites.  What could go wrong?  Well, turns out it was literally out in the middle of nowhere North Dakota.  I had to travel over three miles of dirt roads to get there, which totally trashed my poor scoot in thick layers of dust.  Also turns out it was a horse campground.  They had pens up and down along the outside of the sites, and folks brought their horses camping with them so they could trail ride through the grasslands.  Also, Internet connectivity was mostly non existent.  But overall, despite being out in the boonies, it actually was a very nice, quiet campground, the horses were cool as were their owners, and I got to do a bit of book reading catch up when I was not playing tourist.  But the scoot is gonna have to get a bath!

Playing Tourist

Back and forth on the dirt roads I went in order to check out the area of Fargo.  Made popular by the 1996 movie of the same name (which I’ve still not seen by the way), this little city of over 125,000 residents did have a few things to offer.  The movie apparently has a scene (HERE) where a body is being decimated via a gas-powered wood chipper.  Well, that actual wood chipper from the movie adorns the Welcome Center in town along with various other movie memorabilia including a movie script, posters, and other artifacts.  Outside is the backup chipper that was available as a substitute should the other one fail, but it was never actually used in the move.

With the sudden fame resulting from the movie, Fargo became a bit of a tourist destination for the regular joe as well as the famous.  In fact, so many famous folks were coming to visit that the city decided to create a sort of walk of fame and ask the notable visitors for their handprints in cement squares.  There are over 100 prints in the walkway from all sorts of celebs including Dave Coulier, Alice Cooper, Chubby Checkers, Weird Al Yankovic, Chet Atkins, and the entire group of the Moody Blues to name a few.  The practice was started by Fargo businessman Mike Stevens in 1989, with the walk located in front of his downtown print shop.  The first inductee was Jazz musician Al Hirt, followed by many famous people from all walks of life thereafter.  The walk was relocated in 2000 to where it now resides outside of the Welcome Center along the parking lot sidewalk.  Definitely a kind of a unique attraction.

One of the big names of fame that is associated with Fargo is Roger Maris.  He was actually born in Hibbing MN in 1934, but his family relocated to Fargo in 1946 when he was 12.  He attended Fargo Central High, and later Bishop Shanley HS where he graduated in 1952.  He went on to play minor league then later joined Major League Baseball.  He is best known for his record setting 61 home runs in a single season in 1961 – beating the former record of 60 set by Babe Ruth in 1927.  Though the overall MLB record has been beat since (most recent by Mark McGwire hitting 70 in 1998, and bested again in 2001 by Barry Bonds with 73), Roger Maris still holds the American League record for most home runs within a season. A group of folks from the Fargo American Legion reached out to Roger in 1984 and asked if he would donate his memorabilia to create a local museum.  It was noted that he would agree to do so if the museum would be located where a large number of people could see it, and without cost.  So, they worked out a deal and the museum now resides within the West Acres World Shopping Center mall for everyone to see.  Definitely different!  I also took the time to visit his nearby gravesite – adorned by a headstone in the shape of a baseball diamond.  There were lots of baseballs and other baseball memorabilia left by adoring fans.

My last couple of visits in Fargo were to a couple of Roadside America attractions.  The first up was reported to be of an F-16 fighter that had been scrambled on Sep 11, 2001 for air defense.  But interestingly enough, the picture they had associated with this was actually of an F-4 sitting on a stick.  So, I set off to investigate and get the story straight.  Sadly, this mini air park was located within the grounds of the 119th Wing of the North Dakota National Guard, and despite my best efforts, I was not able to get onto the installation.  So, I could only take pictures through a fence.  I did find an F-16 that was on display along with several other aircraft, but without seeing any placard or other identifying information, it’s unknown if this actually was a plane dispatched on 9/11.  So, that claim will have to remain a mystery for now.  The other notable Roadside item was a visit to a Guinness World Record holder for the longest continuous piece of seamless steel siding – measuring in at 236 feet and 9 inches.  Not necessarily the most exciting record holder, but a record holder none the less.  It was certainly unique!

Next I spent some time in the capital area of North Dakota – Bismarck.  Lots to do and see around here, including lots of references to Lewis and Clark. Traveling down the Missouri River in 1804, the expedition eventually come to the Pacific Ocean in 1805.  There had been lots written about that journey, including many references to various sightings in Bismarck and Mandan – the next town to the west just over the river.   An extensive Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is located in nearby Washburn where Lewis and Clark landed and met up with the residents of the Mandan and Hidatsa villages.  This center provides an extensive collection of exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of the incredible expedition.  Also at the nearby Fort Mandan was a 6 foot steel statue of Seaman – Lewis’ Newfoundland companion dog that travelled with him on the expedition.  Lots of very interesting history in this area.

Next I visited Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.  Located just north of Stanton, ND, this NPS location is a historical site dedicated to the region’s native people, and features a reconstructed earth mound consistent with how they once lived.  The visitor center has a wonderful 15 minute video that tells the story of these earthlodge people who hunted buffalo and other game, but mostly were farmers living in villages along the Missouri and its tributaries.  This site along the Knife River was a major Native American trade center for hundreds of years.  The earthlodge was actually very spacious, complete with bedding, a cooking area, and skylights for natural light.  Truly an amazing homestead for these early natives.

Next up were a few Roadside items worth visiting.  First up was the paddle wheel Sioux Ferry.  Located along the Missouri River at Washburn’s Riverside Park, this was one of the last paddle-wheel ferries operating on the river.  Built by Oscar Anderson in 1952, it operated up and down the river until 1962.  At left, bottom left, is a statue by Hungarian-born artist Peter Wolf Toth.  Besides being a nicely done Native American type art, it turns out that there is at least one similar statue located in each of the 50 states, as well as Ontario, Manitoba, and one in Hungary, and are part of a series known as the Trail of the Whispering Giants.  He started in 1972 with his first statue in La Jolla, CA, and has travelled throughout the country placing additional statues – the last one being placed in 2009.  He committed much of his life creating these wonderful statues to honor Indians and their culture who he felt had been victims to terrible abuse.  Truly a noble guy!  So, like the Statue of Liberty replicas I reported about in the last blog, I’ll have to add these statues to my bucket list as well to try and see as many as I can as I travel.  At left, bottom right, is reportedly the world’s largest Sandhill Crane.  Sitting along Interstate 94 just north of Steele, ND, this all metal 40 foot high eye catcher named Sandy was built in 1998-99 by self-taught iron worker and local farmer-artist James Miller.  It would seem to me that this guy should be located in Florida – where many Sandhill Cranes live.  I’m not sure how many live up here in ND, but given the miserable winter weather, I would not imaging too many.

So, lets talk about geographic centers.  It would appear North Dakota has several of them.  First up is the Geographic Center of North Dakota (right, top and right).  This is located in McClusky, ND – a tiny rural town with a population of around 350.  The actual center is roughly 5 miles southwest of there, but this being the closest town to that center,  they claimed it for themselves.  A sign and a nice bent steel heart adorns the little town park.  Next up is the Geographic Center of North America.  There are actually several locations in North Dakota that claim that designation.  The first and oldest such claim lies in Rugby, ND.  That place was actually too far for me to economically visit, so I borrowed a picture from Google (at right, bottom left).  In 1931, an employee of the US Geodetic Survey Office, using a cardboard cutout of a map of Canada, the US, and Mexico along with  a pencil point, roughly found the spot that evenly balanced the cardboard and hence all locations.  It came up in Pierce County about 16 miles southwest of the nearest large town – Rugby.  The town was delighted and fully embraced the designation and even changed its town seal to an outline of North America with a big dot on Rugby.  In Aug of 1932, the Boy Scouts constructed  a 21 foot tall stone monument with a sign that read Geographical Center of North America.  The monument has been moved a few times within the town of Rugby, and despite the US government mappers protests and lack of official designation, the town holds tight of its claim, sells lots of tourist merchandise to say so, and even holds an annual Miss Geographical Center pageant.  So for all intense and purposes, they claim to be the Geographic Center of North America.

The next location to claim Geographic Center of North America happens to be located on the floor of a bar in Robinson, ND.  In 2015, Bill Bender, then Mayor of Robinson (population 38), never really believed that Rugby was the actual center.  So he and a few of his buddies pulled out a map one day, and using their own scientific methods (reportedly a ruler) determined the actual center was in the center of Hanson’s bar in Robinson.  So, on Jun 22, 2015,  Mayor Bender made an official declaration.  I visited Hanson’s bar, and as luck would have it, Bill Bender (pictured at left, bottom right) is now the bars owner, and was very gracious to join me in a beer and chat about his claim.  Besides making the declaration, Bill discovered that Rugby let their Patten and Trademark of “Geographical Center of North America” lapse many years prior when the town failed to renew it.  So, he filed for the trademark citing the bar floor as the new center.  On Aug 30, 2016, they received their legal document signed by the Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office.  Soon thereafter, he discovered that possession was in fact NOT 9/10 of the law.  Rugby was having none of it, and amassed a powerful legal team and brought suite.  Turns out, even if a trademark lapses, if the original holder of the trademark has had it for a long time and is recognized by that trademark, and is still actively representing the trademark, than it can not be taken by another.  So, Bill recognized how this would all eventually end, and worked out a deal with Rugby to give them back the trademark in exchange for letting him keep his mark on the floor, and materials hung on the wall.  As a side note, Hanson’s Bar also has the honor of being the oldest bar in North Dakota having started serving adult beverages in 1936. It was a fascinating story and I really appreciate the time I got to spend with Bill.  Thanks again Bill for being a terrific bar host!

Not to be outdone, yet another center of North America made its debut in 2018.  Peter Roberson, a geography professor at State University New York (SUNY) in Buffalo, developed a scientific algorithm that showed the two previous centers as being way off the mark.  Instead, he identified the center to be serendipitously located in (wait for it) Center, ND.   Located some 145 miles southwest of Rugby, and 90 miles west of Robinson, the town of Center actually got its name from being in the center of Oliver County.  Being a small mining and agriculture community, they were thrilled with the designation as it added a bit of tourism opportunity.  So they chose the designation of Scientific Center of North America, so as not to infringe on Rugby’s trademark, and developed a roadside stop marking the location – which turns out to be within the rolling hills of a private farm.  Since there is not a generally accepted official designation of a geographic center, nor an actual method by which to satisfactorily determine such a center, I suppose it will go that all three of these places will continue to hold onto their claim to fame.  Who knows, maybe there will be additional challengers in the future.

Speaking of all these centers, a fun fact about the little town of Lake Wales where I spend my winters, is that it is sort of unofficially smack dab in the middle of the state – both east/west and north/south (assuming you don’t consider the panhandle in that calculation).  Anyway, one of the outcomes of the 2020 census, was the calculation and designation of “Population Center” of the state – that is where an equal number of people reside both north/south and east/west.  As luck would have it, Lake Wales was actually officially designated as the Florida population center.  Who knew?

There were several other Roadside attractions to visit in and outside of Bismarck.  Located in Keelboat Park, a very nice river side walking and biking area, are a couple of interesting art pieces.  The Four-Headed Thunderbird statue (at left top) was created by students at the United Tribes Technical College, with four thunderbird heads facing four directions, representing four myths from four geographic regions of the US.  There were plaques describing each of the four regions.  Very interesting!  Just up the way from that park was another art piece of an Eagle swooping up a reflective orb.  There was no information about it, nor any info about who the artist was.  Also, sadly, vandals have smashed two large dents into he orb.  But it was an overall interesting piece.  Last up was a large rusty turtle located in a small park in Turtle Lake, ND.  This is a tribute piece that was built in 1995 in memory of community leader Harold Hanson for the town of Turtle Lake’s 90th anniversary.  In case there was any doubt, the turtle’s name is Rusty.

Besides having the Scientific Center of North America, Center ND is home to the memories of a very brave young girl.  Hazel Miner was born on April 11, 1904, and died on March 16, 1920 – at the tender age of 15.  There is a nice monument (at right, top left) that is located near the towns history museum and government buildings.  However, the monument does not actually tell you about her heroic life ending story, but rather refers you to some government archive book from Oliver County to get the details.  How rude!  So, the story actually goes that Hazel was walking home from school with her two younger siblings in a massive blizzard in March of 1920 and got lost.  As night fell, she lay on top of them saving their lives while selflessly sacrificing her own.  I also visited her gravesite located in the nearby Center Community Cemetery, and at least some indication of her brave act was highlighted.  What an amazing young girl!

My last tourist action while in the Bismarck area was to visit the state capital building.  Besides being the capital, this building is the tallest in the state of North Dakota at a whopping 17 stories.  It’s sort of a bland, dome-less structure, when compared to other state capital buildings (Austin for example).  But, I suppose its gets the job done.  A sculpture titled Pioneer Family sits on the capital grounds, and was created in 1946.  In 1989, a seemingly more up to date depiction was needed, and artist Jeffrey Barber created Pioneers of the Future.  This one depicts two children holding hands, and gazing forward with glazed eyeballs into the future.  Frankly, this was a bit freaky, and the kids looked stoned more than anything else.  But I guess as is often said that art is in the eyes of the beholder.

Final Thoughts

Well, turns out this was yet another long one.  At some point I’m gonna get into a better groove and keep these blogs at a more respectable size.  Today is my last day here in Bismarck, and I head out to Dickinson, ND next. My brother Gerry will be meeting me there tomorrow and will spend a couple days playing tourist with me.  Definitely looking forward to that.  I’ll also be flying back to MD later in the week to visit with family and friends, and mostly to see my daughter’s special day (more on that later) and to meet my new grandson Henry.  Gonna be a great visit.  Beyond that, I’ve got more exploring to do in the Dakotas, and beyond.  As always, thanks for reading this blog and following along in my full-time RV nomadic lifestyle.  I’m having blast, and hope to keep this going for some time to come.  Till next time, safe travels.

I only show a sampling of my adventure pictures here in the blog, and do so mostly in collage format for brevity and ease of reading. If you want to view an album containing individual full fidelity and hi-res images of all my travel pictures related to this specific blog, click the image below. Enjoy!