Bismarck, Stacy and John

We left Osseo and Stoney Creek RV park on Tuesday and had 300 miles to cover for the day.  We took our time and didn’t leave until 2 p.m, knowing we would be staying in Wal Mart parking lot that night in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.  One thing we didn’t consider was that we would be making it to Minneapolis/St. Paul around rush hour, just one more thing to add to our “do-not-do” list. 

So between the road conditions, which were horrible, the road construction, which was plentiful and the traffic, which was bumper to bumper, we were definitely glad to clear the Minneapolis area.  However, the road conditions didn’t improve so we bounced and jostled our way west for hours before the road finally improved somewhat.  But not before my shoulders and neck were aching and tight and we were both feeling a little “beat up”.

However, I did manage to get pictures on the occasion that I could hold the camera still.  The scenery was beautiful.



Later in the evening, we crossed into Minnesota, where we stopped at the rest area for a short break and the gathering of tourism material.  Nice place!

We had been dodging rain clouds all day and just missed a bad storm around Minneapolis.  So, of course, I had to get a few pictures of the clouds.


But when the clouds drifted away, the sky was a beautiful blue.

When our stomachs started rumbling, we started looking for a good place have supper and noticed some signs on the interstate for “Charlie’s Cafe”.  We were definitely intrigued and took the appropriate exit to find this little town of Freeport that looked like a small town paradise.  I love the atmosphere these quaint little towns!

That’s the local inn next to Charlie’s Cafe.









Charlie’s Cafe didn’t disappoint.  It reminded me of the downtown cafes of my childhood.  Good people, good service, and good food!

We both ordered breakfast and savored every bite.  There was so much on my plate that I was able to leave there with toast and bacon for my breakfast yesterday morning.

After looking at the map, we decided to just drive on to Fargo, North Dakota for our stay in Wal Mart parking lot, so it was 10:30 at night by the time we finally were able to climb our weary bones out of the truck and into the soft comfort of a stationary bed.  It was dark when we crossed into North Dakota, so I wasn’t able to get a picture as we arrived in yet another new state.

Needless to say, we slept like logs after our rough day of travel, but we only had about 200 miles to cover yesterday, destination Bismarck, North Dakota.

The landscape had flattened considerably and we drove by mile after mile of farmland. 
 

I noticed a little change in the crops.  Along with the ever present corn and soybeans, I noticed bright color in the distance that turned out to be fields of sunflowers and wheat mingled with the green of soybeans.




About the time I decided there were no more hills, more would present themselves in the windshield.



We made really good time and arrived in Bismarck North Dakota around three in the afternoon yesterday.  It didn’t take long to find the RV park, get set up and settled in for two days.

It was 93 degrees when we arrived, so it took a while to get the RV cooled down.  I called Stacy to let her know we had arrived and made plans to see her and John today then we relaxed for the evening.

I slept in this morning, then Stacy picked me up to show me the town and take me to the “Urban Harvest” even that was going on downtown Bismarck today.  I got a few shots of downtown before we parked.





The festival itself consisted of a few vender booths with various wares and some live music by a cheerful lady who sang folk songs and children’s songs.




The Dakota Deli above cooks up a mean pulled pork sandwich!  Stacy and I both enjoyed one while we were there.  We listened to the music and watched two little girls as they danced to every song.  Just adorable!



We didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without except for the sandwiches while we were there.  Stacy offered to drive by the capital building so I could get some pictures there.


The building itself wasn’t that impressive to me, but there was a building on the grounds that I loved, but don’t know what the building was.

And the grounds were gorgeous!


After our capital “drive-by”, we did some minimal shopping and made our way back to the RV park.  We crossed the Missouri river on our way.


We made plans to go to Stacy and John’s house for supper and a chance to eat her good cooking, then she dropped me off.  I think I was still road weary today, so after our outing, I took advantage of the opportunity for an afternoon nap, then we made our way over for a wonderful feast of Stacy’s salad, potatoes, corn and butternut squash, and John’s filet mignon hot off the grill. 

We ate til we were stuffed and had a wonderful time visiting with Stacy and John for a while. 

Thank you, Stacy and John for a wonderful meal and even better company for the evening!

Now we are back at the RV and making plans to hit the road again tomorrow.  We’re considering going to Medora, ND and staying a couple of days to see the sights there, but haven’t made a definite decision yet.  My vote is to stop and see what we can, while we can, but we’re also anxious to get on Glacier National Park and other points down the road.  We’ll see when we get to Medora.

I’m tired, but a happy camper tonight after a day to rest up and the opportunity to see more of my wonderful family.  Think I’ll get this posted and call it a night since we will be leaving again tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see what is further down the road, but in the meantime….

HAPPY TRAILS!!!!