Friday, June 14, 2019

Running Minnesota and North Dakota : The Estate Takes on Alaska

Copyright 2019, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

June 14, 2019

Slow start. Not on road till 11:30. 

Westward ho.  Where will we stay?  Weekend warriors and oil industry workers to compete with for camp sites. 

Problem solved. 2 nights booked at Jamestown North Dakota.  One night in Medora.  Route adjusted a little so I get the northern Theodore Roosevelt park off my bucket list.

There are some handsome farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota, with silos.  I'm in love. Note, it is a "red barn".


Minnesota on I-94, a few Miles either way of the 90 west bound mile marker, has to have some of the all time best concrete pavement I have ever had the pleasure of driving on. No expansion joints were felt! No bouncing. Smooth sailing. Sweet!  

We were feeling pretty special when we pulled into this rest stop and saw this sign, pointing us to a special area for parking of RV's (I also note after editing and uploading that I have a few bug splatters in this photo, sorry, life is real, death for bugs is too.)


We felt special until we realized the spaces were quite narrow.  The Estate is 3 inches less wide than Jolly and Tana.  If we were towing Tana, she would be a buggar to get between the lines.  We have to assume that whomever painted the lines did not measure well??  I looked at the "truck" parking area and the big boys fit width wise, like normal. HMMMM??


Pretty iris growing and blooming at this rest stop, made me smile:





Lunch at Big Chief Truck Stop, exit 61, still in Minnesota.  Food was all gone, cause we ate it all gone!  

We both noted this strange cloud.  There were actually 3 groups, they all looked like, heaven forgive me, puppy or kitten pee spots on the carpet.  Something new for us.


Farm fields west of St. Cloud west have a larger percentage of planted fields than any other area so far this trip. 

Nice welcome center at Fargo North Dakota.

Another first, painted trash disposal collection thingys - - 


The lilacs were blooming, again, something different for me, the blooms were so small, almost miniature, but, the smell was heavenly.


Must have some buffalo art:


And flowers and rocks - - 


From the Fargo Walk of Fame, at the welcome center.  Lots and lots of these, I picked a couple I knew - -




North Dakota had some great roads too.  That smooth pavement thingy will spoil ya.

North Dakota has rich farm land, wonderful black soil. And, skeeters here in Jamestown.

280 miles.  Campground is a bit close to the expressway, not our first experience with that.  It will be fine.


Seems we had to leave Michigan to find warm weather, 86 today somewhere in North Dakota.  


.

No comments: