We are on our way! When we left our house, we already knew that we were heading west but we made the decision to just hit 94 and get out of Minnesota and save the close destinations for shorter excursions. The day was beautiful and perfect for a road trip.
We decided that Bismarck ND would be a good ending point for our first day so we put the pedal to the metal and headed out.
Keeping our minds on the fact that this trip is not about a destination but a journey, we made our first spontaneous stop when Jeff spotted a sign for a small university off of an exit to a town called, “Valley City.” Although there were remnants of mud on streets, sidewalks, and lawns due to heavy rains and flooding, it was a quaint little town and the university was not only beautiful but we also noticed that it is on the list of national historic places. The stone and brick architecture was rustic and intricately designed. We met a woman named, “Dee,” who told us that two years ago the lower parts of the town, including the university, were flooded but this year the university was spared. All along the river there have been sand/dirt levees which Dee said would be left in place permanently since the cost of building them up and taking them down every time a flood is expected is too high. Walking around the campus (enrollment at about 1200) was so peaceful. So far we are finding this road trip to be not only fun but also cathartic.
Continuing on HWY 94, our next stop was a tiny little town called Cleveland, ND. Jeff spotted an old run down but historic looking building just off of the highway so we had to check it out! It turned out to be an old school that looked like it is now being used as storage for tractors, plows, huge tires, and miscellaneous stuff. We also drove across the railroad tracks down Main Street, which consisted of about 5 buildings, most were empty and falling apart. We decided that this is a place that is in the process of becoming a ghost town.
We are in Bismarck now and we have our spot “staked out” in the back of the Wal-Mart parking lot. When we were a couple of miles away I commented that I hope we can get a spot with a nice view (seriously). To that Jeff replied, “Squatters can’t be choosers!” LOL! We do have a secluded spot by a tree! We’ll see how it goes!
One last thing… pix coming soon (I forgot to bring my camera into Subway where we dined tonight:)
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| Our travel "mascot..." he's very compliant |
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| Debris from the flooding... in the river! |
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| Flooding on the Sheyenne River was lapping onto the freeway... we couldn't use this rest stop |
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