Day 104 Visit Bismarck & Mandan, ND Historical Sites

Sat., Aug. 31

Visit Bismarck and Mandan Historical Sites

The Missouri River divides these two cities and the first bridge was built in 1922.  We headed to Mandan first to visit Ft Abraham Lincoln State Park ($5 entrance fee).  We checked out the campsite which was pretty nice with electricity and water for $20/night.  We went to the Visitors centre and then walked to the “On a Slant Indian Village”.  The Mandan Indians lived in this area for more than 2 centuries. Meriwether Lewis & William Clark spent their first winter camped near this village and the Mandan’s help them survive their first winter.  This is also where Lewis & Clark meet Toussaint Charbonneau, a French Canadian fur trapper and his wife Sacagawea, “Bird Woman” believed to be a Shoshone who traveled with them west.    

Partial Reconstructed On-A-Slant Indian Village

Blockhouse

We drove up the hill to the Infantry Post.  This was dismantled but the block houses were reconstructed on the site.  Other buildings are marked but weren’t reconstructed.  From the block houses the infantry had 360 views and overlooking the confluence of the Heart and Missouri Rivers.  Lt. Col. George Custer led the 7th Cavalry to the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 from here.  The Cavalry post has rebuilt Barracks, Granary, Commissary and Custer’s House.

Looking over Cavalry Post from Infantry Post

Looking towards Mandan from Block House

Custer’s House

Sunflower field beside Fort 

North Dakota 164^th Infantry Regiment Army National Guard

We drove through Mandan, over the river and back to Bismarck along the Missouri River to Keel Boat Park where there are Lewis & Clark Riverboat Sternwheeler Cruises.  There is a strange statue here which looks like eagle heads and their claws.  Next we drove to the State Capital grounds; Bismarck is the capital of N Dakota. 

In front of ND Heritage Centre (closed to maintenance)

Late lunch at Applebee’s.  It was just after 3 pm so it was happy hour, ½ price appys and cheap drinks!  Driving through town we stopped at Camp Hancock Historical Site.  The camp is gone but one original building remains and also on site is a 1909 steam train retired in the 50’s and an historical church moved to this site. 

Church of the Bread of Life 1880

Old cars parked by a church for wedding

Great way to end the day

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance:  60 km
Weather:  Cloudy, breezy, light rain then sunny pm; High: 28 degrees; Lo: 20 degrees
Wildlife: Ground squirrel
Campsite:  Bismarck KOA
Walking: 4 km

Day 103 Travel Fargo, ND to Bismarck, ND

Fri., Aug. 30

Travel Fargo, ND to Bismarck, ND

Sad morning!  We said our goodbyes to Marg & John as they head home via Winnipeg.  They have family obligations so we parted after 96 days of travel great together.  The road leaving the campsite was lined with flags for the Labour Day Weekend.  We left via I94 West driving into some fog but it didn’t last long.  Flat prairie fields we soon spotted a Red Tailed Hawk and then a lighter hawk and a grey coloured one, we think Harrier Hawk which are common in the area.

Flags along Roger Maris Drive (Hit 61 Homeruns in 1961 beat Babe Ruth)

Rest areas with Wi-Fi

Jamestown, the home of the famous Louis L’Amour born1908 and Peggy Lee born 1920.  Definitely farm country and other than cows and horses we saw buffalo but they were fenced.  Jamestown has a national buffalo museum. The James river near the highway is barely flowing, I guess it is because they have a reservoir north of the city.  Jamestown also has the only Basilica in North Dakota.

Love those sunflower fields

We arrived in Bismarck just after lunch and headed to the KOA.  They were almost full, only had 2 tent sites left with 30 amp.  Later we walked around the campsite and found a lot of Sask plates in the pull thrus.  The one guy had his TV outside was watching the Storm Warnings coming towards us.  Currently they were being bombarded about 40 miles west of us with hail the size of golf balls.  Our rain started about 8 pm and thunder and lightning followed ½ hr later.  By 9 pm we thought someone was dropping rocks on the RV.  We were getting pounded.  After an hour the rain let up and the hail only last about 20 minutes and didn’t do any damage.  I should have taken a picture of the warning sign in the KOA office if a serious storm should hit they have a safe room.  They say “Do Not stay in RV if Tornado or serious storm warnings.”

View out our back door!

Entrance to KOA with all state flags incl Canada

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance:  408 km
Weather: Overcast am then sunny, thunderstorm late; High: 31 degrees; Lo: 20 degrees
Diesel:  $3.899 Bismarck
Wildlife:  Red tailed hawk, Harrier Hawk, Cdn Geese, Egret, Buffalo & 3 Pelicans   
Campsite:  Bismarck KOA, tent site with 30 amp/W $26.90 per night
Walking: 2 km

Day 102 Visit Fargo, ND & Moorhead, MN

Thurs., Aug. 29

Visit Fargo, ND & Moorhead, MN

Thunderstorm overnight but in the morning it started pouring about 9 am and thunder until 10 am.  Good the rain stopped so time to head out.  Inside first in case the rains come back.  We drove to Moorhead to Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Centre where the 77 foot Hjemkomst Viking ship is on display.  Built by Robert Asp in 1982 and sailed from Duluth to Bergen, Norway and back.  Also a full scale replica of the Hopperstad Church in Vik, Norway which took 5 ½ years to complete. 

 

Back to Fargo and across town to Bonanzaville.  This place was a museum within a museum over 40 buildings: first log cabin, school house, farm equipment, old cars, train, police station, airplanes, bakery, general store to name a few.  Even the radio handset that I used at work is in this museum!!  I think we spent at least 3 hours here. By 3:30 we were starving so asked where a good place to eat was, the receptionist told us “TNT Diner.” So that’s where we went.  We loved it.

 

Saloon

Switchboard

Inside TNT Diner-each wall has a theme

Final stop of the day

Veteran's Memorial Bridge between Fargo & Moorhead

Pub in Fargo

Our last night together!

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance: John’s driving 
Weather:  Thunderstorm am, pouring rain then sunny; High: 35 degrees; Lo: 21 degrees
Diesel:  $3.929 Gal, $3.599 Reg gas
Wildlife:  Squirrels, bunny  
Campsite:  Lindenwood Park $28/night with water & electricity
Walking: 5 km

Day 101 Travel Brainerd, MN to Fargo, ND

Wed., Aug. 28

Travel Brainerd, MN to Fargo, ND

It’s already hot and we’re just getting started.  We cross the winding Mississippi River again heading north to Brainerd.  Down the road a deer was going to cross the highway, Ross hit the brakes, the deer changed its mind, turned and ran.  Good choice it lived and so did we.  Half an hour down the road in Staples there were lots of trains full of coal and oil cars.  At the edge of town, a fenced off area of wrapped boats and boat loaders and covers.  This is the land of 10,000 lakes after all!

Across the street was a fenced area with 100 boats or more.

We noticed mega corn fields drying up and turning yellow.  What a shame!  Our guess, it’s for animal feed.  More hay fields and sunflowers fields.  Then there’s the town of Detroit Lakes with 400 lakes in the vicinity.  Some lakes are very small, a little green.

Boating and liquor just go together!

Separating the city of Moorhead, MN from Fargo, ND is the Red River which I expected to be wider, redder instead of brown and faster flowing.  The Kitimat River is wider.  But in spring it gets big when it over flows its banks.  The campsite in Fargo is on the river and is usually flooded in the spring but now it is very dry.  There are walking and cycling paths and a bridge over the river so you can easily go from Minnesota to North Dakota. 

At Visitor’s Centre

Lindenwood Municipal Campsite

Walking bridge over Red River that can be raised!

Marg & John headed into town to get two tires replaced on their RV.  We drove into town to go sightseeing around the downtown area then past Wal-Mart (I know I know I don’t like them) but we found them first then we stopped at the famous Scheels big sports store with a ferris wheel inside their building.  Back at the campsite a modified BMW motorcycle came through.  The owner was in a wheel chair and said that a dad had modified it for his son who had lost his legs too.

Not near our campsite

Modified BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) Made in Munich.

Sunset over Red River

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance: 285 km 
Weather:  Sunny; High: 36 degrees; Lo: 22 degrees
Diesel:  $3.89 Gal
Wildlife: Deer, Red Tailed Hawk, Heron, Bunnies, squirrel
Campsite:  Lindenwood Park $28/night W/E
Walking: 2 km

North Dakota Stats:
Nickname:  Sioux State
Flower:  Wild Prairie Rose
Bird:  Western Meadowlark

Day 100 Travel Champion, MI thru Wisconsin to Brainerd, MN

Tues., Aug. 27

Travel Champion, MI thru Wisconsin to Brainerd, MN

Today we cross three states, Michigan thru Wisconsin to Minnesota.  Michigan has stiff penalties for speeding in construction zones and if you hit a construction worker the fine is up to $75,000 and 15 years in jail if you kill one.  That should be a deterrent. We gained back another hour. We stopped at the info centre Michigan/Wisconsin where there was an exact RV like ours from Manitoba.

Pretty flat here!!! Elevation 1500’

Sign looks funny

Nice driving through Wisconsin, no road construction.  Ashland has a nice protected bay so lots of boats and lake properties also lots of realty signs. Duluth is at the end of Lake Superior.  We thought entering Duluth it was smoggy but then we realized it was fog from the lake.  Duluth is one of the largest inland seaports with 49 miles of docks.  Now we’re in Minnesota.

Brule River Rest Area

 We noticed the price of gas getting cheaper so we stopped in Cromwell easy in with the RV’s.  We also grabbed some coffee in our travel mugs and the cashier said “$2.12 please”.  Ross said is that for two coffees, yes!  I can see why Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, some are very small ponds.  We crossed the Mississippi river twice today.  Just south of Brainerd we found a campsite with a pool.  The lake was murky with algae growing in it.  It was nice to take a dip in the pool and read for a couple hours.  A lot of the RV’s here are permanent but you need a boat to get on the water.

 

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance: 562 km 
Weather:  Sunny; High: 31 degrees; Lo: 19 degrees
Diesel:  $3.79 Gal in Cromwell, MN
Wildlife: Nothing
Campsite:  Crow Wing Lake Campground $50.23 full service + pool
Walking: 2 km

Wisconsin Stats:
Nickname:  Badger State
Flower:  Wood Violet
Bird:  Robin
 
Minnesota Stats:
Nickname:  Land of 10,000 Lakes
Flower:  Lady Slipper
Bird:  Common Loon

Day 99 Travel Thessalon, ON to Champion, MI

Mon., Aug. 26

Travel Thessalon, ON to Champion, MI

We got up to rain and thunder but within the hour it was clearing.  The small town of Bruce Mines was established in 1847 with the first successful copper mine in Canada.  Sault Ste. Marie is on both borders separated by St. Mary’s river.  The Sault (Soo) Locks connect Lake Superior with St. Mary’s River with Lake Heron.

East coast Hwy Maintenance Bldg

Sault Locks

Back in the USA for cheaper fuel and liquor!  At the border crossing we were asked all kinds of questions before passing through.  John and Marg were asked nothing to go through.  Past  Munising we were near Lake Superior and there were a lot of lake front properties.  Grand Island protects the beaches from the lake’s fierce waves when storms kick up.  We stopped at a great look out with sand dunes for lunch and were surprised when we dipped our feet in the lake.  It was warm.

Wow!  That is one big lake!

Marquette looked like a nice place to stop on the lake.  We just stopped for fuel and groceries.  We stopped for the night at Michigamme Shores Campground.  Marg even went for a swim.  It was very shallow with a sandy bottom.  3 sections of the campground were arranged in a circle.

Daily Stats: 
Today's distance: 422 km 
Weather:  Thunderstorm then sunny; High: 31 degrees; Lo: 19 degrees
Diesel:  $3.88 Gal or $1.03 lt Sault Ste Marie;  $3.97 Gal Marquette
Wildlife: Heron & Cdn geese
Campsite:  Michigamme Shores Campground $35.10 US full service
Walking:  2 km

Michigan Stats:
Nickname:  Wolverine State
Flower:  Apple Blossom
Bird:  Robin