Exploring North Dakota

The wind blows coldly across the North Dakota prairie in May! This morning in Fargo dawned brilliant and cold. It felt like the middle of January for these two Oregonians. The natives, however, wore shirt sleeves as we took pains to bundle up! After a shopping excursion to find a few more articles of warm clothing, we headed out across the prairie, driving north, along the Red River.

We followed the railroad, and trains, and grain elevators, all the way to Grand Forks, where we stopped for lunch and to stretch our legs at a lovely park in the center of town. Everything in Grand Forks seems brand new and well tended. Perhaps this is related to the flood of 1997 when 90 per cent of the population was evacuated, the largest evacuation of an American city since the Civil War. We walked along a creek. The leaves are just starting to burst out on the trees there. Gold Finches and Red Wing Black Birds flitted in and out of the branches.

We then turned westward, away from the Red River Valley, heading down route 2. There is no traffic in North Dakota. The speed limit is 75 miles an hour. The roads go straight through the countryside. It is easy to find your way. The wind was still very strong, though things had warmed a bit. We noticed one huge wind turbine spinning around in the wind and wondered why North Dakota couldn't invest in more wind and solar energy production. There was so much of both all around us today.

About 3:00 p.m. we arrived at Devil's Lake. This is the largest lake, actually a series of lakes in the state. The town of Devil's Lake we found delightful and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the historic district. This is Ramsey County. And there is a Ramsey Drug Store, a Ramsey Photography Store, and a Ramsey Bank. Hmmm, I need to try to figure out who the Ramseys are here. There is a church on every corner, a post office museum, lots of grain

 elevators and railroad tracks, the North Dakota School for the Deaf, and North Dakota State University...all in a little town of 7,200. We had dinner at the Main Street Cafe....soup bar and salad...quite satisfying, and finished off the day at the cinema seeing "Demons and Angels."

As we walked out of the theater at 9:30 p.m., it was still fairly light...we must be farther north than we usually are. The wind has died down at last and the evening most is pleasant.