NORTH DAKOTA

4 July 2012: Did you know North Dakota is the location of the center of the North American Continent? We were happily surprised with this state. Beautiful skies, countryside, and home to some significant features. Our destination is the International Peace Gardens on the border of ND and Manitoba, Canada. The location was chosen because it is the center of the US/Canadian border.

As we zip up the ND/Minnesota border on one of the few freeways we have driven on, we wonder where we have come to. This is the intersection of Interstate 29 with Highway 5 in NE North Dakota. We have photos of the N, S, W and E views, and there is not a car in sight.

We soon see, though, that there are busy people about.

And we are soon charmed by what we see.

It's not so remote we can't get our 4 o'clock icecream, a travel tradition started by Sheila's dad.

We headed to the International Peace Gardens on the border of North Dakota and Manitoba. Sheila has a foot in each place, but it is also described as "No Man's Land," an appropriate place for her to be on July 4th. The Gardens celebrate a commitment of peace between Canada and the USA.

Thom at the Peace Towers. They were built in the 1980s, but see how they look from another angle:

We were amazed at the resemblance to the Twin Towers.

There was a 9/11 Memorial at the Peace Gardens.

And some more light hearted displays such as this cactus garden.

Peace! at the International Peace Gardens, North Dakota/Manitoba, Canada, border.

We both like being at the International Peace Gardens, and decided to stay the night at the campground there. We biked around the whole area, and next day walked through more of the formal gardens. But the night of July 4th we drove about 20 miles into Manitoba and visited a town called Boisevain . Again, we were captivated!

A mural on the grain storage building at Boissevain, Manitoba, Canada.

There were many murals in town.

Boissevain loves their birds!

And we loved their tree shaded streets.

It was well worth the visit to this Manitoba town before going back to the International Peace Gardens to camp for the night.

5 July 2012: After touring the Gardens some more, we headed west and then dropped down to Minot Air Force Base because we want to go to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It meant that we missed our chance to go to Saskatchewan, but perhaps another time... We had a rest day at Minot AFB, in style:

Thom felt right at home, except for the bison skull on the wall.

The weather was threatening and it rained that night, so it was a good choice to stay the night there.

6 July 2012: We left Minot AFB and drove west on the 23 to get to Theordore Roosevelt National Park, where we camped the night. On the way, we saw some big changes in the usage of the land in North Dakota:

Crops are being protected by spraying from the air.

Do we drive around or under?

Farming and wind energy co-existed.

Farming gave way to ranching.

We saw evidence of professional beekeeping.

And then a new farming reared its head.

No more logs, just pipeline.

And we were no longer the only traffic on the road.

And the quaint farms changed to jam packed oil boom areas.

So one constant in North Dakota seemed to be its reverence and display of the Ten Commandments.

Since even the remote road to Theodore Roosevelt National Park is now a thoroghfare for oil trucks.

Inside the park, nothing has changed!

Well, at least not for a few thousand years.

We enjoyed a bike ride along part of the road in the park that is closed because it needs repair after last year's flooding and earth movement disturbed it. No contractor will take on the repair job because the money is down the road with the oil companies.

A beautiful spot to camp the night.

7 July 2012: Up early for a 2-hour bird watching tour of the park. We saw an American Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Red Headed Woodpecker, Yellow Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallow, American Crow, House Wren, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Breasted Chat, Field Sparrow, Common Grackle, and Brown Headed Cowbird.

Thom was very good at spotting the birds.

Then we headed for Montana and Glacier/Waterton National Parks. We reached Shelby, Montana, where we camped for the night at the city park.