Freshly caffeinated I get back onto US-2, driving toward the Devils Lake region of North Dakota, it would be a wonderful thing if I find a place to camp there, it sounds too good to find a Camp-ground at the lake, with a nice breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay and relax a bit while watching the sun set behind yonder. First I have to cover the 54 miles, passing towns like Niagara, Petersburg, Maples, Lakota, where I get more gas for 2.79 per gallon, then Bartlett, and Doyon. At 5 I turn off US-2 and go south onto ND-20 that splits the Devils Lakes in two, what it looks to me. It is very windy out, I can see a wind-turbine on the horizon turn, producing electricity for a Indian Casino of the Spirit Lake Reservation. No sight of camping yet, I keep driving along the lake, now on 57 then on 281 then I turn right onto 19 to get to the Grahams Island State Park
Driving through the Spirit Lake Reservation...
I finally make it to the supposed destination...
So I keep on driving, see barns sink away...
I find more campgrounds, an RV-park, then a Resort, but all are booked, what is going on, besides the weekend. Is the fathers-day present to go camping and chack out the new fishing or camping gear??? Are all the North Dakotan fathers camper and fisherman??? 4 hours and 147 miles later I close the loop and I am back in the town of Devils Lake, there is a cheep looking Motel, NO Vacancies says the sign!!! Alrighty then, forget about it then, back on US-2 to go further West. I stop again at the town of Churchs Ferry, another great Grain-elevator to take pictures of, I love the light in the evening the best of pictures. Then I discover something else behind the tall building. Flat train-cars loaded with new blades for wind-generators as far as I can see. What a sight, I drive around and see a whole yard full of parts for future wind-power-plants laying around. I ask the guy tying down a hub on a flatbed-truck if these parts are made here, but the only thing got out of him is that this is a storage point for parts until they go to the sites to be installed. All this equipment was by Sulzon, a world-wide company that has one manufacturing place in Pipestone, Minnesota.
A cool sight to see all these blades loaded on a train...
Back in the car covering more miles towards the western horizon. I see a sign advertising for an RV Campground and tents too, I stop and get myself a spot for tonight for 10 bucks, not bad.
Setting-up camp between the highway and the town of Leeds!!!
A romantic view of the farm-live in endless prairie of North Dakota...
Right after setting-up camp, the neighbor-lady comes over and offers me some dinner that they have leftover and I couldn't reject that. Some spaghetti with clams on a white sauce... who could ask for anything more after all that driving. It was delicious and plenty. While she warmed it up for me we talked a little, the usual small-talk, where did you come form where do you heading how was the weather and do you have telephones in Switzerland. They have a Nevada plate on the RV and are from Carston City, NV and are heading out east.
Instead of getting eaten away by the mosquitos I go for a little walk around town, places like this I call "Small town USA". Farming is the main thing, the town is right at the railroad, to get the crops out into the world, the usual grain-elevators and a farm-equipment type kind of a place. There is not much to the town, no major store and I didn't see a school, the few folks I met where extremely friendly. Probably wondering what this guy is taking so many pictures of...
Once again I'm taking way too many pictures of who knows what...
There is always at least one old truck in somebody's backyard...
The coolest thing I come across is this monster of a trailer that gets pulled by a farm-tractor of some monster dimension. I look, I touch, I study, I scratch my chin, then my scull and finnaly my butt too, I've figured out what this "out of this world" thing is...
The strangest farm-equipment I've seen so far...
Now that must cost a pretty dollar to own such a thing, more than any house in this town, I betch-ya!!!
Back at the campground, I get some more work done on the computer, editing a bunch of pictures and what not, then its time to call it another day!!!
Saturday, June 20th What kind of Saturday will this be???
By the time I'm active most of the "other" guys are gone!!!
Well, at least I don't have far to go, after 30 miles is the town of Rugby, and that means I'm at the "Geographical Center of North America", well of corse that does not mean I'm there yet, but just that I'm in the center of the Universe... or some like that!!!
The Geographical Center of North America, what does that mean???
Maybe that's also the place where all the School-busses end up after extensive use, or abuse!!!
Back on track, US Highway 2 westward, 2 towns further down the road is Towner, this town claims to be the "Cattle Capitol of North Dakota", as I'm passing the town I could swear I didn't see more than a dozen cows out there grazing, but who is here to count. An hour later a bigger town, or a small city, with an even better claim "Minot, the Magic City" Now that I'm ready to explore more...
As I'm diving towards the center of the town of Minot I come across some strange magic...
But the magic did not stop there...
I do find a bakery with a WiFi connection and so I get a bunch of cookies and a Cafe Latte to busy myself on-line. The coffee was tasting pretty bad, that is always the moment when I regret spending a few bucks on a beverage like this and it is simply bad. While in the car I have all the equipment to make myself a satisfying cup of coffee. Before I hit the road I return the call to Susanne who is driving somewhere in Nevada, near Carson City, to go to a dance, wild women she is!!! At 2:30 I'm back driving west on US-2.
By 3 o'clock I'm almost in Berthold, ND, kind of like, still nowhere!!!
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