Judy and I had visited 49 of the 50 states and North Dakota was the only state we had not visited. We had an anniversary coming up and decided to celebrate by visiting North Dakota!
Thursday, September 17, 2019, we left Ontario at 1:00 p.m. on United, had an hour layover in Denver, and arrived in Bismarck at 7:54 p.m. that night. We rented a car and went to Pirogue Grille in Bismarck, where we had reservations, for our anniversary dinner. Dinner was fantastic. We stayed at Sleep Inn & Suites Bismarck I-94.
Friday, September 18, we drove 40 miles northwest to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn, then drove 2 miles west to Fort Mandan Historic Site which has a replica of the fort that Lewis & Clark made when they wintered in 1804. It was right next to the massive Missouri River. Then we drove another 22.6 miles northwest to Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site near Stanton. It included a replica Native American earthen lodge. Then we drove another 5 miles further along the Missouri River to an area where three Native American villages were located along the Knife River near its confluence with the Missouri River. Sacagawea lived in one of the three villages. The ground had many deep depressions where lodges had been located. Then we drove 58 miles back to Bismarck where we visited the North Dakota State Capitol Building, the tallest building in North Dakota. Then we drove to downtown Bismarck for the Downtowners Street Fair and walked a number of blocks visiting booths and had dinner from street vendors.
Swainson's Hawk (Bob)
Saturday, September 14, we drove to the Enchanted Highway which is 90 miles west of Bismarck off I-94, near Gladstone. Then we drove the 32 mile Enchanted Highway south to Regent, visiting 7 enormous (and wonderful) roadside sculptures along the way. In Regent we ate an informal lunch and met the man who built the highway sculptures (who owns the cafe). From there we continued southwest through the countryside past many farms to the trailhead to White Butte, the highest point in North Dakota, at 3,506 feet, which is on private land, 6.5 miles south of Amidon. We did the 3.4 mile roundtrip hike in 1.5 hours, including time spent at the top. We drove to our hotel in Dickinson, the Hawthorn Suites by Windham Dickinson, then drove west to Medora and drove through part of the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP, then afterwards, ate dinner at Theodore's Dining Room, in Medora, part of the Rough Riders Hotel.
Wild Horse (Bob)
North Dakota: Medora (Judy)
Sunday, September 15, I got up early in the morning, before sunrise, and drove to Medora and drove through the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP. I then drove back to our hotel in Dickinson in time to shower and go to church with Judy in Dickinson, which started at 9:00 a.m. After church we drove north to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP which is about 70 miles north of the South Unit. Afterwards, we drove to Medora and ate at Little Missouri Saloon and Dining room. We spent the night again in Dickinson.
Coyote (Bob)
Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Bob)
Bison - North Dakota (Bob)
Monday, September 16, I got up early and drove 20 miles west of Hwy 85 into Little Missouri National Grassland which was northeast of the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP and saw several pronghorns. Afterwards, I went back to the hotel, showered and picked up Judy, and we drove back to Bismarck and visited the North Dakota Heritage Center which is next to the capitol building. Then we ate lunch at Sickies Garage and went to the airport. We left at 5:07 p.m. on United, had a layover in Denver, and arrived in Ontario at 8:34 p.m.
American Pronghorn (Bob)
This trip was evidence that there is something beautiful to see no matter where you go, and that every state in the United States is an incredible place to visit.
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