North Dakota or Bust... The Travels of Frannie & Joe
In and around North Dakota, United States
When Joe suggested to me in a fleeting by-the-way- kind of tone he uses so often that we travel to North Dakota this summer, it never occurred to me to ask why. Two years ago I began traveling more and more so to think I could stake a claim on the Midwest left very few reasons for considerations. Although I never asked why, I did wonder what we would do for 10 days in a state. I knew I would appreciate the Badlands, the vastness, and the peace but how much vastness can a Jersey girl take? It amazed me each time our trip came more into play that the Badlands were only one morsel in the cornucopia in the Peace Garden State. As we planned our routes, made our reservations, and found the most obscure and outrageous things to do, we knew our journey would be full of everything that make us Joe and Frannie, our alter egos. On our list of things to do we logged the Enchanted Highway, The Teddy Roosevelt National Park, A trip up the Missouri River, and a stop in Montana and Canada for good measure. The trip took six months to plan and now after all our hard work and planning we are ready to go. Still, even moments before we leave family, friends, and even strangers ask “Why North Dakota?” All we can say is “Why, Not?”
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Joe & Frannie
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1
In Search of New Salem Sue
According to plan, we set out for Regent, a town about 80 miles Southwest of Bismarck. We knew the drive along Route 94 was going to be one... Continue reading »
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2
Following the Enchanted Highway
Continuing on our journey, we pressed on for the Enchanted Highway, heading west on Route 94. As we approached the enchanted highway we cou... Continue reading »
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3
Regent, ND Human Pop. 100, Pheasant Pop. 1,000,000,000,000
Regent was our first official town stop in what would become a ten day road trip of small towns. Driving into Regent was the quintessential... Continue reading »
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4
No Rain, No Traffic and Beautiful Sunshine
After a flawless traveling morning, we arrived in Bismarck around 10:30 am. After weeks of rain and humidity, it was great to see the sunshine... Continue reading » -
5
Vamos a La Playa in North Dakota
Beach is a town west of Medora about 15 miles. The little town was a spot that we sought out because Joe had found a pottery store on line tha... Continue reading » -
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Big Time in The Badlands
Arriving in Medora from Belfield had great anticipation after seeing nothing along Route 21, the signs of life and RVs let us know somethin... Continue reading »
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7
Branded At The Diamond Bar Ranch
From Beach we headed back to Medora to the Diamond Bar Ranch. The Diamond Bar is a ranch that we found on line that touts its down home cowboy lifesty... Continue reading » -
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Back Country Driving to The Badlands
Rising before the sun is one of Joe’s favorite things to do on vacation. Out here, it’s hard to do as you have to be up pretty early to mak... Continue reading »
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9
Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better...
As we drove the loop, we scoped out the hill side and mountain tops for other signs of animal life. We were in particular search of more wild horse... Continue reading »
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10
Where Oh Where Do The Buffalo Roam...
Fran was going to prepare breakfast for 7am the next morning. We wanted to be up and on our way before the sun got too ahead of us. Joe rose at 4:3... Continue reading »
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11
You Have To Stop Here
One sight in Medora definitely worth seeing is the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Joe and I felt the hall of fame was really just an extension of our stay at... Continue reading »
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12
Deep Fried Steak On A PitchFork Is Way Cool
After meandering through more fields, mountains, and dirt roads we finally found our way back onto the highway, just in time to make it to Pitch Fo... Continue reading »
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13
Last Day At The Diamond Bar Ranch
Day four started early for even me. Joe rose early to go shoot the sunrise again and shortly after he left, I got up too. It is very chilly in the mor... Continue reading » -
14
Watford City Here We Come
We left Medora traveling north on Rt 85 for the North Unit south of Watford City. There is a little visitor’s center in Belfield right before we go... Continue reading »
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15
Can We See Everything In One Afternoon....
Our mission was to drive over the Montana boarder so we could set foot down in Montana and say we had been there. Along the way we passed through A... Continue reading »
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16
Another Pleasant Surprise Awaits
From the North Unit we headed North West to Watford City. Watford City is home to the area’s visitor’s center and ND largest Petrified Tree. The vi... Continue reading »
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17
There Are Good Days And There Are Bad Days...
From the Killdeer Mountains we were planning our arrival in Garrison for later that day. Garrison was a spot that Joe was really looking forward to... Continue reading »
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18
Minot? Why Not!
Our intention originally was to make a quick stop in Minot at one of the two wineries in the state at the Point of View Winery, and then he... Continue reading »
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19
Little Missouri and Hardware Hanks
We figure the motto of good dining for people in ND is “if it ain't brown, if it ain't white, I ain’t eating it.” Milt has broken the mold of both... Continue reading »
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20
Looking For International Peace In North Dakota
Traveling North on Rt 60 for what seemed to be forever; we finally arrived in the Bottineau area. For an area with no traffic, we got caught up in... Continue reading »
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21
In Search Of The Geographical Center Of North America
We woke early that morning... maybe ever earlier than normal. We were heading to the International Peace Gardens that day and wanted to get on the... Continue reading »
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22
We're So Close... Let's Do Canada!
From the Gardens we decided to head over to Boissevain, Canada in Manitoba after the attendant in the visitor’s center at the peace gardens suggest... Continue reading »
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23
In Search Of The World's Largest Buffalo...
From Devils Lake area we headed south to Jamestown.
Once arriving in Jamestown we headed directly for Pioneer Village and the Buffalo Museum... Continue reading »
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24
A Quick Stop In Devils Lake
We were heading back to North Dakota but decided to head back through Kilarney, Canada. The town is totally Irish-themed and green. Every store, ba... Continue reading »
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25
No Time Better Than Now To Visit South Dakota
The tire was fixed in a half hour at the tire fixin place in Bismarck. We were suppose to stay the night here but Joe was doing... Continue reading »
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26
Frannie Is Fast Becoming A Birder
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at Lill’s a local café in downtown Jamestown only after visiting the Walz’s Pharmacy. We spotted the... Continue reading »
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27
Sitting Bull Is Around Here Somewhere
From the casino we headed to Ft Yates, home of the tomb of Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull, while I knew as a famous Indian I learned on a trip... Continue reading »
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28
Bismarck Bound and Looking For A Pool
I left off with what seemed like an incredibly long drive back to the capital, Bismarck. That could be because Joe was photo happy that... Continue reading » -
29
Our Final-Go-Round
The Rodeo comes to ND once a year and our night there was planned long ago while planning our trip. In fact, the preceding week had all bee... Continue reading »
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30
Winding Down in Bismarck
Our last day in Bismarck was the hottest of all our days on the trip. We decided to check out the city’s Dakota Zoo. After attempting, with... Continue reading »
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