Little Missouri and Hardware Hanks

Wide Open Country
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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 and prepared a breakfast of extravagance. When we toured the school, the kitchen, which used to be the upper grade typing classroom, spanned a blackboard with our menu options for breakfast. We opted for the stuffed blueberry French toast bake. The table was downed with full china set up including a beautiful fruit bowl, juice and coffee. The school house windows were open and the cool morning breeze along with the Cuban music Joe brought along to play made for a most amazing morning. The atmosphere was resort-like and it made me laugh to be in the school, having this experience, and then look out to see the farmers out working the fields at the same time.

Choices, Choices, Choices...
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After our amazing breakfast experience and more enlightening conversation at the Old School B&B we said our thank you-s and good-byes and headed toward the Killdeer Mountains. We drove to Killdeer traveling south on Rt 22 down one of the Scenic Byways. The road winds back and forth and is the twistiest road we have been on yet. We passed the Little Missouri National Grasslands Park but planned to return after visiting Killdeer and filling up our gas tan. We arrived in Killdeer to find the likenesses of so many of the towns we had already visited. Small, quaint, and friendly. Killdeer’s gas station in the middle of town is also the local hardware store, Hardware Hanks. Out at the gas pumps was a sign proudly boasting "We Have Clean Restrooms"  Frannie, never one to pass up a bathroom break wandered into the hardware store intent on proving them right or wrong... her own little myth busters episode.  Several minutes later, Frannie, with a big smile gave them the two-thumbs up.

“if it ain't brown, if it ain't white, I ain’t eating it.”

Elegant Table For Two
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Thanks Joe for your input above... Upon returning from my own personal pit stop, I came out to find Joe at the counter, map in hand, asking the hardware store owner about the surrounding sights and routes. Within moments all the old-timers around the shop were gathered around the map, each giving his options and advice to Joe regarding our travels. One gentleman a little long in the tooth even wanted to go with us when he heard we were in pursuit of wine made from ND’s favorite berry, the Chokecherry.

Looking At It Still Makes Me Hungry
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After Joe finished holding court in the hardware store, we headed back north up route 22 to the Killdeer Mountains. Our visit to this park was rather short. After arriving we realized that the park is really more tailored to hikers with horses. The trails were hard to walk with out a horse and where we could walk, watching out for horse droppings became distracting to navigate around. We found a bench that overlooked the Killdeer Mountain range and took in the beauty that surrounds for a while. The mountains resemble the badlands area a little but were smaller in scale. Regardless, they were beautiful to see and we enjoyed the view until we decided to move on.