In Search Of The Geographical Center Of North America

That's One Big Dala of a Horse

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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 road early. Before heading out of Minot, had scoped out a few spots we wanted to explore before we left town. Our first stop was the Scandinavian Pak. Part of the visitor’s center; the Scandinavian Park is a tribute and homage to the 7 Scandinavian countries that are so representative in the North Dakota area. They is a huge festival held every year and folks from the contributing countries come to partake in the events and fun.  Throughout the park, there are beautiful contributions from each of the countries that wonderfully depict the history and cultures of each of the countries. Our personal tour guide, an older gentleman who volunteers at the park, took us through a church in the park which is an exact replica of the one in Norway. The pine wood and coolness of the church only add to the magnificent carvings, workmanship, and labor that have gone into this church dating back to the Vikings. In addition to the beautiful church there was also a huge Dala Horse statue. The statues are symbols of Sweden and are carved from wood of different sizes and colors. There is also a Sauna – the meeting place for the community on Saturday in Finland. The park is beautiful and a nice tribute to the culture and community of Minot. During that morning we also stopped at Minot University where Joe purchased a college t-shirt. Now, Joe sports the Minot University’s mascot, the Beavers. On the way out of town we stopped at the Roughriders Harley Store for a t-shirt and Kroll’s Diner for breakfast where the restaurant slogan is “Sit down and eat!” The diner is a super cute 50’s style place and really clean. Buckets of soup called Knoephal (a real German soup) can be purchased there. A real farmer’s meal, the creamy chicken stock based is filled with potatoes and dumplings. The waitress gave us a sample. You decide for yourself, Joe seemed to enjoy it. I thought it lacked in most categories (except carb count that it) and returned to my delicious biscuits and gravy skillet (which didn’t lack in carbs either as you might guess).

The Centerpiece Of The Park

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We left Minot and traveled east on rt 2. We didn’t pay any attention to our gas gauge when we left Minot and realized about 20 miles in that we were dangerously low. The key in North Dakota is to never let your tank get below a ¼ tank. We never really know where the next gas station is going to be and with the towns so sparse, and roads so deserted, it is important to have gas. We found a little town along the way named Granville. We had picked up a brochure for this town in Minot it was hailed as McGillicutty City USA, Where the fun Never stops. We learned that the town had been renamed after winning a national city-naming contest and now Granville can boast being the home of Schnapps,(even though its not). Where the fun never stops we are not sure because we couldn’t even find where it started, the town was one street and even less to see than most of the little spots we drove through. Most of the store fronts were vacant and the prettiest building in town, the old bank (which by the way was shown in its 1900’s perfect condition in the brochure), is now boarded up and falling apart. The good news is that a gas station does exist there and the single pump filling station was a welcomed site.

Intricate Cravings Adorn The Church

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Arriving in Rugby, we came upon one of most anticipated stopping points, the Geographical Center of North America. From this spot which sits conveniently at intersection Rts 3 and 2 the street post tells exactly how many miles to the Artic Circle, Acapulco, as well as the east and west coasts. The funny thing about the GC of NA is that it isn’t really the exact center anymore. The real GC is now a Conoco Station across the highway but they moved it across the street for easier access. This treasured landmark now sits in the parking lot of a café/diner and at the intersection of 2 major highways.

From Rugby we traveled North and stopped for drinks at a drive-in called Don’s Drive in along Rt 3. Drive-in’s are not really drive inn’s I guess, more like ice cream shops with food. I got watermelon pink lemonade. Joe ordered a chocolate milkshake. The shop had a ton of different flavors of ice cream so when the counter lady makes his shake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup he asked her why she just didn’t make it with chocolate ice cream. “Because that’s the way I do it” was her response….ok then.