Small, & Not So Small, Moments

We are on the move again. A few days ago I mentioned that we were facing a challenge to our trip route...several actually. You see, we had to leave Fort Stevenson State Park today because they are fully reserved for CANDISC which is a week long, 400 mile bicycle ride. We couldn't seem to get a place to park in western North Dakota due to the overcrowding from the Williston oil boom. We couldn't get a place to park in southwest South Dakota, which is where we were originally headed next, because of the annual Sturgis event. We did not want to go down to Nebraska...sorry, just didn't. Right now we are sitting at the Dickinson, ND WalMart. Rich is inside shopping while I guard our rig and the girls. There are homeless people sitting on curbs and lots of pickup trucks plus a few cars zipping around like flies on &^#@. The person I spoke with at this store a few days ago referred to "all the ISSUES we're dealing with" because of their proximity to Williston. If you thought the Dakotas were nothing but remote towns among fields and lakes and  wildlife, now you've learned a bit more about the area!

Today I want to share some of our small moments, like today's lunch. As is our habit, we pulled into a parking lot near the interstate we were transitioning onto and pulled out crackers, pepperoni, cheese, apples, and drinks. On the hill above us stood Salem Sue, the worlds largest Holstein cow! While we ate, a gentle rain accompanied the far off sounds of rolling thunder...another perfect lunch in our cozy RV, one of many reasons why we prefer a motorhome to other types of RVs.

Another special moment recently was our visit to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center which we also visited during that 1998 anniversary trip. It gave us another opportunity to reminisce about that crazy trip to North Dakota in January...we are somethin' else!

I love this statue of Meriwether Lewis; William Clark; their dog, Seaman; and Mandan Chief Sheheke. Uh, no, Rich was not a member of the expedition when they established Fort Mandan near this spot to survive the harsh winter of 1804-05.

Later this afternoon...

I had planned to share a few more small moments in this post as we drove 180 miles or so west, but we just arrived at our destination in Medora, North Dakota near the Montana border. Yesterday, Rich found an opening at a small campground here in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.

The terrain was a bit more hilly but the field crops stayed the same for much of the drive.

In the area of the Bakken oil formation there are signs like this...anyone need a job there?

Here is one of the oil wells alongside I-94. It looks like they're "flaring the well' which means that the flame you see just to the left of the storage tanks is from natural gas burn off. It's impossible to get good photos in the rain of sights over on the other side of the interstate, but you get the idea.

So, we're rolling along on our way to the Little Missouri National Grasslands expecting to see lots of flat grassland like this area where the sign is located...right?

But then, just around a curve from that sign, with my jaw dropped open in shock, I took this.

and this

and this

We have been to so many places and seen such wondrous sights that one suspects there are no surprises. That was certainly not the case today. I had no idea that this area would be covered with beautifully colored canyons. I'm sitting at my desk in the front window of the RV looking at this as I type. 

What are we waiting for? Let's go exploring!

Lovin' Life ~~ Awestruck By This Country!