Today’s travels took me from Minot to Hankinson by way of Bismarck and Fargo. Google Maps had a more direct route, but my GPS kept arguing with me and I decided that an extra few kilometres weren’t a big deal. The roads were good and clear, but I had rain and grey sky all the way to Oriska.
I have to share a story about the last time I was in Fargo. It was like being in a Mr. Bean movie. I came into a mess of construction and got stuck in a roundabout with no idea which way to go. This was in the days before GPS and I didn’t have a detailed map of the city. I must have driven around that roundabout 50 times before a construction worker took pity on me, flagged me down, and told me which way to go! Today’s travels through the city were uneventful.
I am now parked at the Dakota Magic Casino and Resort, which has a full hookup RV park on the edge of its parking lot. I had expected power only to be on at this time of the year, but nope. I’m so excited that I’ll be able to take a long shower tonight. 🙂 I have tons of stuff to catch up on, so I’ve decided to stay for three, possibly four, nights. The rate is $31.50… for three nights. That’s right, FHU for just $10 a night!!! And my internet connection works here. What a nice respite this will be! Since I’ve gone through half a tank of propane in the last week, I hooked up Gary’s present since I’ll be here for a few days and save the on board propane for when I’m moving down the road.
I had planned to spend a couple of nights here and am only a couple of nights behind schedule since I left Lethbridge early, but I am going to have to start boogeying if I want to get to Virginia for May 1st. I have a couple of itineraries in mind and not being in too much of a hurry to cross the Mississippi, I am tempted to keep going due south to Kansas City and then straight east to Virginia. The slightly more direct option is to get back on I-94, skirt around Minneapolis, detour to Cedar Rapids to avoid Chicagoland, and then shoot eastwards. The first option is barely longer and more appealing since I have done most of the second option already. I am concerned about the the severity of the current tornado season in the mid-west, however. I welcome any thoughts on both options and, yes, I know that I need to get a weather radio. 🙂
Ooh, I almost forgot. I actually took pictures today!
grey sodden prairie; sick of the first two, but never of the third
Apple Creek Rest Area
Apple Creek Rest Area
the Oriska rest area is in the middle of the divided highway; you have to exit left
the Oriska rest area is in the middle of the divided highway; you have to exit left
this section south of Fargo reminds me of autoroute 10 in Quebec!
parked at Dakota Magic facing the casino
parked at Dakota Magic facing the prairies
I live in Dubuque, IA and the area that seems to get hardest hit is right down the middle of the state. If you bring 35 down from Minneapolis you will definitely want to be aware of the weather.
Liz, don’t scare me. 🙂 But thank you for the heads up!
I’ll completely understand if you are a few days late… 😀 I haven’t bought our tickets yet, LOL LOL
There is no way I am arriving later than the 4th! But I really do want to stick to the May 1st deadline. I haven’t seen you in four years and I want as much time with you as possible!!!
We’re on the west side of Minneapolis. If you decide to come this way we’ll buy lunch or dinner.
Linda, I had a feeling you were in this area! Shoot, I’ve pretty much decided to go south. 🙁 But we’re not that far away from each other in the grand scheme of things. Downtown Minneapolis is 4 hours from Hankinson. How much closer to me are you than that? Because I’m pretty much decided to spend Monday night here and should have the bulk of Monday off, so it might be possible to meet partway? I’m thinking St. Cloud. It’d be a three hour trip for me each way in the toad, but there isn’t really anything between there and here. It just seems like such a shame to be so close and still miss each other. 🙂
Rae,
I am loving your latest adventures! So excited for you about buying land, and then traveling again. I share your love of the prairie landscape, but I always thought it was because my New Jersey eyes are always so bombarded by stimuli (so much of it unpleasant!) that the wide, restful, awesome panorama of the Dakotas (in particular) came, literally, like “a sight for sore eyes.”
I also loved your photo of the Oriska rest stop. We stayed there (along the edge, just like you) in 2010, on our way west. At the time I noted that there is NOTHING as dark as the night along the highway in North Dakota. We’d never been to the state before, and….. just wow. Here is the URL to my blog from that day (just in case you are interested–it includes several prairie-scape photos):
http://www.debandjoeontheroad.blogspot.com/2010/08/crossing-prairie.html
On your way back home, try to drive up the Enchanted Highway in western ND, if you haven’t been there yet. We drove that way about a week later on our same trip. Great folk-art sculptures loom over the road…. it is a fun route.
Safe travels–
Debbie
Debbie, thank you for tagging in. Those are beautiful pictures on your blog; thanks for that link. I am really hoping to do the Black Hills on my way back north next year, so I will add the Enchanted Highway to my list. 🙂
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