The Great Plains

 First, I would love to say Happy Birthday to my hubby! Yesterday was his day! I made him the breakfast of his choice and fixed him one of his favorite meals for lunch. Then we went to a concert. Today we will go to the Farmer's Market (I am so excited) and on Monday we will head out to the Mandan Rodeo. They will have a fireworks show after the rodeo. 

Happy birthday, my love.

We also had another milestone in our lives. Our youngest, Tressa, turned 30 June 28th. All three of our children are in their 30's now. So glad hubby and I aren't getting older.

"Friends" themed birthday party. 

Tressa sporting her "Richard" mustache.

Secondly, happy early 4th of July! I hope Monday is a wonderful day for you and your loved ones! May God bless America in a powerful and mighty way and bring about a revival for Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Savior.

Happy 4th of July!!

So, I was curious why North Dakota was called the Great Plains, so I looked up that information and found out that the southwestern part of North Dakota is covered by the Great Plains, accentuated by the Badlands (different Badlands than South Dakota's). About half of North Dakota is covered by the Great Plains and this section is hilly and rich in mineral deposits. This area rises about 300 - 400 feet about the Drift Prairie east of the Missouri River. The Badlands are exposed surfaces of stone and clay that erosion has shaped into striking formations; many shades of browns, reds, grays, and yellows appear in the buttes, pyramids, domes and cones. In some areas of the Badlands the rocks contain lignite coal that has been burning for years. The clay about these coal beds has turned bright pink and red. Fun fact: the Lakota Native Americans dubbed this region "mako sica," or "bad lands," long ago because its rocky terrain, lack of water and extreme temperatures made it difficult to traverse. 

A section of the Badlands.

We spent the night in Colfax, North Dakota (close to Fargo) at a Harvest Host location, Dakota Vines. Deb and Bob own this five-acre vineyard and believe this year they will be able to harvest the grapes and continue to make their wine. The vineyards are good year around due to research by cross sectioning local wild grapes with the more common wine grapes that grow in California or even from Europe. We had a nice evening and met a couple from South Africa. They had just gone through their first winter in Fargo, North Dakota and shared with us how wild it was. Because of the wind, the snow falls sideways, and it can get to -40 degrees and lower with the wind chill.

The store, restaurant and check-in building.

The vines

Lovely yard to sit and visit.

The big chair.

The sun starting to go down.

So, here in the Great Plains it is very windy. Last Thursday we hAD wind gusts up to 28 mph. I wanted to go and do some more site seeing, but with my crazy allergies I opted to stay inside. Friday was much better. Wind is almost constant in the Great Plains. The average wind speed in Fargo, day and night throughout the year, is 12.3 mph. The wind speed is lower in July and August, but summer thunderstorms can produce extremely high wind gusts. The main reason the Great Plains is so windy is the lack of trees, hills and other terrain features to provide friction. Where we are staying isn't the best place where we have stayed on this journey, but it hasn't been the worse place either. 

This is our site for last week and this week.

Monday, we went walking McDowell Dam and Nature Park. You can walk, hike, bike, swim, fish, rent a paddle boat or a kayak. We walked a little over two miles. Would like to go back this week.

Walking and biking path.

We did head to Bismarck, North Dakota on Tuesday to do some site seeing last week. We went downtown and toured Camp Hancock. This site preserves part of a military installation established as Camp Greeley in 1872 to provide protection for work gangs that were building the Northern Pacific Railroad. The camp's name was changed to Camp Hancock in 1873. A log headquarters building still stands on the site as well as a church and a locomotive. So, I totally forgot to take a picture of the log headquarters building - so sorry! Not only was Camp Hancock an Infantry Post from 1872-1877 but also the Quartermaster's Office and Signal Station from 1877 - 1894 and the United States Weather Bureau from 1894-1940.

Camp Hancock State Historic Site.

Church of the Bread of Life, circa 1871.

North Pacific Locomotive 2164, circa 1901. 

Walking in Historic Downtown Bismarck was fun, and it was nice to see some old buildings. You know me and old buildings. The town was founded in 1872 and was originally named Edwinton in honor of Edwin L Johnson, who was a proponent of a transcontinental railway. In 1873 the city was renamed in honor of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the hope of attracting German investment in the railway. On August 8, 1898, there was a huge fire that destroyed the downtown area. These buildings were made out of wood, they started to rebuild using brick and concrete because that was often advertised as "fireproof".

Some of downtown Bismarck.

Celebrating 150 years.

We also visited the Former Governors' Mansion. The 4000 square-foot Stick Style mansion was built in 1884 by Asa Fisher. He sold it to the state in 1893. Inspired by European half-timber houses and Swiss chalets, Stick Style was popular for summer cottages on the East Coast, but was a rare site in Dakota Territory. All of North Dakota's Governors lived in the house from 1893 - 1960. In 1960 the mansion served as the North Dakota Psychiatric Clinic. In 1972 it was home to the North Dakota Department of Health. Gov. Art Link took a lead role in efforts to preserve the mansion, including signing legislation designating in a state historic site in 1975.

The front

The back

A bedroom

Lamps throughout the years

The living room.

There is also a Carriage House that we were able to walk through and go back in time. The upstairs contained two bedrooms where the drivers stayed.

The front

Driving in style.

Mural on the wall of downtown Bismarck with a 

trolley and horse and buggy.

Driving back home, I saw another house that I thought was cute and wanted to share with you. The old houses have such character. I really love when the houses are well cared for by their owners.

Another new state! Here are the state bird, tree, flower and motto for North Dakota. 
 
*North Dakota: Western Meadowlark (Bird), American Elm (Tree), Prairie Rose (Flower), and Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable (Motto).

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Mahatma Gandhi.

I feel that is very important for us to remember in the times in which we live. Life can become about what is right and wrong, rather than loving and kind. I am not saying we overlook sin, handling my own sin is where I need to start. Praying for others as well. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:31-32 (NASB)

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.

God, the RV & me...