First stop, North Dakota!

We start this posting with a little math quiz! What do you get when you add Bored Farmers to Long Cold Winters? That's right! Large sculptures! North Dakota has no shortage of memorable photo ops like Salem Sue (world's largest Holstein cow), W'eel Turtle (largest turtle in the world) & the Jamestown Buffalo (world's largest buffalo. There are so many in fact that we have passed Sandy, the Sandhill Crane (worlds largest of course) more than a dozen times and finally noticed it for the first time a couple of months ago! For more excitement that will have the young ones screaming "More North Dakota Please!" visit the following websites: http://www.realnd.com/ or http://www.ndtourism.com/




All joking aside, North Dakota truly is a great place to visit for really the same reason that we love to travel: The people you meet. This is the heartland of America, the true grit. It's a more simpler place up here, one away from the hustle and bustle of huge cities, traffic, noise and pollution. The nearest chain restaurant is over thirty minutes away and that's just the way we like it. You can see the Stars! The people here are the salt of the earth, willing to withstand the harshest of winters (that most of us will never experience or care to) to feed not just their families but all of ours as well. They are always welcoming and never think twice about helping each other. Being here for the Fourth of July you get a real sense for the patriotism that each and every one of these

true blooded Americans have. Most have served in the Armed Forces with several seeing action. I always get a sense of nostalgia coming here. It's a place that hearkens back to the American family of days past. The big news is not the latest shooting or robbery, but who's visiting who for afternoon coffee (yes they print that in the paper!). It may seem boring to most, but to me, it's has always been a quiet oasis in a constantly moving world.


Most people don't think of North Dakota as a stop on most round the world itineraries but for us an extended trip home will always be on the top of our list!
To all our North Dakota/Minnesota family - best wishes, stay in touch, and we will see you for a short break in January!




For more pictures of our trip to North Dakota including a side stop at Devils Tower, Wyoming please click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131828&l=70bbb&id=681530692





Next stop: North Carolina - Family Fun part II