I'm fine, I'm fine...don't call 911 or the North Dakota State Patrol--I haven't
died. But I did finally get some much-deserved sleep and am writing this
morning from the home of my longtime friend Robin in Ocheyedan, Iowa
(pop. 500). My apologies for the delay; I was just too worn out last night,
after driving no fewer than 530 miles!
Yesterday morning started out in North Dakota, where I spent the night at
the Mayville Hometown Inn (a very clean and friendly establishment.) I
enjoyed a pizza in this small college town prior to heading to my room the
night before, courtesy of the Pizza Shop. If you ever find yourself in Mayville,
(what? you haven't already been?!), I highly recommend my lodgings and
the Pizza Shop. Tell Katie I sent you--she's the 6-foot Nordic-looking girl
who works there and has lived in "Dekotaaa" her whole life.
My first stop was the KVLY-TV antenna, just east of Blanchard. That
sounds like a lame thing to visit, but it is actually the second tallest
structure in the World, at 2,063 feet. North Dakota's flatness makes it all
the more impressive; when I first saw the thing, my GPS revealed that I
was thirteen miles from the site. Good times.
Afterwards, I visited the November-33 and Oscar-Zero Missile Sites (now
owned by the North Dakota State Historical Society.) I've been to more
historic sites than I can count, but nuclear missile historic properties were
a first for me. Oscar Zero, the launch center, was very impressive. I took
an elevator fifty feet down into the bunker where select Air Force officers
were once on shift 24-7 waiting for word from the President to launch
missiles. I left the place awed and kinda sad, actually, especially hearing
from my all-of-sixteen-but-well-informed tour guide that there were still
150 active missiles in North Dakota.
Leaving the site, I took several picturesque county and state roads, many
with beautiful grassland, to get to southern North Dakota. There, I got my
picture taken with the World's Largest Catfish in Wahpeton. (Hey, a place
has to be known for something.)
The haul down through South Dakota on I-29 was long and tedious, and I
was ready for a break when I got to the Devil's Gulch Park in Garretson.
According to legend, Jesse James was cornered following a robbery and
somehow convinced his horse to jump across an 18-foot ravine here,
enabling him to get away. There is bridge now, and with the pinkish-colored
rocks and deep rivers, this is a beautiful sight. Right down from Devil's
Gulch is Split Rock Park, featuring an awesome waterfall.
Today involves a lot of resting and visiting with Robin. Tomorrow, I'll be on
the road again, "come sun up." *Cue old western theme.*
TOMORROW: Surf Ballroom, Northeast Iowa, Field of Dreams
P.S.-My Honda CR-V scored some victories yesterday: she celebrated
100k miles around Brookings, South Dakota and also gave me 29.8 mpg,
her best gas mileage to date.
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