A quick getaway to North Dakota
I’m not one to take a lot of pictures. Most of the time, I’m too involved in the moment to stop and take pictures. That is…unless we specifically stop to take pictures.
Hubs and I went to North Dakota over the weekend to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s a spectacular place, especially the North Unit. The town of Medora is charming and we enjoyed our stay at the Rough Riders Hotel. If you want the full experience, go between June 1st and Labor Day when all restaurants and attractions are open for the season. It would have been nice to see the Medora Musical and have some additional restaurant options for breakfast besides the hotel.
We also explored Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota along I-94 to Bismarck. We drove a section of the Old Red Old Ten Trail. It was fun to see Salem Sue (the cow), the Enchanted Highway (bird sculptures made from scrap metal) and explore some of the other attractions along the way. The local visitors bureaus need to update businesses highlighted in the advertising that’s handed out. We found several businesses permanently closed. My best advice is to call ahead before venturing in that direction.
I quilt shop hopped in Bismarck, Minot and Dickinson. Not one place I visited was a traditional quilt shop. One was a Bernina/Handiquilter dealership that was part of a family gardening/homesteading supply place. Another was located in someone’s home. She’s primarily online with walk-in customers by appointment. (I’d be in trouble if I lived nearby because she carries all of my favorite fabric lines!) The shop in Bismarck is what I’m finding more common in my area – a sewing machine dealership (Baby Lock in this case) with an extensive fabric selection to reach garment sewing, bag-making and quilting folks. I really appreciated the staff letting me sew on the Baby Lock Allegro and offering suggestions for 3 specific machines that might be a better fit for me.
Our trip home took longer than expected due to an issue with the plane that should have been addressed during the post flight inspection the night before. We were delayed leaving Bismarck by 90 minutes, which meant we missed our connecting flight in Minneapolis. Fortunately, we were able to get home on a later flight, but we’d paid for Comfort seats on our original flight and traveled home in the very back of the plane. Hopefully, Delta will give some sort of credit adjustment to make things right.
This trip was exactly what we both needed. The college-age daughter of some long-time friends stayed at the house with Sadie while we were gone. She was able to get the packages in that were delivered while we were away and put the trash out. It was a win-win for everyone involved. Sadie likes the pet sitter much better than doggie day care if she can’t go to Camp Grandma & Poppy when we travel.
It’s past time to get back to living. Time to hit the road!