Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I finally received a replacement for my dinosaur computer.  It is going to take a week or two for me to get my son or daughter to get it all fixed up for me.  It will probably be after January 1st before I can get another page ready for my blog.  Please bear with me...at almost 74, it is not always easy to switch to newer technology but I am working on it.

North Dakota

North Dakota is one of those big, quiet, “wide open spaces” states near the Canadian border.  It sometimes has the coldest weather in the United States during the winter and on occasion has heavy flooding due to the snow melt in the spring.  It is primarily an agricultural state, located in the Great Plains region.  More sunflowers are grown here than anywhere else in the country and the state is the leader in quite a few other crops.  It is probably the least touristy state of all but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer. 

Multi View Card from North Dakota (my only postcard)

It may not have the glitz of New York City, the excitement of Disneyland, the awesomeness of the Grand Canyon or the Redwoods of California but North Dakota has a mixture of some of the best people who emigrated from other countries. Many from Northern Europe settled in the Red River Valley, fertile farm land.  These original settlers brought with them the hardworking ethic that built this country to be strong, striving to provide a good life for all.  The residents of North Dakota have the highest rate of church attendance in the United States.  

The original peoples here were Native Americans.  Scandinavians in large numbers arrived along with other Europeans to settle this land because it was good farmland, similar in climate to their native homelands.  Today you can enjoy their history at the Scandinavian Heritage Park which includes a full sized replica of a stave church.  At the end of September each year a festival called Norsk Hostfest is held to celebrate their pioneer ancestors.  Almost 80 percent of the current population of North Dakota is either German or Norwegian.

In late November one year the Amtrak train I was traveling on stopped in Fargo for a ten minute stop.  It was cold and snowing but the most popular place was an ice cream stand right by the train tracks.  These are hardy people who are used to a cool climate and don’t let a little cold air get in the way of having an ice cream treat.  

The International Peace Garden is located on the border with Canada near Dunseith, North Dakota, about 110 miles northeast of Minot.  In 2002 a 9/11 Memorial was constructed and added to the park, using ten girders from the ruins of the World Trade Center.     http://www.peacegarden.com/sights.htm

Lewis and Clark spent more time in North Dakota than any other state on their legendary trip to explore the western United States.  Museums and Interpretive or Visitors Centers allow tourists to follow in their footsteps. Teddy Roosevelt National Park includes three separate areas of “Badlands” from the western part of the state.  Other interesting places to visit showcase dinosaurs and albino Buffalo.  To find other gems in North Dakota check out their website at http://www.ndtourism.com