Day 55 / Spring Road Trip 2012

White Butte in North Dakota
They have a lot of big buttes here

We got underway this morning at 10:00 and I must say that I was happy to be leaving North Dakota.
I really liked what I got to see of Fargo and the large animals along the highway were pretty cool but other than that it was a lot of open fields with not many towns in between. We finally found a highway that headed south and we took it. It didn't take us too long before we hit South Dakota and I must say the terrain was much better. We drove through a small (300 people) town called Buffalo (they seem to be big on buffalo around here) and as we were leaving we had an antelope sighting. It was very close to being an antelope incident but Dad was able to avoid it, barely.
We then drove through the town of Belle Fourche whose claim to fame is that it is the geographical center of the US. My claim to fame is that South Dakota is the 32nd state that I have been to with this RLB and I'm still in one piece.
We have now dropped anchor in Sundance, WY. It lies at the foot of Sundance Mountain and is believed to be where Harry Longabaugh got his nickname "The Sundance Kid" while he was in jail here for horse stealing. Oh I sure hope we get to watch his movie tonight.

Long straight road to South Dakota

State Sticker #32

That's the Black Hills back there

Wyoming

Day 54 / Spring Road Trip 2012

I 94 West through North Dakota is one long straight road and apparently it is the only way out.
We departed Fargo around 0930 and six hours and 289 miles later we had only made it to Dickinson.
We passed flat green fields, flat brown fields, rolling green farmland and some very strange sights.
Right around Jamestown we came across the worlds largest Buffalo and then just past Bismarck, the capital, there is a 38 foot tall Holstein Cow named Salem Sue right by the highway. We also passed the Worlds Largest Metal Sculpture, called Birds in Flight. I gotta wonder who comes up with these things. Not sure where we are headed tomorrow but I'm pretty sure we will see more weird things along the way.

Pretty much says it all

Worlds Largest Buffalo

Salem Sue

Birds in Flight

Day 53/ Spring Road Trip 2012

North Dakota at last

Uffda, we are leaving Minnesota today. We were suppose to get underway at 0930 however, I had other ideas. While Dad and Mom were getting the RLB hooked up to go Dad left the truck door open so I got out. Now I wasn't going to go far but I guess I forgot to tell them. Mom almost had a nervous breakdown. Fortunately I am bad at logistics and I only know my way around the RLB so that is where they got me, waiting at the door to get in.
It took us about 235 miles but we finally made it to Fargo, North Dakota. We stopped at the Visitors Center and they had the original wood chipper from the movie Fargo. Of course Mom had to buy a Fargo hat. Rather stylish I might say.
North Dakota makes the 50th state that Dad and Mom have been to. They can now check that off their bucket lists. It makes the 30th state that I have been to with the RLB, but I'm just checking off the days till I get home.
We are staying at a campground in Fargo that is on Roger Maris Drive. He was from here. Baseball seems to follow us no matter where we go.

Mom with the wood chipper from Fargo

Ya sure you betcha that's Dad

Fargo is Quirky 

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Campsite on the Red River in Fargo

North Dakota State Sticker #31

Day 52 / Spring Road Trip 2012

Today is our last day here in Minnesota. Tomorrow we head to North Dakota just one step (and one state) closer to home. Dad felt the need to make one final trip to the Mall of America. That makes four days that we have gone there and we still haven't seen it all. Not for a lack of trying though.
The Mall of America was built on site of the old Metropolitan Stadium which was the previous home of the Minnesota Twins and the Vikings. They even have one of the old seats from the stadium hanging on the wall in the Mall in the exact spot that Harmon Killebrew hit his 520 ft home run.
It is a pretty amazing place. They have 520 stores, 50 restaurants, 14 theatres, and an aquarium and an indoor amusement park. Mom is already planning a return trip since she hasn't spent my entire inheritance.

Seat hanging on the wall

A happy  Cheesehead?

Another Cheesehead

Amusement Park in the Mall

Day 51 / Spring Road Trip 2012



Mom and Mary

Back to the Mall of America this morning to catch the Metro to Minneapolis for our final ballgame of this road trip. The Twins are playing the Detroit Tigers and Mom wore her Tigers jersey. Possibly not a popular choice here in Twin Territory.
Before we could head for Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins, we had to make one more stop at the Mary Tyler Moore statue so Mom could throw her hat in the air with Mary. I'm beginning to wonder about these two.
We then headed to Target Field. Of course we are there about two and a half hours before game time so we walked around the outside and I must say it is a nice park but nothing really spectacular. The inside of the park however is really nice. We had great seats only four rows up from the Tigers dugout. The only downside was that it was 92 degrees (with a heat index of 100) and we had no shade. We toughed it out though and the Tigers ended up winning, which did not make Mom a popular person on the Metro going back to the Mall after the game.

Outside of Target Field

Inside Target Field

The Twins

Dad and Harmon Killebrew

 

Day 50 / Spring Road Trip 2012

Mom and BFF Mary

"Who can turn the world on with her smile?"
Minnepolis, hometown of Mary Richards aka Mary Tyler Moore and the twin city of St. Paul the capital of Minnesota.
We started the day a little later than usual due to a huge thunderstorm that came through the area. Once again what a difference a day makes.
After the thunderstorm finished with us we drove to The Mall of America and caught the Metro, which is conviently located on the lower level, into town. Once in town we found our way to the Swedish American Institute.  Hopefully this is the last of Dads' trips to his root cellar.
We then found our way downtown and in search of a statue of Moms' idol Mary Tyler Moore. We found the statue, much to Moms' delight, and then strolled (and by strolled I mean walked a long way) down to the Mississippi River which separates Minneapolis from St. Paul. This used to be a major center for flour mills like Pillsbury and Gold Medal but that is long gone and they now have a beautiful walkway and park along the river.
Most of the day it rained so I was glad when we finally headed back to dryer parts, namely The Mall of America.

Dad at Swedish American Institute

Stone Arch Bridge @ Mill Ruins Park

Mississippi River separating the Twin Cities

Minneapolis skyline

Father Louis Hennepin Bridge to St. Paul 

Metrodome Home of the Minnesota Vikings

Day 49 / Spring Road Trip 2012

Minnesota

UFFDA! You Betcha we are in Minnesota, "the  Land of Ten Thousand Lakes".  Actually there  are more than 15,000 lakes but who's counting.  Legend has it that Babe (Paul Bunyans's (blue Ox) made the footprints that made the lake beds but I think that could be one of those tall tales.

What a difference a day makes. Today was sunshine and 70 degrees.

We departed Fort McCoy around 10:00 and in less than an hour we were in Minnesota, which roughly translated means "sky-tinted water".  Lots of Swedes live here so Dad feels right at home. Apparently he also feels right at home with the Amish.

Is there such a thing as an Amish Swede?

Pastoral Farmland

On our way here we saw lots of beautiful farms and also went by the town of Rochester, MN           which is home to the Mayo Clinic. We arrived at our campground in Apple Valley around 1400. It  is about 15 miles south of Minneapolis and only 6 miles from the Mall of America. Now I  know  what you are thinking, that is like giving Mom catnip. That place has over 520 stores and 50            restaurants and an amusement park, what was he thinking? We were at the Mall less than two hours after dropping anchor and believe it or not it was Dad who wanted to go and it was Dad who got a little over stimulated and it is Dad who is planning at least one return trip. Poor Mom whatever will she do?      

THE MALL

State sticker # 30