Howdy
So last weekend I went with camping with Krista and her sister Cassie. When I got to the park (not a bit late!) I couldn't get a hold of Krista to figure out what campsite we were at, so I drove around, got turned around and drove along gravel roads among very picturesque little ponds and lakes and plenty of trees fearing that I would never find my way out and the dangerous deer would eat at me in the night. So we eventually got a hold of one another and I made my way to the campsite- which was conveniently already set-up. We spent the afternoon on Beers lake (which had no beer), paddling along for a Lewis and Clark style adventure (did you know Lewis and Clark spent most of their time traveling in ND?) and Krista taunted that the long fingers of see plants were reaching up to get us like the dead swamp people in Lord of the Rings. We heard the call of a loon and asked for the time from some people at the dock.
For our campfire dinner I had planned to make potato foil packets, but having forgotten the foil we tried making them in a pan. They burnt and we left the potatoes out for the coons. Well, the coons took the potatoes, but then some slugs fell into the pot and I decided the garage-sale pot wasn't worth saving. Next mornings blue berries pancakes went very well, especially considering that I had also forgotten my fry pan. With plenty of oil and Krista's camp set we survived. We spent another day on the lake, courageously paddling through a field of lily pads and admiring the odd decrepit shanty shacks on the middle of some islands. Before we left, we walked down the main street of Pelican Rapids which has the world's largest Pelican and lots of painted pelicans around the city- one's in laiderhosen, bathing suits and bandit get-up.
And then it was back to work. Researching about the internment camp near Bismarck has been depressing. But I've also worked on some corrections- last Friday Jim and I finally went over the stories, so I got some good feedback. Today I was researching about North Dakota's one and only waterfall and on the wiki travel site about North Dakota there are these warnings:
North Dakota is mostly a dangerous landmass. Never forget that North Dakota's peacefull valleys can give way to deadly ravines and trenches, raging rivers and clay roads, cactus and thorns. Never travel alone in North Dakota. A walk around Lake Sakakawea's beautiful shores can soon turn into a rescue mission. Lakes are deep and sometimes can swallow a life with out anyone knowing for hours. Always wear a life jacket when in North Dakota. North Dakota's graveyards are full for a reason Never ever forget that North Dakota has taken the lives of many. You are on you're own, you may be alone Most of North Dakota's most beautiful scenery is untouched. Remember that there is a reason North Dakota's un-safe land remains a repellent for locals.
Now I shall live in fear and always wear a life jacket, which I suppose will be rather odd at work.
This week the couple got back. I made sure that things were clean (for some of you I know this will be hard to believe), but apparently I didn't think of the damaging capabilities of my (likely dying) tomato plants to her grass.
So anyway, Tuesday night I went on a not-so-adventuresome-adventure with a fellow from work. Another person at work had talked about visiting a ghost town, so I wanted to go. We drove out, following 1806 after it became a gravel road. Lots of Jesus rays came from the clouds and cattle walked along the buttes (think smaller mesa), so it was a nice drive, but we were starting to wonder where it was. When we found it, there were a bunch of old buildings, like an old farmstead and a newer truck. We debated whether or not to go- after all people out here tend to take the 2nd ammendment pretty seriously. We thought we would maybe drive a little bit down the road to one of the houses (after all, we didn't see a private property sign and thought we could pass for the silly tourists we were), but the grass in the middle of the road could be heard dragging along the bottom of my car and we decided to capture the moment with a camera instead of a foot trek.
As we drove along on our way home, we found a train- or a part of a train. I had always wanted to climb up the metal ladders on the side, so we did. I climbed down triumphantly and almost slid down the steep bank- oh well. We walked around a bit, and around this building, but when we heard a radio inside we ran back to the car. I bet the guy inside (if there was one) got a laugh. But I suppose that's what happens when you both talk about being afraid to get in trouble as little kids and the shame of having to stand with your face to the fence. So that was our pansy adventure!
Also, please leave a comment somehow, somewhere! I have no idea who I'm talking to and it's a little weird sometimes.
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