Thursday, September 24, 2009
Roughrider Campground, Minot, ND: Aug 18-20
This was our first time in North Dakota. We were expecting a flat, treeless expanse, gently sloping from one end to the other, but were quite pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the state. There were a lot of farms (many with fields of sunflowers in full bloom!), large expanses of trees, & also quite a few reservoirs & wetlands. On our way to Minot we drove through Rugby, ND, which has the distinction of being the geographic center of North America. Naturally we had to stop at the monument & take pictures. Also in Rugby are a Prairie Village Museum, a winery, and a Northern Lights Tower sculpture, which is pretty hopping stuff for a town of 2500.
Minot is known as "Magic City" -- when the railroad was being built through ND in 1887 a bridge was needed to cross a dry streambed. 
A large tent city sprang up at the expected site, but when it was announced that the bridge would be built several miles away on the Souris River, the residents moved the entire town to its present site overnight. The town became such a magnet for disreputable characters that a railway conductor cried "This is MINOT, end of the line. Prepare to meet your God."
Roughrider CG is a little pricier than we like, but we got a nice electric-only pull-through with three sites in front of us that were empty 2 of the 3 days. Of course we researched the Minot bridge club before we arrived and were able to play twice.
We also visited the Scandinavian Heritage Center one day, which was worth the trip all by itself. The park, a gift to the city, displays flags of the five Scandinavian countries, plus the US and Canada, and contains sculptures and structures exemplifying Scandinavian heritage.
Among the items are a full-size Stave Church, a 30-foot high Dala horse, a Danish windmill and a Finnish sauna. It's located in a lovely setting with curved walkways, waterways and fountains. The center also sponsors many events honoring Scandinavian traditions throughout the year.# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:39 PM 
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