Back on the road again after visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park, my wife and I took a straight line (it seems all roads in North Dakota are straight) to the the capital city of Bismarck.
After a good night's sleep, and a hardy breakfast, we headed to the impressive North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum. If a person had to choose only one place to visit in North Dakota, this would be the destination because it offers something about everything in the state.
The center is located adjacent to the state capitol building, dubbed the "Skyscraper on the Prairie" because it stands a whopping 241 feet (that's a joke, folks, because the topography is rather flat).
Inside the center you'll find exhibits, relics and replicas, from the dinosaur age to modern day, and lots in between. I was stationed at a missile base while I was in the Air Force eons ago, so I found an exhibit of a Minuteman center very interesting since I never got close to one while in the military.
Read more about this fabulous place by clicking here. Did I mention that it was free? And yes, we'd like to return and take in other places in this neat city of nearly 120,000 residents, such as Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
Our next stop was Jamestown, about 100 miles east of the capital (with an 80 mph speed limit on I-94, the time simply files by), to see the world's largest buffalo monument! Is it any wonder the town of nearly 16,000 residents is known as "The Buffalo City."
The 60-ton concrete monument, named Dakota Thunder, is 25-feet tall. He's been a landmark at this prairie stop since 1959. You can spot him from the highway (we did and had to turn around at the next exit).
Dakota Thunder is located at Frontier Village and the National Buffalo Museum. We were there during off season (the museum was open) so there weren't many people in the area. But Jamestown has more to offer (but how can you top a giant bison?) such as Fort Seward, Louis L'Amour Trail and the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame (I'm sure all those places would be worth a visit).
So it was back on the road, heading eastward toward Minneapolis. Let me add that we stopped to eat at the Perkins Restaurant in Fergus Falls, Minn., and I had one of the tastiest omelets I've ever devoured in my life.
For more images, visit my Facebook page by clicking here.
Until the next time....
 |
| Entrance to North Dakota Culture Center |
 |
| The "Skyscraper of the Prairie" |
Inside the center you'll find exhibits, relics and replicas, from the dinosaur age to modern day, and lots in between. I was stationed at a missile base while I was in the Air Force eons ago, so I found an exhibit of a Minuteman center very interesting since I never got close to one while in the military.
 |
| Tyrannosaurus Rex |
Our next stop was Jamestown, about 100 miles east of the capital (with an 80 mph speed limit on I-94, the time simply files by), to see the world's largest buffalo monument! Is it any wonder the town of nearly 16,000 residents is known as "The Buffalo City."
The 60-ton concrete monument, named Dakota Thunder, is 25-feet tall. He's been a landmark at this prairie stop since 1959. You can spot him from the highway (we did and had to turn around at the next exit).
 |
| Dakota Thunder |
Dakota Thunder is located at Frontier Village and the National Buffalo Museum. We were there during off season (the museum was open) so there weren't many people in the area. But Jamestown has more to offer (but how can you top a giant bison?) such as Fort Seward, Louis L'Amour Trail and the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame (I'm sure all those places would be worth a visit).
So it was back on the road, heading eastward toward Minneapolis. Let me add that we stopped to eat at the Perkins Restaurant in Fergus Falls, Minn., and I had one of the tastiest omelets I've ever devoured in my life.
For more images, visit my Facebook page by clicking here.
Until the next time....
No comments:
Post a Comment