The drive from Glacier National Park to Bismarck, North Dakota is AWFUL. I do not suggest it to anyone. It's mainly a bunch of farm land, very spread out farm land. The only bonus is getting to wave to our neighbors in Canada.
Sarah and I had conversations that went a little something like this:
*passing a farm about every five miles*
Me: You really have to not like people to live out here.
Sarah: You have to not like ANYTHING to live out here!
*passing a very gross dilapidated building advertising spa day*
Sarah: Look at that spa house! Should we stop?
Me: Yikes! More like murder house.
Sarah: That's not the kind of happy ending ANYONE wants.
*speeds up passing murder spa house of doom*
As we got a little closer to Bismarck I took my first turn driving. No more than 20 minutes later we get pulled over. I told him i was going 85 in an 80, and he said he clocked me at 88 but was very nice and let me go with just a warning. He was trying to slow down the traffic for Labor Day Weekend.... in a town of about 73 people.
As we drove through North Dakota, I told Sarah about how Macie, Tom and BB had taken me to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and that I NEEDED to show her the Prairie Dog town. I was in love with them, and wanted to take one home. One nobody would miss.. the grumpy old man prairie dog. I already have a grumpy senior at home, they would become best friends immediately of course! Sarah and I often encourage each other during these conversations. What are best friends for?
Prairie dog town!!!!
I love the way the land is tied to Theodore Roosevelt. According to the National Park website, "When Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883, he was a skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York. He could not have imagined how his adventure in this remote and unfamiliar place would forever alter the course of the nation. The rugged landscape and strenuous life that TR experienced here would help shape a conservation policy that we still benefit from today."
I highly recommend taking the scenic drive and be sure to stop at Painted Canyon! We saw Bison, Prairie dogs, feral horses, bighorn sheep and a fox catching his dinner.
Sarah asked me in the car if I was nervous (in reference to seeing BB). Had she asked me that question a year ago, the answer would have been yes, but I had met BB's extended family during her first birthday party. I loved meeting Macie and Tom's parents and siblings and nieces and nephews. They clearly loved and adored BB and each had a bond with her. They also were so kind in embracing me. I think of them all now as extended family and I miss them, I can't wait to see where our lifetimes bring us, hopefully on a lot of wonderful adventures together.
Sarah and I arrived around 8 p.m. and Macie and BB opened the door. I re-introduced myself and Sarah to BB, and Lacie said, "oh! We've been talking about you guys coming for weeks!" That little gesture meant the world to me. BB immediately took me into her room and I asked her to show me her favorite book, she pulled down a book about her adoption story. Wow, how meaningful and timely. Before I could even get to the second page though she was off.. she had things to do!
We had a fantastic pizza dinner and Sarah quickly discovered BB's favorite game of running around two rooms in a circle over and over and over again giggling and switching from being chasing to being chased. If we could only figure out how to bottle that energy!
Macie and Tom had all kinds of fun things planned for us! Sarah and I headed downstairs and were extremely excited to sleep in beds instead of in a tent! We curled up to watch the last Game of Thrones episode of the season and called it a good night :)
Coming up:
- Reflecting on the past two years
- A walk by the river
- The Starving Rooster
- Girls Shopping Day
- Ghost Tour
- Bismarck's Art Alley
- Salem Sue
- Birthday Party
- Mass
- Dinner
- Riverboat Tour
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