The 2011 North Dakota travel guide landed in our mailbox a few weeks ago. As I began flipping through the pages, quite frankly, I was embarrassed.
They featured so many amazing historic places I have never visited...
...and fantastic cultural festivals I have never witnessed.
Worse still, I fear I might have thrown it into my recycling bin without even peeking at the pages, if it wasn't for one tiny little thing. One of my very good blogging friends is planning a summer trip that just happens to run right through the middle of my gorgeous state.
Did I just say that out loud? Please excuse me while I stick my head out the front door and scream because I am that excited for her visit.
Woooohoooooooo!!!
Okay, so hypocrite or not, I have the honor of suggesting places of interest for her to consider.
My kids have been intrigued with it too, so we're also making a list of our own.
"Mommy, what is this?" "Mommy! What is this!?"
We're definitely going to venture out a bit more this summer. They're old enough to remember it, but young enough that it will still be difficult. I'm hopeful we could survive a few day trips.
What are the must see attractions in your state? My fellow North Dakotans, give me a vote for your favorite sights!
A digital copy of the ND travel guide is available HERE.
17 comments:
I *love* this! First of all, it's always great to have something fun to look forward to and second, you meet THE NICEST people while blogging. I'm so glad you have a special blogging friend coming to visit. What a great way to get to know your state better!
Third - it's always fun to read the blog of the person being visited and then jump over to the blog of the visiting person... this means that I hope you're going to divulge who this kindred spirit blogger is! :-)
I'm with Farmgirl. Who is the lucky visitor?
I know nothing about North Dakota. We went there one time while visiting the Black Hills just so we could say we'd been to North Dakota. Know what I remember most prominently? Three things. One, there were actually, deer, buffalo, and antelope (okay, Pronghorns). I felt like I was in the Home, Home on the Range song! Two, there was a car show that actually had several TRACTORS featured. They were cool, yes. But tractors in a car show? Three, a gas station with the best (worst!) name ever... the Kum & Go. Seriously. Jess, I'm sure a visit with you would be memorable. You'd be surprised how many folks know so little about the state they live in. And how many have never been to a single National Park. Go forth and discover, girlfriend! Be sure to take lots of pictures to share, too.
I really resonate with the kids being "old enough to remember, but young enough that it will still be difficult" and yes, a trip out with the kids still sounds great!
Good for you!
When I lived in the US, I hardly ever went to 'tourist' spots in my own state, but that all changed when we moved to England and everything was so new and exciting. If we we ever move back, I'll be really excited to explore the area we live in, you know?
I can't wait to see what you guys go and see! x
That's so cool!!!!!!!!! I have to say that I'm giggling and smiling awfully big this morning as I'm reading both your post and the comments. It's me!!!!!!
I can't believe that I'm getting to visit either. :) Thank you so much for thinking of me and helping me out with the trip. I'm glad it has the side benefit of helping you find out more about the awesome ND attractions.
I'd been reading so many travel guides that I had to put them away for a few weeks, it was getting overwhelming, but now I'm inspired to pick them back up!
Can't wait!
My favorite ND sights, but ones that you probably won't find in the tourist information booklet:
1. A big full moon coming up over the prairie
2. Northern lights on my drive home from work
3. Multiple combines out working at dusk in the fall
4. Getting waved at by a stranger driving down a lonely gravel road
5. Big fat snowflakes floating gently to the ground (ok - I'm over that one....at least for this year....but it'll be back again!)
I'm exactly the same way - so many places I've never seen that are so close to home. If only my husband would stay home longer than a day here and there...we could take a few road trips.
How FUN! I have to ask....how in the world did you decide to visit ND? Not knocking it at all....from that brochure alone I'm already doubting my earlier thoughts. That's a crazy point about the USA....its such a vast space that we often miss out of some of its beauty. My old roomie from S. Africa was amazed that I had see "this" or "that" in my own country. Um.....it's kind big.
We so need a family vacay.....maybe my family and I will come out and hunt you down now Jess?!? ;)
Sounds like a "stay"-cation is in order. 'Tis the way to ignore one's own green grass....I think it's human nature. I get wonderful comments about photos I take in my area that I'm bored with. Hope your visit from your friend is fab!! Nice to anticipate it for awhile-makes it sweeter.
I get that. But, my excuse is Ontario is a lot bigger than ND! ;) We do hope to visit more cool places/events soon.
And yay for a visit with a bloggy friend! That's exciting! :D
:D
I've enjoyed your posts on all your little sightseeing trips, Abby. You couldn't ask to explore an area more saturated with history than what you have!
Points of interest here?
1. Medora - my family went every year, and we started going again, after a couple years' absence, last year. If you want to be budget conscious, just go for picnics in the badlands if the musical isn't a possibility. It's really good if it is possible.
2. Fort Ransom - the park is beautiful; there's a cute restaurant in the valley there; the herds of deer grazing and turkeys out for trots on summer evenings are amazing.
3. Divide County Threshing Bee - a great budget weekend, although with a hotel shortage around there, you may need to be prepared to camp and book ahead even for that. Even if you're not "into" big, old machinery, this is a great place to get a good understanding of the amount of work, sweat, and tears that went into growing food at that point in history. It is humbling to see how physically challenging and dangerous doing so was and yet how close to the land we were then, too. This is a family event including a home-town talent show that is actually truly family-appropriate.
4. Forts Union and Buford, especially around Fathers' Day weekend when the Rendezvous is happening at Union.
5. The Pembina Gorge. We haven't been there, but we've heard it is something to see. There is a musical around that area in the summer, too, at the Frost Fire Theater which we've heard is really good....Something we'll be trying with our children at some point.
6. The International Peace Gardens. Hit this one mid-summer so that the blooms have time to show their full potential. If we have a nice summer, this is an impressive place...at least it was in my memory from childhood stops there. If we have a tough summer, it probably is not quite as showy.
7. I second also the idea of just drinking in the sunsets, the wildlife, the stars, the uninterrupted sky....especially in the summer, and especially in the west, the sunset will last forever. On a clear night, the sky will glow turquoise until around 11:30 p.m. (central time) showing the remaining rays of the setting sun.
Anyone else??
#3 and #4 above give me the warm fuzzies and are some of the same things that make me love my Minnesota
North Dakota is beautiful. People like to make fun of it, but I've traveled the length of it a few times and enjoyed every minute of it. Hope you do get to explore and have some fun local adventures this summer, Jess! I feel the same way about MN....so much I haven't seen. And what fun to have a blogging friend come through your neck of the woods! A ND place I'd like to spend time at would be Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
We got the same travel guide as well and I was thinking the exact same thing! We were already planning to hit the Black Hills for a weekend this summer (when you can stay with friends it's pretty cheap, lol). No, not ND, but it's within 4 hours of here and DH has never been to Mt. Rushmore, so hello? gotta do that. And then some friends from church want to show us around Medora and the badlands up there, so there's that. Oh! Oh! And included on that trip will be an epic family photo shoot on the ranch where the dad grew up!
Oh, and if you're out this direction, you MUST check out the Enchanted Highway! Because it's awesome and because we only live 30ish east of it.
Post a Comment