Cousins Butch and Tammy have invited us for a ride and lunch on their pontoon boat.

It’s a beautiful Friday morning with blue skies and puffy clouds as we drive 50 miles north to Lake Sakakawea, a huge reservoir created by the completion of Garrison Dam in 1956. It is the second or third largest man-made lake in the United States by area or volume and sports over 1,300 miles of shoreline.

We meet Butch and Tammy at their motorcoach then drive through Lake Sakakawea State Park to the marina. We load up the pontoon with coolers and snacks then Butch and Tammy begin their ballet of removing the lines and take the pontoon out to open water. We have a relaxing time cruising through some of the lake then Butch puts the boat into a little cove out of the wind. Tammy starts up the built-in gas grill and makes us a great meal. We have fun talking and eating our bbq’d lunch. The cruise back to the marina skims along an area of shoreline with huge homes for us to talk about and use our gawking skills. William and I have a terrific time with Butch and Tammy and thank them for the experience.
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On our way back to Bismarck we stop near the city of Underwood to watch the huge crane digging coal from the open pit Falkirk Mine. From our vantage point the cab of the crane is at least five times the height of a large Caterpillar earth-moving machine working nearby. Fascinating!

Cousins Butch and Tammy own acreage along Apple Creek in McKenzie, ND, 15 miles east of Bismarck. Some of the land is farmed while some has been set aside and is used for hunting.

Last year they had an inspiration and decided to construct a hunting stand / hunting shack. Now when I think of a hunting stand I think of those open air seats that hunters attach to trees about 10 feet off the ground. The deluxe ones have tops with canvas that can be rolled down to avoid bad weather. A hunting shack brings mental visions of unpainted used lumber assembled into an 8 foot by 12 foot building possibly with a tin roof.

​Butch asks us if we would like to visit “The Shack”, promising it’s not typical. Teddy and Jet (fur babies that are also hunting dogs) join us for the trip. As we drive up I realize “not typical” is a huge understatement. The building has windows the open and a deck to allow the hunters sit in comfort while hunting. A solar system and propane provide electricity/lights and heat, including a gas fireplace. The setting is peaceful and it affords opportunities to see stunning sunrises and sunsets. Butch chuckles as he describes the features of the building and tells some hunting stories. We’re happy he gives us the opportunity to see “The Shack”.

My Dad and Uncle Bob (Jan’s husband) are buried in North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.

On this sunny Tuesday morning I pick up my Mom, Aunt Jan and Cousin Barb for a visit to the cemetery, a short 30 minute drive. The 70 acres are on a hillside with a view of the Missouri River in the distance - beautiful!

​After placing flowers and paying our respects we turn our attention to lunch. We pick Blarney Stone Pub, the same restaurant William and I visited last night, but I am happy to return. The food is very good and we enjoy the girl time.

Bismarck lies along the Missouri River which creates wonderful leisure opportunities. Parks and walk/running/biking paths dot it’s banks. The river itself is used for fishing, boating, pontooning, kayaking, and jet skiing. It provides a relaxing venue for us to take walks and drives where we stop and practice using our new Nikon D780 camera.

On Friday we drive near the river on ND-1804 then US 83 north to the town of Washburn. Our first stop is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Lewis and Clark arrived in the area in 1804. According to the Center “The expedition, brainchild of President Thomas Jefferson, was far more than adventure—it was a quest for knowledge. The exhibit shows how Lewis & Clark sought to connect the then-unknown interior of North America with the Enlightenment”. We enjoy the exhibits then make our way to Fort Mandan.

​The park rangers add context and commentary as we walk through the fort - interesting! Fort Mandan is a “full-size replica of the fort in which the Lewis and Clark Expedition overwintered in 1804-1805. Their stay here was characterized by the hospitality of the Mandan and Hidatsa peoples. In fact, this is where they met and built friendships with such important figures as Sacagawea, Toussaint Charbonneau, and Sheheke-Shote”.

After touring we stop at a local restaurant for a snack. It’s nothing fancy, but the people are very friendly and the food is decent. No face masks required here, and at 3 pm there are only four other people in the place.

​We have visited Bismarck on many occasions. This is our first time “living” here (albeit for only a month). My aunt is here along with her six children and most of their children and their children. In addition, my Mom is here for 10 weeks to avoid some of the Arizona heat. Needless to say when the majority of the family gets together it’s a big group, and can become huge when close friends and/or extended family are invited to a party.
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In our first days in Bismarck we spend time with my mom and aunt and get settled in the Airbnb. I make trips to local grocery stores, as well as Dollar Tree and Walmart to fit out the apartment more to our liking. Like many Airbnb’s this one is reasonably equipped for a long weekend or even a week, but since we’ll be here for a month there are some things which can be inexpensively acquired and will make day-to-day life just a little better. We also make a stop at a local resale shop and pick up a chair as the dining table has four and we know we will have a total of five people for dinner a few times during our stay. Now the Airbnb feels more like home!

After a month in Racine visiting with family and friends it is time to move on to our next location. We will miss our family and friends, and I will miss my (almost) daily walks around the neighborhood and nearby cemetery, but we move on to see more family and friends in our new location. We will return to Racine in a month, though just for a few days.

We leave the apartment before 10 am, thinking that we will have a large late breakfast along the way. Perkins sounds like a good idea, but we find that three of these restaurants are closed, possibly permanently. The Covid-19 shutdowns have taken their toll, with more to come. I call ahead to the Perkins in Madison and I’m happy to hear that it is open.

Our first night is spent in LaCrosse, Wi. We pull into the downtown LaCrosse Marriott Courtyard hotel and quickly get to our room. The few hotel employees are masked and we are also advised to wear masks. The common areas and the restaurant are closed - social distancing is expected. The hotel is right on the river and there are a few people outside. But there are very few people in the hotel or walking around downtown streets.

This evening we have dinner with our friends Jeff and Paula at their home. The conversation is great. The takeout pizza from a local restaurant is very good and we finish off with Racine Kringle from O&H Bakery. After dinner the guys enjoy cigars as we continue the discussions. But tomorrow is a workday for them and we have the long leg of our trip tomorrow, so we say fond farewells by 10 pm.

Wednesday we travel ~ 600 miles to Bismarck, with the lake areas of Minnesota giving way to the wide-open farmland of North Dakota. We arrive at our Bismarck Airbnb by 7pm. The outside of the building isn’t impressive, but our two bedroom condo has recently been refurbished and is quite nice. We make a few phone calls to family then while I unpack the essentials William gets the electronics out and working.

After watching a little TV we crash onto our comfy king-sized bed in the Airbnb, our home for the next month.