North Dakota

Traveling from one Dakota to another meant taking a right on that one major South Dakotan highway and hopping onto smaller routes northbound to go straight into the heart of the Upper Dakota. Here, The roads were just as bland as the lower ‘friends’ roads-minus the Wall Drug signs every 6 inches. ‘Dakota’ is actually derived from a Sioux word roughly translated to ‘friend’, in case you didn’t know. Any who… Mickey and I were planning to stop at the Fort Union Trading Post in Northern North Dakota, which is right on the border of ND and Montana. Other than that, our goal was to keep our eyes open to anything else that ND might have to offer.

Well, most of ND was much like the last state we visited: Flat. Occasionally, a rolling hill would lazily meander its way into the routes we were on, but mostly, it was a straight, flat shot to our destination. About halfway through our travels, a light dusting began to cover the roads we were on with a very dry, forgiving snow powder. These roads would give way to some of our longests legs of driving-about 7 hours or so. Normally Mickey and I like to cut our drive times around 4 hours or so at the max, to break up the mundane grind of straight highway driving. The past state, SD, was great for that, with interesting areas to explore perfectly spread out across our route. ND, however, was not like this. We found little to nothing of interesting enroute to the Trading Post up north. After what seemed like days of driving, we finally reach our destination.

It was a cold, sleety, and windy November morning when we reached our destination. It was kind of funny; MT and ND are right on the brink of a time change. The road leading to the Trading Post winds back and forth in between these time zones, so every minute or so we would jump back and forth an hour. It’s the little things, I suppose. We pull into a water soaked parking lot that is completely empty except for a few ranger trucks. It is not nice outside. The frigid 20 degree weather was made even more poignant by the bitter, eastern winds peppered with sleet and sideways rain. This day was not a good day to be outside. We ran our way up to the Trading Post as fast as we could with our hands clasped tight together and our jackets zipped up as far as they could go.

The entire trading post was a square structure covered in white paint with red roofing and minimal decoration on the four outer walls. There was a gravel path that was partially frozen over, that we slid together on to the entrance of the fort. The entrance was headed with a mural of Native Americans and fur traders exchanging goods and shaking hands as a sign of unity. Inside the fort, various machinery used in previous centuries for tanning hides and other fur trade related tasks were displayed aside each wall, and even some cannons and other weaponry were out and about for visitors to look at. We huddled our way towards the visitor center to get our National Park Passport stamped, and to warm up for a few crucial moments.

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According to the park ranger on duty in the center, we were the only visitors of the day so far, and she did not expect to see many others-if any for that matter, the rest of the day. Fair enough, it was miserable outside. The visitor had many exhibits highlighting the importance of the fur trade, as well as the relationships of neighboring tribes and the fur traders throughout history. It was a beneficial trade agreement for both sides, with Native Americans offering fur to gain objects such as guns, medicines, alcohol, cookware, cloth, glassware, and other various trinkets and necessities from the east coast. They even had some authentic furs from various critters that would have been traded back in the day. We took the opportunity to dress ourselves in the warm garb, and it was very furry, to say the least.

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After we had defrosted inside, we decided to venture out into the elements once more to walk the perimeter of the fort. The view from the top yielded a nice vantage point of the missouri river, and the outlying plains that surrounded this historic site. It also gave view to the Lewis and Clark Trail, which was located near this fort. The Lewis and Clark Trail is obviously huge, and we have seen it throughout many states on our trips. It is pretty incredible to consider the journey they accomplished, and seeing their trail in so many states has put it into perspective like never before.

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After we finished atop the fort, we hightailed it to our car and blasted the heater on max and waited for our toes to get feeling back. While our journey in ND may not have been as flashy as it’s lower compadre, it was still a journey worth setting forth on. The snow, calm plains, and barren roads, and quiet settings gave way to a soothing and peaceful trip that allowed McKayla and I to unwind and set our eyes on the Big Sky State, Montana.

Cheers,

Oh yeah, in ND, they have this awesome stuff called Pickle Ice! It is a tube of frozen pickle juice that you can get at any gas station and it is really good! 10/10 would recommend.

-Daniel-