Oh, Hey, I Found Some Cows...
Jun. 18th, 2017 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseWe planned one more day in Beulah, ND, mostly because we had hoped to get flieschkuekchle from the deli at the Beulah grocery store for dinner tonight. So we decided to bum around the area to see what could be seen. Plus, one of Shawn's relatives told us that there was actually a road up to Salem Sue and Mason got it in his head that if we'd touched Dakota Thunder (the giant buffalo), we ought to be able to say we'd also touched Salem Sue.
Looking at the map, we thought we planned ourselves a pretty decent day of it, and so we headed off bright and early to Lake Sakakawea. The trip took us back to Hazen, and, because the map didn't have a name marked on the road that looked like it took us to the lake, I stopped and asked for directions from the gas station employee. I asked him the best way and he said, "Head back toward Beulah at the next gas station and turn north." I showed him the map and said, "Here? But it has no name." He gave me a funny look and said, "Just go north. You'll hit the lake."
Apparently, roads don't need names if they go to the lake.
As we turned down that road, we discovered the Hazen cemetery, where some of Shawn's relatives are buried. We stopped to look around and Mason found a shed snake skin, from the size of it, it was probably a rattlesnake.
He's holding it up, in the wind. It was a Very Blustery Day, as A. A. Milne might say. We actually decided to take the snake skin with us, and so we stuck it in a plastic baggy. It's the sort of thing that will go nicely on our altar.
On the road there, we had to stop for a family of ducks that made their way across the two lane highway. It was the first of many times that I hit the brakes suddenly for critters crossing the road. A TON of gophers dashed across the road (and one lost its life under our wheel, alas, despite my best efforts.) But, most of the things trying to cross made it. I made sure of that as best as I could.
The lake was fairly spectacular.
Floating in the breeze we saw a pelican. We also drove down to the boat landing and stuck our hands in the lake, just to say we had.
Then it was back on the road for the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. This is where I started pointing out cows. There are, in case you were wondering, a LOT of cows in North Dakota. In fact, in one of the brochures Shawn picked up at the Knife River site, we learned that for every one person, there are three cows. Pretty soon this became a running joke and I'd say, "Hey, everybody, guess what? I found some cows!" Many of the cows had calves, so part of the game (for me, at least) was looking for the babies.
I needed a game, because we drove around a lot.
We got out and walked around a lot at the Knife River Site, though. They have an interpreter center there with some history of the site. The village is notable because it's where Louis and Clark picked up Sakakawea, actually. All that's left right now are depressions in the earth where the earth lodges once stood. They had a reconstructed earth lodge out front:
There were miles of trails, but we took a short hike down to the water's edge. The sun was bright and the air smelled AMAZING, mostly wild clover, I think. I told Shawn that I thought it smelled a little like laundry detergent, and I suspect that's not a coincidence.
From here we made a return trip to Salem Sue, the World's Largest Holstein. We found the road in this time and drove up a very narrow, winding hill. It was actually fairly busy at the top of the hill, which made me wonder what people did if they met another car coming the other direction on that gravel road. Luckily we never found out. The cow was there. She's still delightful. I have no idea why this giant cow has charmed my family so much, but it totally did.
There was also a heckuva a view from up there.
I was also impressed with the scrubby wild roses growing on the hill around Salem Sue. They reminded me of the roses I'd find growing near the railroad tracks in LaCrosse, WI, where I grew up.
The next "destination" was the Enchanted Highway. When we planned this trip, I looked at the map and said, "Wait, The Enchanted Highway just stops? That seems dumb. Shouldn't we find a way so that we can come up it on our way home from somewhere?" Oh, good idea, Lyda. TOO BAD IT MEANT HOURS OF DRIVING THROUGH PRETTY MUCH NOWHERE.
We kept having to tell ourselves as we drove through towns like Mott ("Mott, the spot that god forgot" as Shawn's dad just to call the town he was born in), that our secondary motto this trip is, "The journey *is* the destination." But, OMFG, I was tired of driving by the time we finally hit the beginning (or end) of the Enchanted Highway. But, the bizarre statues were worth it in my opinion.
Interestingly, the only place we saw real, live pheasants crossing the road, was right before this statue:
(Mason is there for scale)
Some ominous weather started dogging us here at the giant grasshopper statue, but we managed to outrun it, by heading north.
The official name for this one is "Geese in Flight" but I kept calling it the Eye of Sauron. I think it looks like a giant eye on a hill.
The rest of the drive back to the hotel was a lot of me saying, "Hey, look, I found some cows." We did, however, see a runaway llama, though. As we were headed along 200, I saw something galloping on the hill. I started to say, "Hey, a cow," but then my brain said, "No, not cow, horse? No... LLAMA!" The llama was clearly on an unscheduled walkabout since it was being herded by a pick-up truck with its hazards flashing and an ATV. That woke us up.
This was outside of a town called "Zap," which made it all the more surreal and hilarious.
We were pretty road punchy by the time we made it back to the hotel. We'd hoped to catch that fleischkuekchle at the deli, but it turned out that it was closed. Worse, the only other restaurant in town that served them was also closed. Damn you, Sunday in a small town! But we met up with Shawn's brother Keven (who was also in town for the reunion) at the DQ for dinner instead. A far cry from fleischkuekchle, but I was so hungry at that point (having only really eaten the road food we'd packed, which consisted of things like beef jerky and trail mix) I was happy with ANYTHING.
Now I'm going to collapse into bed and rest up for another long drive across the country to Cody, Wyoming!
Looking at the map, we thought we planned ourselves a pretty decent day of it, and so we headed off bright and early to Lake Sakakawea. The trip took us back to Hazen, and, because the map didn't have a name marked on the road that looked like it took us to the lake, I stopped and asked for directions from the gas station employee. I asked him the best way and he said, "Head back toward Beulah at the next gas station and turn north." I showed him the map and said, "Here? But it has no name." He gave me a funny look and said, "Just go north. You'll hit the lake."
Apparently, roads don't need names if they go to the lake.
As we turned down that road, we discovered the Hazen cemetery, where some of Shawn's relatives are buried. We stopped to look around and Mason found a shed snake skin, from the size of it, it was probably a rattlesnake.
He's holding it up, in the wind. It was a Very Blustery Day, as A. A. Milne might say. We actually decided to take the snake skin with us, and so we stuck it in a plastic baggy. It's the sort of thing that will go nicely on our altar.
On the road there, we had to stop for a family of ducks that made their way across the two lane highway. It was the first of many times that I hit the brakes suddenly for critters crossing the road. A TON of gophers dashed across the road (and one lost its life under our wheel, alas, despite my best efforts.) But, most of the things trying to cross made it. I made sure of that as best as I could.
The lake was fairly spectacular.
Floating in the breeze we saw a pelican. We also drove down to the boat landing and stuck our hands in the lake, just to say we had.
Then it was back on the road for the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. This is where I started pointing out cows. There are, in case you were wondering, a LOT of cows in North Dakota. In fact, in one of the brochures Shawn picked up at the Knife River site, we learned that for every one person, there are three cows. Pretty soon this became a running joke and I'd say, "Hey, everybody, guess what? I found some cows!" Many of the cows had calves, so part of the game (for me, at least) was looking for the babies.
I needed a game, because we drove around a lot.
We got out and walked around a lot at the Knife River Site, though. They have an interpreter center there with some history of the site. The village is notable because it's where Louis and Clark picked up Sakakawea, actually. All that's left right now are depressions in the earth where the earth lodges once stood. They had a reconstructed earth lodge out front:
There were miles of trails, but we took a short hike down to the water's edge. The sun was bright and the air smelled AMAZING, mostly wild clover, I think. I told Shawn that I thought it smelled a little like laundry detergent, and I suspect that's not a coincidence.
From here we made a return trip to Salem Sue, the World's Largest Holstein. We found the road in this time and drove up a very narrow, winding hill. It was actually fairly busy at the top of the hill, which made me wonder what people did if they met another car coming the other direction on that gravel road. Luckily we never found out. The cow was there. She's still delightful. I have no idea why this giant cow has charmed my family so much, but it totally did.
There was also a heckuva a view from up there.
I was also impressed with the scrubby wild roses growing on the hill around Salem Sue. They reminded me of the roses I'd find growing near the railroad tracks in LaCrosse, WI, where I grew up.
The next "destination" was the Enchanted Highway. When we planned this trip, I looked at the map and said, "Wait, The Enchanted Highway just stops? That seems dumb. Shouldn't we find a way so that we can come up it on our way home from somewhere?" Oh, good idea, Lyda. TOO BAD IT MEANT HOURS OF DRIVING THROUGH PRETTY MUCH NOWHERE.
We kept having to tell ourselves as we drove through towns like Mott ("Mott, the spot that god forgot" as Shawn's dad just to call the town he was born in), that our secondary motto this trip is, "The journey *is* the destination." But, OMFG, I was tired of driving by the time we finally hit the beginning (or end) of the Enchanted Highway. But, the bizarre statues were worth it in my opinion.
Interestingly, the only place we saw real, live pheasants crossing the road, was right before this statue:
(Mason is there for scale)
Some ominous weather started dogging us here at the giant grasshopper statue, but we managed to outrun it, by heading north.
The official name for this one is "Geese in Flight" but I kept calling it the Eye of Sauron. I think it looks like a giant eye on a hill.
The rest of the drive back to the hotel was a lot of me saying, "Hey, look, I found some cows." We did, however, see a runaway llama, though. As we were headed along 200, I saw something galloping on the hill. I started to say, "Hey, a cow," but then my brain said, "No, not cow, horse? No... LLAMA!" The llama was clearly on an unscheduled walkabout since it was being herded by a pick-up truck with its hazards flashing and an ATV. That woke us up.
This was outside of a town called "Zap," which made it all the more surreal and hilarious.
We were pretty road punchy by the time we made it back to the hotel. We'd hoped to catch that fleischkuekchle at the deli, but it turned out that it was closed. Worse, the only other restaurant in town that served them was also closed. Damn you, Sunday in a small town! But we met up with Shawn's brother Keven (who was also in town for the reunion) at the DQ for dinner instead. A far cry from fleischkuekchle, but I was so hungry at that point (having only really eaten the road food we'd packed, which consisted of things like beef jerky and trail mix) I was happy with ANYTHING.
Now I'm going to collapse into bed and rest up for another long drive across the country to Cody, Wyoming!