Heading West

*This post was written Friday, August 10

Yesterday, Paul and I left North Dakota and began our trek toward California. We went from Linton to Billings, Montana. Some family friends from my dad’s time at Seminary graciously offered to give us a place to stay. We set out early, since we had some business to take care of in Bismark, and we weren't sure how long that would take. As it turned out, it took hardly any time at all. (A modern day miracle in my opinion, since we were working with the DMV. Well, either a miracle or North Dakota is just way more awesome than Mississippi.) ;-)

We got out of Bismark so early, in fact, that we were on track to arrive several hours early. Too early, the Wendts weren't even going to be home when we arrived. And so, when our route took us through the beautiful North Dakota Badlands, we decided to make an adventure of it. 

The Badlands are a beautiful range of buttes that have been eroded away to reveal their stunning layers of color. The park provides a ruggedly beautiful terrain for campers, hikers, and anyone who has an appreciation for the beauty of nature. 

With several hours to kill, Paul and I decided to check it out. We took a beautiful, scenic drive through a section of the park, stopping often to admire our surroundings. We found a nice hiking trail that lead to a clif overlooking a huge river valley. I loved the smell of the fresh, untainted air, the brush of soft sage on my skin, the stony path, and the geological wonders all around me. We saw hosts of prairie dogs and herds of Bison, and I knew I wasn't in Mississippi anymore.

Bison

Antelope? Less sure on this one...

What a view!

Cool geological formations :-)

Our winding windy trail

After our hike, we drove into Medora, a small town on the Badlands outskirts. We had a realxed lunch at a cozy little cafe, and chatted over pie and coffee. After all that, our time was sufficiently slaughtered. We arrived at the Wendt's house a little later than we had planned, but one experience richer on our journey West.

Life of the Party

Last night, I got a taste of small town tavern life. It was an absolute blast- for an evening. I definitely could NOT make a lifestyle out of it.

I mentioned before that Paul's best friend, Chris has been in town for the past week. They were best friends all through elementary and high school, and now Chris has asked Paul to be in his wedding next September. Chris is heading out of town again today, so last night we went out for one last hooray.

A note on the injustice of weather. Chris recently got a new boat, and he's been wanting to take us out on the river all week. We are in the middle of the biggest drought since who knows when, with not a drop of rain in recent memory. However, this week, there has been rain forcast every single night! The worst part? We kept cancelling due to weather, but the weather never showed up. The forcast was wrong every single time.

We still wanted to see the boat, so Paul and I visited Chris at his parents' house. We sat in front of the house, completely grounded, but in the boat nonetheless. The watercraft was outfitted with a nice sound system, so we listened to music and pretended we were sailing on smooth waters. Eventually we tired of our stationary outing, and we decided to go into town for one last drink.

When we got to the bar, it became readily apparent that a single drink was not an option. Being Friday night, half the town was in, and it was a party. We found Chris' family, and ordered our drinks. No sooner had we ordered than we each had two more set in front of us! People were buying rounds right and left, and the house was giving complementary drinks and popcorn at far too regular intervals. I had to cut myself off for health reasons, but Paul so generously took my extra drinks. What a guy. ;-)

As the night went on, more friends and family came pouring in. There were stories of good old days with lots of laughing, and there were sentimental, heartfelt stories that ended in lots of hugging and nary a dry eye. I loved the sense of community, and the cheerful atmosphere of a small town bar. Although it was tempting, Paul and I opted to leave at midnight, and not to stay till close. Our decision proved to be a very good one. While we are reaping some consequences from last night, at least there is no puking.

It was an absolutely wonderful evening, and I'm so glad we went out for a night on the town. At the same time, it's definitely something I only want to do once in a very very long while. 

Here are some pictures from our evening of fun and abandon:

On a Boat!!!

Best Buds

Navigating the treacherous... concrete

Paul, Chris, and Lenny (Chris' dad)

Me, Paul, Chris, and Emily (Chris' fiance)

Fresh Style

I thought I'd share a new and yummy (not to mention healthy!) lunch menu which Paul and I discovered today. Paul's grandparents left this morning for Bismark, and will be gone all day. That meant that Paul and I were on our own for meals. This was not an entirely bad thing, since we've been getting a lot of good German cooking lately.

Good German cooking is a euphemism for lots of meat, bread, and cream, and absolutely no vegetables. The other day, when I asked Grandma Elsie if she had any vegetables laying around, she answered "Oh, I have baking potatoes, corn, and salad." By salad she means iceberg lettuces pre-drowned in artery clogging amounts of Ranch, and she only serves corn if its swimming in cream.

So, left to our own devices, Paul and I headed to the store and whipped up a somewhat healthier option:

Yummmmm

Paul grilled herbed chicken while I put together a strawberry, almond, and feta cheese salad on a bed of romaine lettus and red cabbage, and topped with vinaigrette dressing. On the side, we had Wasa crackers with fresh slices of tomato and cucumber, with slices of cheese on the side. It was refreshing and delicious, and exactly what we needed to counteract our recently German diet.

The Great Dog Escape

I only regret not having my camera along on this one…

Last night, Paul and I decided to walk into town to grab some ice cream. Our evening stroll turned into quite an adventure when Grandpa Paul’s dog, Stacy, decided to come along as well. Stacy is smart in a dumb-Black-Labrador sort of way, and she’s fiercely loyal to Paul’s grandfather. Grandpa had left for the day, and Stacy must have figured that her best chance at finding him was to follow us. We didn’t think much of our four legged companion as we walked the country back roads that led from the farm to Linton’s main street. We hoped the dog would turn back, since she had never been that far from home before. Unfortunately, we made it all the way to the ice cream shop on the edge of town, troublesome Lab in tow. We decided to take our ice cream outside so we could sit with the dog. The lucky animal got several bites from us, and the lady running the shop even brought her out a small bowl of vanilla ice cream!

Paul’s best childhood and high school friend was in town, and while we were eating ice cream he invited us to come hang out at one of the local bars. When we informed him of our uninvited guest, he offered to let us keep her in the back of his truck. And so, with our half baked plan, we set out for the Green Lantern Bar. We figured after the ice cream and a couple bowls of water, our loyal friend wouldn’t think to stray from our side. We were wrong.

Linton isn’t a big town, but for Stacy, it may as well have been a metropolis rivaling New York or Vegas. She went wild! We couldn’t keep her under control as she ran after cars, people, and even crashed a children’s pool party! We chased and herded her toward the bar, but it became increasingly obvious that she would not be tamed merely by a few bites of ice cream, and she wasn’t going quietly into anyone’s truck.

Paul and I entered the bar and found Chris and his parents, enjoying a few good Lutheran beverages. When we explained to dog situation, everyone jumped up to help. Paul, Chris, Chris’ mom Brenda, and Chris’ godmother Bernice all ran outside to chase down that dumb dog. Chris’s dad Lenny and I stayed behind to guard the drinks. ;-)

Paul and Chris literally chased the dog up and down Main Street at a full out run. Brenda bought some beef jerky to lure the dog in, and Bernice dug around her car until she found something that approximated a leash. Just when things couldn’t get any worse (or more comical), a police car came rolling down the street. Stacy, with no registration, shots, or any other things that good law-abiding puppies should have, was animal control fee bait. Paul shouted to Chris, “The Police are coming!,” and Chris took off on a headlong sprint toward the dog. Stacy, fatigued and probably overwhelmed, just laid down and finally allowed herself to be caught. The four dog chasers tied up the dog, called Grandpa Paul to pick her up, and finally came back in for a few well deserved drinks.

It was a great evening. We sat in the Green late into the night, sharing drinks, stories, and playing good 80’s music on the Juke Box, and laughing about that stupid, stupid dog.