Date: 1 August 2001 (Wednesday)

Start: Prairie Acres RV Park, Williston ND

End: Grand Forks ND AFB FAMCAMP, Grand Forks ND (337 miles)

The temperature was 56f when arose, with mostly cloudy skies.

We ate and hit the road quickly, still going east on US-2. We went around Williston, then east, past Minot, Devil’s Lake, and into the Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB), which is actually 15 miles west of Grand Forks.

US-2 from Minot east is all four-lane road, very straight, and mostly level. The trip was easy. The wind was behind us again, and we were facing a longish day, so we ran faster than usual. We still averaged over 13mph.

A trivia item – Montana has 667 miles of US-2 inside its borders, and North Dakota has about 350 miles; over 1,000 miles together. That’s a lot of US-2.

The only wildlife seen coming across North Dakota was ducks and hawks. One hawk folded his wings and plummeted to the ground in a kill, but we couldn’t see what he’d killed.

We entered the air base and went to the recreation building to check in, then went to the Famcamp. We wandered around in it for a bit, selecting a site and picking one, then setting up in it. The temperature was around 80f and very comfortable with the breeze from the west.

Then we drove around the base to find the services we want to use tomorrow – the commissary, the exchange, and the internet connection for e-mail. We’ll also get propane.

We were hungry and wanted to eat out. We found the visitor’s center and got recommendations, then selected Sanders’ downtown. It’s a block from the Red River of the North and was totally flooded in the 1997 flood that resulted in 100% destruction of the downtown area, and 90% destruction of the East Grand Forks, Minnesota, business center. Now, they’re back in business, even though many of the buildings downtown are still looking for occupants.

Sanders’ looks as though it’s one of the city’s good restaurants. Our server was looking forward to a trip to Washington DC and Richmond, so we had things to talk about. We both had pork loin, very good.

Then we came back to the base, got a few goodies at the base convenience store, and returned to the little house on the prairie by the runway. We hiked around for a bit and watched prairie dogs and barn swallows at work. Dolores taped the swallow’s nest and birds while they fed the young.

Now we’re settling in for the night.