Grasslands
After getting some laundry done and loading back up, we had a short 2-hr drive to the Sheyenne National Grasslands. But as we drove into them we quickly realized our error in not getting better directions to the North Country National Scenic Trail, which we planned to hike a portion of. It seemed every road was dirt and not very well marked, and our map was not detailed enough to help. Jodi saw a sign for McLeod, SD which had a campground, and we headed in that direction. However, it was a very small town, and after talking with a couple of residents, one of which was an Elvis impersonator – Jerry Peterson who won a big contest 15 yrs ago and then went into retirement – we decided to head north a little more. On our way, we ran into some rangers who put us on the right road. So, we camped at a trailhead, and the kids really enjoyed walking through the tall grass and finding frogs in the pools of water everywhere. The plan was to hike part of the National Scenic Trail in the morning. This is a trail that begins in New York and extends all the up through North Dakota. However, that night the rolling thunder, lightning, and rains came. Our tents were flattened for the second time on this trip, so Jodi and I both slept part of the night with our knees up to keep the tent’s ceiling off our faces. In the morning the rain let up, but the thunder rolled. The weather decided to test me to see how fast I could break down our entire camp and get it in the van. From start to finish it took me about ten minutes, and as I put the last thing in the van and closed my door, the flooding began. It was raining so hard that we decided frog catching and camping in the storm was enough of an adventure for this area. We drove to Fargo and had breakfast. Then we went to the nicest park in Fargo to let the kids run and play and the babies take naps.
North Dakota Storm
Playground Time
