Alaska 2020 WI to ND

June 3

We slipped around Minneapolis/St Paul on the 694 loop, never seeing the city, but catching a brief look at the Mississippi River. I first saw this river after college graduation when my friend Judy and I took a cross country trip. We had outfitted an old Econoline van with sleeping bunks and a cooking space. Judy's mother covered the foam bunks with lime green fabric which set the mood for our adventure. Judy's dad checked the mechanical parts of the van and said we were good to go. 

I had read stories about the mighty Miss--iss--i--pp--i describing her broad width and strong current; a river large enough to carry barges and tiered river boats. Imagine my surprise when our vehicle broke down in Redwing, MN, just the first of many breakdowns along the way, and I saw the Mississippi for the first time. Visions of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer occupied my mind as Judy and I set up camp on the river bank. It didn't feel far removed from Huck's carefree life. Judy and I traveled with no itinerary other than to keep heading west. The time needed to repair the van often dictated the length of our stay in any one place. It was 1970, and a culture of hippie love and friendship guided the behavior of young people across the US. Without fear we joined other wanderers camped for the summer on the river bank. After a few weeks, the van was repaired, or so we thought, and we moved on, but the memory of riverbank campfires and the caring ways of strangers lingers in my memory.

The Mississippi River travels 2,300 miles before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Its watershed touches 31 states and two Canadian provinces. Its value cannot be overstated.

By midday Bucky and I crossed from Minnesota into North Dakota. In Fargo, we picked up I 29, and traveled north until we connected with US 2 in Grand Forks. US 2 is known as the hi line as it stretches from coast to coast at the top of the continental US. Route 2 would take us to Shelby, Montana.

This day ended at Walmart in Devil’s Lake, ND. 

Devil's Lake is a natural lake and a very popular fishing destination.

By now you can see that to reach Alaska without taking the better part of two weeks, we are drive, eat, sleep and repeat. Staying at a Walmart for the night isn't as easy as it once was. Some Walmarts are governed by city ordinances that don't allow overnight stays. This has made it necessary for me to call ahead once we have a city in mind. This task usually happens mid-afternoon. I grab my Walmart Atlas, turn to the state and find store locations along our route. There are indicators as to if the store is an "ordinary" Walmart or a super store as well as hours of operation and contact numbers. With this information, I make a phone call to see if an overnight stay is allowed. If the answer is no, we consider our next move. I make notations about each store and the date stayed.  You'll notice Devil's Lake says small and trains. Tonight I think the train noise will be overshadowed by the firecrackers.

The Devil's Lake Walmart has a feature I didn't notate. You'll remember from my previous post my description of wet swampy areas surrounding many box store developments. It so happened that this Walmart was a perfect example of this.

This photo doesn't show how nasty the water was with trash. We had barely parked when I saw bird activity. The voice of the Red Winged Blackbird is unmistakable. Within moments a juvenile perched in the tree just outside our dinette window. I was able to slide open both the window and the screen before it took off. It sat with its mouth opening and closing hoping for a parent to bring food. 

The marvels of the Walmart parking lot.

My chauffeur, feet up!