6/2-6/3 Bismarck KOA; Bismarck ND

Drove a few hours to Bismarck, ND. Both Mike and I got to check off ND as a state we’ve gone to. Mike had thought he had previously been to ND but thinking it over he had not. But he’s still on target to get his 50th state later in the trip when we visit Oregon.

We were able to put Minnesota and North Dakota on our RV map.

After we set up and had a quick lunch we went to a Lewis & Clark Interactive Center in Washburn, ND. Apparently there are a lot of these centers across the state following the trail they took (sure they are in some other states). Obviously I know about their journey but there is so much to learn about the details.

As part of the price of admission we went to Fort Mandan a few miles down the road. This is a recreation of the fort they stayed at over the winter of 1805-1806. What was really interesting was a man also on the tour was one of the people on the committee that raised the money and rebuilt the fort in 1972. I felt really bad for the guide as it was the first one she was leading and was a bit intimidated having him there since he knew more than she did. She did a fantastic job and he gave us a lot of information we would not have otherwise found out. It was also interesting listening to them talk about people they know in the area and the farms. Definitely got the most for our $8.

Went to Blarney Stone Pub in downtown Bismarck for dinner. Bismarck is the state capitol, they had one hi-rise building which was the capital. Mike had corned beef & cabbage and I had a fantastic Shepard’s Pie which was delicious (no leftovers).

Some interesting information on North Dakota

The state is the leading producer of many oilseeds, including 92% of the U.S. canola crop, 94% of flax seed, 53% of sunflower seeds, 18% of safflower seeds, and 62% of mustard seed. North Dakota is also the largest producer of honey, dry edible peas and beans, lentils, and the third-largest producer of potatoes.

North Dakota is the nineteenth largest state, but with a population of less than 780,000 as of 2020, it is the fourth least populous and fourth most sparsely populated.

The capital is Bismarck while the largest city is Fargo, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the state's population; both cities are among the fastest-growing in the U.S., although half of all residents live in rural areas.