Cellpic Sunday – 28 February 2021

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.

The South Unit of the park is by far the most popular of the three units. Last week’s Cellpic Sunday featured a view of the North Unit. We didn’t make the trip through to the third park unit, Elkhorn Ranch, as that part of the park is undeveloped and only available to those with 4-wheel drive vehicles probably meant more for off-roading than anything else. The largest section of the park, the South Unit entrance is located on the main street of the city of Medora.

Cellpic Sunday – 21 February 2021

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.

In mid-September, 2020, we explored the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park for the first time. For travelers along I-94, the South Unit is but a short jog off the Interstate. The North Unit, on the other hand, is an hour’s drive north of I-94 just off U.S. Highway 85. Unless you have another reason to travel north of the Interstate, it’s an easy choice to choose the South Unit, the largest section of the park.

Dronie Sunday – 7 February 2021

Napoleon, North Dakota.

Last week’s Cellpic Sunday featured a story about the attraction in south-central North Dakota known as Dinosaurs on the Prairie. That image was a snapshot from the ground featuring a view of the collection of machines that wind their way up a hill.

The Enchanted Highway – World’s Largest Scrap Metal Sculptures

Enchanted Highway, North Dakota.

On North Dakota’s section of Interstate 94, stop at exit 72, turn northbound, and take the first right on a gravel driveway to get up close and personal with the giant metal sculpture named “Geese in Flight.” You will see the sculpture before you get to the exit. At 110 feet (34 m) tall and 150 feet (46 m) wide, it was given the honor of the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002.

When you leave the sculpture parking area, turn left back toward the Interstate and head south on the overpass over the Interstate. “Geese in Flight” is but the first of many sculptures built along the road by Gary Greff, a longtime resident of Regent, North Dakota, some 32 miles (51 km) down the Enchanted Highway.

Cellpic Sunday – 31 January 2021

Napoleon, North Dakota.

About 30 miles (48 km) south of Dawson, North Dakota near the small town of Napoleon, John “Custer” Grenz put together a collection of threshing machines. An avid collector, over the years, he amassed many of these machines that, in their day, were used to separate small grain and seed crops from the straw and chaff. Early machines were powered by horses or steam engines.

Skydio 2 – My First Look at a New Drone

Fargo, North Dakota.

As this is being written in the midst of a Presidential election vote count that is seeming to take forever, I started looking for a diversion from hours on end of talking heads and electoral college maps. An email from one of my Civil Air Patrol (CAP) colleagues alerted me to a webinar featuring information on new drones in our fleet. I sat in on the webinar and immediately got the itch to find out more about this new generation of flying cameras.

Cellpic Sunday – 3 January 2021

Enchanted Highway, North Dakota.

In Western North Dakota, a stretch of highway between Gladstone and Regent contains the world’s largest collection of scrap metal sculptures. This giant grasshopper is just part of the display at this location. Just to the right of the large sculpture, you can see one of the much smaller sculptures at this site. Each stop has a large parking area, a place to enjoy the view, and just maybe have a picnic lunch or snack. The 32-mile (51 km) section of highway was the dream come to fruition of metal sculptor Gary Greff.

Old Red Old 10 Scenic Byway – From Trail to Interstate Highway

Western North Dakota.

Going west through North Dakota? It’s a five-hour drive on I-94 from Fargo to Beach, 352 miles (566 km) of easy travel on a modern Interstate highway. My wife, Lynn, and I were invited to accompany my niece and her husband on a westward journey to visit national parks and other points of interest in the upper northwest. We were quick to accept and immediately put together a list of suggestions of places to visit for Pat and Gary to consider on our journey. The group’s itinerary planned, we loaded a month’s worth of luggage and associated travel gear, and off we went.

Bonanzaville – Life in 19th Century North Dakota

West Fargo, North Dakota.

Every community of any size has at least one attraction that locals are aware of and maybe have visited once or twice. Other than that, it’s not considered unless friends or family come to town and you are looking for places to share about your community. In my mind, Bonanzaville is just one of those locations.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – In the Neighborhood

This week, Ann-Christine asks us to feature images from our neighborhood, leaving the term with enough ambiguity for me to decide how large our neighborhood is. I’ve elected to choose items and places within 10-minutes of our home. The opening image, for example, is the depot clock in front of the former passenger depot in downtown Fargo.