It’s definitely worthwhile to get off of Interstate 94 a few hours to enjoy this beautiful drive! High on the ridge of a hill, about a mile out of town, we spotted a metal-sculpture memorial to Buddy Kahl that caused me to tell my hubby to pull over. I'm leaving all the junk in the foreground, just so you'll know what to look for. You'll get a better photo of half of it on the previous link. Someone put a lot of time, love, and money into this memorial.
The farmland of western North Dakota was incredible--lots of sunflowers, hay, grains, and some cattle.
We took the “Byway Spur” to see Sims and Almont, the places that time forgot. Watch carefully for the turnoff. There's nothing to tell you it's the road to Almont. And the Sims Road (on the left coming from Mandan) comes out of nowhere--but they did have a sign with the silhouette of the Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church, a famous landmark, which tipped me off. The first church on this site was North Dakota's first protestant church west of the Missouri River (built in 1884). This structure was built in 1896.
No ghost sightings at the parsonage, but read more about the preservation of the church and parsonage and paranormal activity over the years at this preservation site.
But it was the deserted and crumbling “Gray House” that grabbed my attention. The gingerbread trim and brickwork over the wood tell that it once was a beautiful home. My imagination ran wild thinking about the families that must have lived there over the decades. I wonder how much longer it will stand against the ever-present winds on the plains.
The lean-to at the back must not have been built as sturdily, though. It's the only part that seems to truly be crumbling.
Sitting sentinel across the road from the relic house was this bull. The rickity fence made me happy that he was a sitting bull, because he was much larger than he appears in this photo.
Almont wasn’t totally deserted yet, but the school was for sale, which can’t be a good sign.
There were several churches (Catholic, Wesleyan, and Lutheran) still apparently active. An older woman taking a stroll waved as we drove by. People waved as we passed them driving, too, which is a sign of a friendly population.
The byway spur wasn’t paved. It wasn’t exactly gravel--almost more of a dirt road with some pebbles on the shoulders. But it was wide enough for two cars to pass one another. We even tried our hand at herding some free range sheep a few miles from Almont.
We rejoined the main scenic byway at Glen Ullin. Because this was the first restroom since Mandan (a couple hours earlier), I was ready for a stop. We went inside Fitterer’s, which didn’t look like much on the outside but a cement block building. But inside we found the nicest bathrooms and a lot of snacks and even some hot food. To our Central Time minds, it was noon (although by this point we had crossed into Mountain Time, so it actually was 11 a.m.). So, we each had a hot dog--and I discovered Lay’s Dill Pickle potato chips. The clerk said they’d carried them for quite a while. (Where I live, we’re always the last to get new things.)
We chatted a while with the clerk, who was originally from further north. We aren’t sure what brought her to this little out-of-the-way place. She was only in her early 20s. Like most of the North Dakotans we spoke with, she was very open and friendly.
We found the Assumption Abbey in Richardton. Just walked around outside and took pictures, rather than go inside. (There was a door to go in for information.) I’ve been following the activities of the Benedictine monks via their Facebook page, so it was nice to see their huge garden and where their abbey was located.
I mailed a few postcards from Taylor, N.D., and took a photo of this forgotten railroad line. It was right next to one that is still used actively. Lots of trains still run regularly in North Dakota.
We exited the byway on the road to Gladstone. I could see the gigantic “Geese in Flight” sculpture, but didn’t tell my hubby that was our next destination. He’s not much on road art. (I couldn’t get him to drive up to Salem Sue, the huge dairy cow at New Salem a little earlier in the day’s trip. And there were others we passed, as well. But I wasn’t going to miss this.)
The sculptor, Gary Greff, created a number of huge metal sculptures along what he named “The Enchanted Highway.” I knew I wouldn’t get my husband to drive the whole highway, so had to settle for this one. Even he was impressed with it! You can't miss it, whether coming I-94 (take exit 72) or the scenic byway. Individual geese in flight will lead the way. At 110 feet tall and 154 feet wide, Guinness deemed it the world's largest metal sculpture.
We then got back on I-94 and headed to Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. That excursion deserves a spotlight of its own, so stay tuned for that blog next. Now (on what is actually Thursday), we will head to Glacier National Park. We'll be there for three nights, so plenty of time to catch you up!
