Finally in Bismarck, ND - Day 672 (Yr 2, Day 327)

Bismarck, ND

Well, guess I now need to get used to writing this location for the next 4 months!  But thank G-d we finally made it here safely, albeit 3 days later than we originally planned.  We hit the road at 7:15 am.  Mitch drove about 100 miles, where we stopped at a rest area to use the facilities and switch drivers.  The rest areas here are clean and well maintained, but not as nice as IL or IA; just very, very basic, which is all right with us since we don't have pets or kids that need to exercise.  I drove the remaining 90 miles.  The road was the best one we've been on - finally something smooth and no construction from Fargo to Bismarck.  Scenery was pretty much the same as the previous states, although we did see a few pastures with cows and a number of tiny lakes.

The campground is pretty nice as a first impression.  We haven't had much time to explore yet.  Nothing really scenic here to look at, but it's a lot prettier than a parking lot.  I'll try to take some photos some time this week, as well as provide a better description.

Anyway, we arrived at the campground at 10:30.  Very nice owner, Mark, guided us into the spot.  It took until about 1:00 to "set up house," meaning unlocking all the cabinets, taking out all the stuff that was put away during the move, having water and sewer again (dumping the tanks first), putting out my chotckies, etc.  We didn't really have breakfast before we left, so the onions/mushrooms/tomatoes/lox scrambled eggs I had planned was made for lunch.  It is also extremely windy, so we decided to rope down the 3 slide toppers to prevent them from tearing off.  We may decide to use the tripod for more stability if we shake too much.  Other than the wind, the weather was beautiful -- clear and in the low 70s.  I'm told this is pretty standard, although during the summer it may get up to about 85 on some days.

Right now, we still have a few more things to do, in particular Mitch needs to package up the GPS and his phone for repair.  I'm doing much needed laundry and then, if there's time, we will take a ride and explore where the important stores are (supermarket, Walmart, CVS, Dollar Tree).  Although if they're not in the same general area, I may just want to wait until we have a street map or one of the devices is returned.

Tomorrow we both return to work.  I have about 15 messages from clients waiting for me so I plan on a busy day.  Mitch will get to meet his new team, and get his equipment and instructions.