North Dakota- Chore Day, Explore Days

North Dakota for a chore day and then a few explore days!

Bismarck Bismarck is a small big city. This meant we could get our chores done pretty easily here. First and foremost we had to get some laundry done. We found a really nice laundromat on a rainy Monday morning, which was a great time to get it done. Under $20 and an hour and a half later, we were good to go! Then, it was off to get an oil change. Being an RV we are taller and heavier than a car so it's a little more difficult to find a place. We found a truck repair shop to do it. Pros- they had showers, laundry, tv, snacks, drinks, and let Lucy chill in there with us. Cons- it took forever. In their defense, we were a walk in, without an appointment so they did squeeze us in.

One cool thing about the west is there is a lot more BLM (Bureau of Land Management). This is land that as a US citizen you can stay on for free. We use several apps to help us find places, but the one I find myself using the most is iOverlander. This app helped us find a little spot on the water for the night. 8/10- quiet, pretty, maybe a tiny bit creepy because we were so isolated. Still had good cell service though.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Teddy Roosevelt National Park is HUGE. There's a North and a South entrance. It's $30 to get in, but included if you have the Interagency Park Pass . (I'm not sure if you'd have to pay $30 twice to do both the North and South Units.) I referenced this pass in a previous blog, and it's worth repeating. This pass is $80 and gets you into something like 63 National Parks (no state parks). It has given us half off at a few campgrounds we've stayed in too. It has more than paid for itself on this trip. Both the North and South have scenic drives.

We did the North Unit first, and I personally enjoyed this one more, but John couldn't decide. It's about an hour drive from the North Unit to the South Unit plus you're doing the scenic drive through each park. So, be prepared to do a lot of driving this day. Was it worth it? Absolutely. We saw beautiful view and tons of animals: bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn sheep, deer, elk, and more.

That night we found another BLM spot right by the South Unit that was actually pretty popular. There were about 15 other RVers at the top of this hill with beautiful views. Everyone was really spread out and respectful. This is where we settled in, cooked dinner, watched the sunset, and just enjoyed down time... with good wifi haha. 10/10 fantastic and free.

Fargo We also hit Fargo. Fargo was a quick pass through just to say we were there. It's definitely a bigger city than Bismarck with quite a few good dining options. We had a good meal at 46 North Pints and Provisions. They had an outside patio that was dog friendly. It was pretty chilly even in September there. Lucy had the duck soup.

Harvest Host Stays

The Meadows Golf Course Outside of Fargo (actually in Minnesota) we stayed at a golf course. Golf courses can be iffy. They're good if you need to be up and out early because tee times start early so you'll hear cars, doors, and people. Not where you want to be if you want to sleep in. 9/10- very level lot. Quiet night. They actually have 2 parking lots and the bottom one was pretty quiet.

Phat Fish Brewing We chose a brewery because John wanted to watch a football game. This one had tons of unique beers, pizza, and sandwiches. Beers 10/10. Food 6/10- both of our orders got messed up but I was so hungry I just ate it. We met the nicest gentleman named Arnie who is retired and deals Blackjack in the attached Casino there. We chatted for about an hour and he gave us an atlas and showed us all the things we should do. Arnie gets a 10/10 as far as humans go.