"Are you SURE you're on the road to Bismarck?" Jack asked today for the third time.
"Of COURSE I'm sure....well, pretty sure," I hesitantly replied. "There haven't been many signs."
That alone was a bad sign. Others followed in quick succession. Upon turning on the compass (instead of the always-entertaining thermometer), it read "E" instead of "S". Then, a minute or two later, there was at last a highway sign, and sure enough it was Highway 2 instead of 83. A mere paltry difference of 81, but enough to get me in trouble.
And that is how I came to visit any number of little North Dakota towns that I might otherwise never have seen. Towner was the spot I turned around, and after looking up several options, found a shorter route than going all the way back through Minot.
Keep in mind that not only was I supposed to have been there to pick up Jack two hours before my actual arrival, but we were racing against bad weather and the likelihood of another spring blizzard. Instead, I was touring Anamoose. Among other places.
The small, colorful town of Anamoose got its name back in the 1890's, during the building of the Soo Line Railroad. A dog wandered the area, catching the attention of the local Chippewa, who began calling the place Anamoose. In Chippewa, it simply means, "dog". Like many places around here, it became a booming town in the early 1900's, and has since tapered off rather dramatically in population, though not in community spirit.
You may wonder how I learned all that as I raced through, hair afire. Easy. I came home and looked it up on the internet.
Such a lot of beautiful scenery I saw today, and if I pretended hard enough, I could almost imagine it was on purpose.
Glad to be found,
Noni Beth
Just when you thought you'd discovered all the ways not to come home from Bismark!
ReplyDeleteI got my very first Pomeranian in Anamoose. Had no idea that what the town's name meant. How fitting. It actually was quite a big kennel with lots of different dogs at that time.
ReplyDeleteOh, Tina, spelling word for you, Bismarck, not Bismark. Touchy subject for North Dakotians even those who have a Montana address.
Tina >:( I was going TO Bismarck this time.
ReplyDeleteLol about "Bismark". You can tell she hasn't been in ND ~quite~ long enough yet. Bet your Pomeranian was adorable; that was a neat town, the sort that would produce very nice dogs. :)
Anamoose is a cool little town. When the weather is nicer and you have to drive to Fargo or Minneapolis, take the road from Minot to Jamestown instead of going from Minot to Bismarck to get on I-94. There are a lot of neat little towns along the way.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you ever need tractor or farm equipment parts, there's a huge salvage yard just south of Anamoose. Fans of Mythbusters might enjoy this picture: http://flic.kr/p/91K8pG
Thanks for the advice, since we will head that direction eventually to visit our cousins in WI. We LOVE neat little towns.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to show the kids the picture of the salvage yard; they're HUGE Mythbusters fans. They're always trying to invent myths to send in, without much success.