October 24, 2020 · 1:17 am

Cowboy Trail bridge/ Plains Trading company in Valentine, NE, south on 83 through Valentine National Wildlife refuge to Sandhills Scenic Byway to Burwell (sandhill suites and sandstone grill) – the Nebraska Sandhills

(Sadly Covid did happen and was happening when we were there in mid-September….wonder if attitudes/practices have changed since I wrote this:)

Great to get away to a land where, as Dirck aptly put it, Covid didn’t happen…or so it seemed in Burwell, NE. Few cases. No masks. Busy restaurants and shops. An old car show. Tiny town movie theater showing “American graffiti” in exchange for “ a good will offering.” Felt like we were in “Back to the Future.”

And we finally “get” the Sandhills. I thought they’d be like the Flint Hills in Kansas but they cut a broader swatch through this state and look like more concentrated mounds than the more spread out mounds of the Flint Hills. The Sandhills look shaggier version too. They’re small sand dunes covered with short grass prairie (not tall grass prairie as found in Kansas. The wind was out in full force, pushing the grasses (and us) this way and that. We drove on two-lane largely empty roads and one “auto route” off highway 83 to get a feel for the Sandhills’ lonesome vastness.

In Valentine, we stopped at a great bookstore with the un-bookstore sounding name the Plains Trading company. It had a broad selection of regional books, crafts and homemade goodies. Picked up a book with an irresistible title. ”love and terror on the howling plains of nowhere” byPoe Ballantine, a memoir set in Chadron NE (the book was as good as the title!)

Dirck and I also did a little bike riding, quickly learning that wind is a major issue. We rode over the dramatic Niobrara Rail Bridge converted part of the Cowboy Trail outside Valentine, with panoramic views of the river valley.

Here in Burwell, we rode to the small and famous rodeo grounds (100th year in 2021) and around the dusty town and the square lined with viable small businesses, bars and hopes. We’re at The Sandhill suites, a boutique hotel (believe it or not) in an old brick building. Still feels like an old apartment building with a shiny patina. Fun to be here.

Dinner was perfectly cooked steak and delicious pie (burgers looked great too) at the renowned Sandstone grill, connected to our hotel. It was packed with large groups of non-masked diners on a Saturday night. We were clearly tourists in our masks. It felt wonderful and scary to eat inside a restaurant, which we have not done since March. We decided to take the risk since this area has so few virus cases. But never totally relaxes. Earlier I found an old Windsor style chair in a shop (another rare experience for us these days), going inside a shop) and the owner insisted on bargaining even though I was happy to pay the asking price of $75. “$60?” I asked. “$62.50,” he replied. “Let’s shake on it.” I shook his hand before fully realizing that I haven’t touched a strangers hand or almost anyone’s hand since March. I used hand sanitizer soon after.

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October 11, 2020 · 8:29 pm

Fabulous fall ride from Beaverdale to Easter Lake – with glorious gardens at the World Food Prize Building in downtown Des Moines

Lovely ride on a crisp fall day on the Des Moines trails from Beaverdale south along the River, through the East Village, past Principal Park. along the now-finished Carl Voss trail to Easter Lake for a picnic and loop ride along the lake. Pretty surprise when we returned to downtown Des Moines and rode through the World Food Prize Headquarters — marvelous mums and overflowing planters, plus other pretty garden bits and bobs.

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October 3, 2020 · 7:12 pm

Door County covid-era travel tips!

Our six glorious days in Door County during the last week of July 2020 (the wretched pandemic year) were all the better thanks to great tips from our airbnb host on where to eat, bike, swim, hike – and stay reasonably staff during a pandemic. Here they are: (I’ve bolded the ones we visited. all good!)

SWIM/Beach:
Sand Bay Town Park and Beach
A wonderful bbq/picnic spot, secluded with cedars and great for swimming, shallow but sandy.
11154 N Sand Bay Ln, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Garret Bay
Going NORTH out of Ellison Bay, take LEFT off of HWY 42 onto Garret Bay Rd.  Follow on Garret Bay Rd till it curves to the right a bit and you see on your left the boat ramp and historical marker for the Fleetwing Shipwreck.  Pebble/rock swimming beach with a beautiful view.

Europe Lake
Europe Lake Boat/Kayak Ramp area also has a small spot for picnic/bbq.  We like to swim here when the Lake is too cold!  This is a great little lake to kayak on.
460 Europe Lake Road

Pebble Beach (Our favorite)
going SOUTH out of Sister Bay, (when you see Open Hearth Lodge on your left), take RIGHT off of HWY 42 onto South Bayshore Drive and merge to the RIGHT onto Pebble Beach Rd.  You will then follow this down to the small but lovely swimming beach.  Great for sunsets but probably less frequented during the morning.

Hotz Memorial Town Park The Europe Bay area of Newport State Park is another wonderful place for bbq/picnics and swimming.
Take HWY 42 NORTH of Ellison Bay, taking a RIGHT off the HWY onto Europe Bay Rd, follow the road until you reach the kayak launch and park.
349 Europe Bay Road

Washington Island
Worth the visit!  You can take your bicycles on the ferry. (There are two different ferry services)
https://www.islandclipper.com
https://wisferry.com/washington-island
Schoolhouse Beach is a wonderful pebble swimming beach with a deeper drop off.  We love to pick up lunch at the Island Cafe and Bread Company and head to this spot.  Sievers School of Fiber Arts is also worth a visit if you are interested in weaving, knitting or basketry arts.  They have a shop that sells supplies as well as a gallery with items for sale.

Additionally…
We also really love the Ellison Bay Potters! (our favorite too)
There are several wonderful pottery studios in Ellison Bay.  Start with Clay Bay on the highway and tour the others in the village area.  (Gills Rock Stoneware, Ellison Bay Pottery etc)

Bicycling:
Sand Bay
(4.2 miles (one way) from the unit) Waters End Rd to Sand Bay Town Park & Beach.  Take a right out of our lane onto Hillcrest Rd, follow Hillcrest until Waters End Rd.  Take a right onto Waters End and stay on it until you reach Lake Michigan!  Just before you reach the lake, take a left onto Sand Bay Ln.  At the end of the lane on your right is Sand Bay Town Park and Beach–great for swimming and picnics/bbqs!

Beach Road
(5.1 miles (one way) from the unit) Bicycling down Beach Road is a wonderful mostly-shady ride.  Take a right out of our lane onto Hillcrest Rd.  At Waters End, take a left and go down a fairly steep hill till you reach HWY 42.  Cross the highway toward your right, onto Beach Rd.  Beach Road eventually connects to Porcupine Bay Rd and then HWY 42 again.  You could make a nice day trip out of this route by adding Ellison Bluff State Natural Area as a picnic spot towards the end and your turnaround (take a left onto Ellison Bluff Rd).  Ellison Bluff has a great lookout and nice wooded trails to stretch out on.  (We recommend returning on the same route to avoid having to cross and travel on the highway)

Eats and Drinks:

 

BAKERIES/breakfast:

Although Heirloom is in Baileys Harbor, it is our other favorite place for breakfast. And we really love Skipstone, Analog and Kick Ash for nearby coffee alternatives…
Sunflour bakery in Sturgeon Bay has great bread but I think they’ll be closed by the time you get up here. Macready Bread Company in Egg Harbor is also wonderful (open till 4). And Seaquist Orchards just north of Sister Bay on HWY 42 has great apple cider donuts and lots of other goodies. (It’s kind of a large farmstand with preserves etc)

Dinner/lunch:

Fish Boils:(please call to check on their takeout/outside-seating options)

White Gull Inn in Fish Creek 920-868-3517
4225 Main St, Fish Creek, WI 54212

Viking Grill in Ellison Bay 920-854-2998
12029 WI-42, Ellison Bay, WI 54210

Rowleys Bay Resort in Ellison Bay 920-854-2385
1041 Co Rd Zz, Ellison Bay, WI 54210

Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephraim 920-854-4034 (our pick — it was great!)
10040 N Water St, Ephraim, WI 54211

Here is a list of some of our favorites on the peninsula.  (Although-if you find a special spot that’s not on our list, please let us know so we can try it too!)

STURGEON BAY

Bluefront Cafe
Tuesday – Sunday 11-3 Take out and Curbside Only
a few outside tables first come first serve
order by phone or online
(920) 743-9218
http://www.thebluefrontcafe.com/About_WOZT.html
86 W Maple St, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Lawlss Coffee
Everyday 7:00am-3:00pm,
limited seating inside and outside
(920) 257-3782
Online ordering available for pickup as well
https://www.lawlsscoffee.com
108 S Madison Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Kick Coffee
Everyday 7:30am – 3:00pm
limited back patio, street and indoor seating
(920) 746-1122
https://www.kickcoffeeshop.com
148 N 3rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

‘Get Real’ Cafe
Wednesday – Saturday, 10am-2pm
limited indoor and outdoor seating
Curbside pickup available
920-818-1455
https://www.getrealcafedoorcounty.com
116 S Madison Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

BAILEYS HARBOR

Heirloom Cafe
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 8:30am-2pm
Friday and Saturday 8:30-4
pickup only
inside ordering or call
no dine in
920-839-9334
https://www.heirloomcafeandprovisions.com
2434 County F, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

Bearded Heart Coffee (yum)
order online only, no phone calls or order in person at counter
Friday-Sunday 7-5
Monday-Thursday 8-2
carry out only
limited outside seating
920-839-9111
http://www.beardedheartcoffee.com
8093 WI-57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

Chives
Wednesday – Sunday 4pm – 10pm
inside dining available, reservations accepted
——————————————————————
—Chives Food Trucks (located next to Chives)
Wednesday-Saturday 11am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 3pm
920-839-2000
http://chivesdoorcounty.com
8041 HWY 57, Bailey’s Harbor, WI 54202

Door County Brewing Co. Taproom & Music Hall
Check website for latest hours
(920) 412-7226
doorcountybrewingco.com
8099 WI-57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

Waseda Farms (brats! you pick-em raspberries, beautiful grounds!)
Farmstand/Grocery Store on Farm with trails open to the public, call to ask for updates!
Order ahead or order at curbside Everyday 10-5 (call or email them at sayard@wasedafarms.com)
They update their lists of produce/meat/specialty/local items here:
https://wasedafarms.com/shopping-lists-prices/
920-839-2222
https://wasedafarms.com
7281 Logerquist Rd, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

EPHRAIM

Ephraim Coffee Lab
Curbside PIckup Thurs-Sun 8am-2pm
order online
https://www.iselycoffee.com
3055 Church St, Ephraim, WI, 54211

Trixies
Thursday – Monday 5pm – 9pm
day-of orders for pickup or outside dining
No Reservations for outside dining, first-come first-served
order online or call day-of
920-854-8008
http://www.trixiesfoodandwine.com
9996 Pioneer Lane, Ephraim, WI, 54211

Good Eggs
Open daily, 7am – 1pm
Pickup orders placed online only
http://www.goodeggsdoorcounty.com
920-854-6621
9820 Brookside Ln, Ephraim, WI 54211

EGG HARBOR

Parador
Thursday-Sunday
Open for patio pickup, 5pm – 9pm
order online
920-868-2255
https://www.paradorwisconsin.com
7829 WI-42, Egg Harbor, WI 54209

The Fireside Restaurant
Thursday – Monday  Lunch 11am – 3pm or Dinner 4pm – 8pm
Offering pickup
or patio seating only.
920-868-4800
https://www.thefiresiderestaurant.com/dinner-menu
7755 WI-42, Egg Harbor, WI 54209

SISTER BAY

Skip Stone Coffee Roasters
Every day 7:30am-2:00pm
or for pickup order online http://skipstonecoffee.com/order
or call in (920) 421-4388
10678 South, N Bay Shore Dr Building 2, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Analog Coffee
Daily 6:30-8
Pickup Orders available
(920) 854-1155
10649 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Grasse’s Grill
Open Thursday-Monday 11am – 7pm
Walk up or Curbside TO GO
920-854-1125 or 920-854-3302
https://www.grassesgrill.com

Door County Creamery
Open 11am-7pm Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesday)
Pickup Only call or order online
Online Store also open
(920) 854-3388
https://www.creameryeats.com
10653 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Husbys
Open Every Day 11am-2am
Inside/Outside dining/bar and takeout
https://www.husbysdoorcounty.com/menu
920-854-2624
10641 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Wild Tomato
www.wildtomatopizza.com
Sister Bay location open for Dine-In, Patio or Take Out
Open Daily 11am-9pm
920-854-4685
10677 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Lure
Thursday-Monday 4pm-8pm
Take Out
or Patio Dining (which is Take Out but they will bring a cocktail to your table!)
Limited Indoor Seating call for reservations
920-854-8111
http://www.luredoorcounty.com
10627 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Door County Ice Cream Factory
Call ahead for hours
http://doorcountyicecream.com
Curbside or Pickup Window
(920) 854-9693
11051 WI-42, Sister Bay, WI 54234

Ellison Bay

Kick Ash Coffee
Online Ordering or call for Pickup 8am-4pm
or inside 8am-4pm
(920) 854-9400
https://kickashgo.square.site
https://www.kickashproducts.com
12001 Mink River Rd, Ellison Bay, WI 54210

Wickman House
Friday – Monday 4pm – 8pm
Limited Outdoor Dining 5pm – 9pm, no reservations, first come-first served
(or order a drink and walk the grounds while you wait)
Takeout Available
Order Online (day-of)
http://www.wickmanhouse.com
11976 Mink River Rd, Ellison Bay, WI 54210

Gills Rock

The Shoreline
Curbside Pickup: Wednesday& Thursday 4-9 Friday-Sunday 12-9pm
….their hours are changing frequently, please check for updates
920-854-2950
http://www.theshorelinerestaurant.com
12747 WI-42, Gills Rock, Wisconsin 54210

Charlie’s Smokehouse
(A retail smoked fish shop)
https://charliessmokehouse.com
Daily 9-4
920-854-2972
12731 WI-42, Ellison Bay, WI 54210

HIKES:

There is a map of LandTrust trails on the coffee table. Those are great spots as well as Peninsula Park (between Ephraim & Fish Creek) and Newport Park (between Ellison Bay & Gills Rock).
There is an easy to moderate trail on Cty NP (off of HWY 42 between Ellison Bay and Gills Rock) called Schoenbrunn Trail that winds out to the Mink River. It’s a sweet trail that may give some canopy coverage from the rain today.
BAKERIES:

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September 19, 2020 · 1:46 am

canoeing on the Niobrara River – Sparks Nebraska

I may not walk straight for awhile and my knees, arms, shoulders and back ache after canoeing Nebraska’s premier river, the Niobrara for 7 hours. We put in at Cornell Bridge, passed the famous Smith Falls State Park (home of Nebraska’s highest falls – not Ithaca but still lovely) and ended at the cabinand outfitters where we are staying, SunnyBrook camp. The river was peaceful in most parts but we had to navigate some rocky rapids and got stuck on some sandbars and rocks. The weather began chilly, about 59, and gradually the sun won its battle with clouds and we think smoke from the western fires. The temps were in the low 70s, but lots of vigorous wind. I don’t think I can canoe without a seat back any more and sadly, the outfitter told me, way after the fact, that he had a seat Back I could have used. Next time we may try a double kayak. We were envious of their seats.

But we did have the river almost entirely to ourselves which was great. Wepassed through grassy banks of the sand hills and high soft stone bluffs dotted with red vegetation. Not too much wildlife. Some ducks took flight. A snake slithered past on the muddy bank. We spotted an elegant blue-gray heron.

Cabin porch view
Nebraska’s highest falls!

It was great canoeing right up to our rustic cabin, the only one we saw right on the banks, at a gorgeous bend in the river. At 7 a.m. fog and mist were rising off the river. It looked very mysterious. The cabin is huge and very comfortable. There is a second bedroom with bunk beds and a double bed. It’s all knotty pine, with a huge open living room, full kitchen (but no plates, cups, utensils which apparently is a Covid preventive measure the owners forgot to mention…fortunately we had some paper and plastic stuff.) There is a big stuffed deer’s head on the wall, lots of wood antlers to use for hanging wet clothes. The best part is the rustic wrap around porch with a rocking chair I melted into after canoeing and old rusted metal chairs. Apparently this is a former dance hall from the early 1900s that was moved here in 1980.

mysterious morning in the cabin

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September 18, 2020 · 3:18 am

Enchanted Highway/ND, more Badlands and tribal territory in South Dakota

(From our September trip) We drove 6.5 hours south through gorgeous wide open country, ranch land , Indian reservations and South Dakota Badlands to Valentine, Nebraska, just over the South Dakota line and from there 40 minutes east to Sparks, NE where we are suddenly in a huge cabin (sunny brook cabin) by the side of the river — quite a change from the past three nights lodging where we had only a room to ourselves and the rest was shared space.

A highlight was the early part of our trip when we drove down a two-lane highway south from I-94 to Regent, ND through vast open fields of pasture, sunflowers and corn. The road was dotted with about six huge fantastic cut metal-and-welded metal sculptures, designed by a guy looking for a way to boost the economy of his small struggling town of Regent. It seemed to work because we weren’t the only ones opting for this road (there were other options) and pulling off every few miles to stare in wonder at massive metal sculptures — a grasshopper, flock of geese, fantasy fish, a farm family and of course Teddy Roosevelt on a bucking horse. Regent has a handful of worn buildings, several empty, one with a local history museum and one with a good gift shop where we bought a small replica of one of the Enchanted Highway’s metal sculptures. That will spice up our garden back in Iowa.

We made a u-turn in the small northern South Dakota (that’s confusing terminology) town of Lemmon, after driving past a local butcher, LemmonMade.

Me: Wait,wait, slow down, what was that?

Dirck: (half-heartedly) you want me to turn back?

Me: Yes please.

Dirck: (3/4ths-heartedly) Okay.

Turned out to be a great find. We loaded up on fresh brats, ground meat and teriyaki beef jerky— from what smelled outside like very nearby livestock. When in the Dakotas…

In South Dakota, we found a tiny picnic area by a small lake to eat lunch (now starring the beef jerky) and continued on almost empty two-lane highway through several reservations (standing rock, Cheyenne river, pine ridge, and rosebud.) We saw only a few signs that we were in tribal territory including a handmade sign reading “Indigenous Lives Matter,” a casino area inside a gas station/convenience store and a Covid -19 checkpoint at the Pine Ridge Reservation manned by several no-nonsense Native Americans wearing masks, the only masks we saw during our 6-hour drive. (We didn’t go through the checkpoint and probably couldn’t. Tribal communities have been hard hit by the virus and are taking it seriously. The checkpoint was a sign we were driving the wrong direction. Fortunately briefly). We also passed a fat ass tractor flying a Trump 2020 flag and a few other trump signs.

Now we are in our rustic cabin by the Niobrara River, which we discovered has no plates, cups or silverware – apparently removed due to Covid. This place isn’t cheap so not good. We fortunately were warned to bring our own bedding and towels, also a preventative Covid measure, which doesn’t make that much sense science-wise. We had some plastic plates and plastic ware in the car so we managed to eat our brats (purchased at the roadside butcher in Lemmon, ND.) We also wisely grocery-shopped at the IGA in Valentine before the 40-minute drive to this remote location. It’s on a beautiful isolated bend in the river which we will paddle on tomorrow morning.

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September 17, 2020 · 12:37 am

Hiking in the North unit of Teddy Roosevelt National Park, Bakken Oil field/watford City – North Dakota

The North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is an hour drive, yes north, of the South Unit, which we found unusual. The two dramatic swaths of Badlands are separated by flat grassland where cattle graze. The North Unit struck us as more remote and dramatic than the south, with fewer bison, deer and prairie dogs but higher more colorful canyons with buttes and mesas in more varied colors – grey volcanic ash that looked blue at times and deeply grooved tawny formations.

We walked the fantastic 4.2 mile Capstone Coulee trail (or we walked 5.6 miles and climbed 31 floors according dirck’s phone) around the base of some formations and, most spectacular, atop some formations on a high ridge with glorious panoramic views of the Little Missouri River way below. We also scampered across the midsection of the formations, atop softer than expected rock. We had the trail almost to ourselves and the sky was bluer and less hazy today. The north unit also had more patches of forest (some that we walked through) with orange and green-leafed trees, juniper bushes, yellow wildflowers and delicate purple asters.

We drove 10 miles north through boom (and now a little less booming) oil country to watford city, past oil patches, bright orange flames shooting up from the ground here and there, lots of temporary housing, new bars and amenities.

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September 15, 2020 · 11:57 pm

Spirit of the Badlands, Little Missouri Saloon, Teddy Roosevelt National Park -south unit, Chateau de Mores National Site – Medora, ND

Great day in the North Dakota Badlands. We are staying right in them — in a secluded contemporary log cabin/glass house perched at the top of a canyon with stunning views of pointy buttes and flat-topped mesas as far as the eye can see, all crumbly tans, grays and rust with yellow and green-leafed trees, rust-colored bushes tucked into valleys and beautiful blue birds, also rattlesnakes we’ve been told by our host here at the Spirit of the Badlands, a private home with 3 options for guests. (We are in the cozy “den.”) The place has a wrap-around porch lined with plants and the 2-story side facing the canyon is floor to ceiling windows. Spectacular place for morning coffee and evening stargazing although our sunny sky is hazy, not blue, due to the devastating fires on the West Coast.

View from the porch

We spent the morning driving through the south unit of the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, stopping for several short easy walks through the Badlands on trails named Wind Canyon and Coal Vein. Not a lot of tourists. But lots of bison, flat-eared mule deer, wild horses and prairie dogs, up close and personal. We followed the 36-mile loop but the end of the loop was closed so we re-looped. No problem and stopped to picnic at Cottonwood area. Glorious views and vegetation that reminded us a bit of Tucson hikes but not cactus or desert, more the colors (tawny and brown).

In Medora, a small western town which is pleasantly untouristy (at least now), we ate burgers on the upstairs balcony of the Little Missouri saloon and met two other tourist couples. We could tell by the masks. Locals, including wait staff, don’t seem to wear them despite the “Mask-up ND” electronic signs along the interstate. One couple, from North Carolina, is driving around the west in lieu of a trip to Europe (same as us); another from Austin appeared to be driving around indefinitely, working remotely 9-5 on weekdays from wherever they pull up in their R-pod trailer. Why not? It’s a new day for working remotely, thanks to the pandemic.

In Medora, we toured the Chateau de Mores, a 26-room summer home /ranch built in 1883, perched in a valley with panoramic badlands views and learned the interesting story of the French Marquis de Mores, a young adventurer who grew up in mansions in Sardinia and Cannes and who came here at about age 27 to create a meat-packing plant he hoped would rival Chicago’s. It didn’t. He left after 3 years and was murdered in the Sahara at age 37. Medora is named after his wife, who came from a prominent New York banking family and was a damn good hunter.

In downtown Medora, as we sat on a glider on the porch of the Rough Rider Hotel, the local Teddy Roosevelt impersonator stopped by to chat. Nice fella (and a former DeKalb Illinois GOP political operative…he’s more popular here).

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September 15, 2020 · 11:20 pm

Hildebrant farm market, Bismarck capitol, Sue the cow – driving across North Dakota

We loaded up on bagel & lox and cold brisket sandwiches from BernBaums and excellent Minnesota Apples (sweet tango and zestor) from hildebrant farm market in Fargo before setting off on our drive west for 4.5 hours to Medora. Made for some fine dining along Interstate 94. Not too much to see en route except for nice rural scenery— vast fields of sunflowers, wheat, soybeans and corn and the occasional farm dwelling. We stopped in Bismarck to see the North Dakota State Capitol which was remarkably unlovely — looks like a tall grey institutional apartment building.

West Fargo

En route we passed an enormous cow named Sue on a hilltop and could have seen an enormous bull if we pulled into another town. A handy brochure from the Fargo visitors Centor to.d us what to look for. I really wanted a free “Save the Best for Last” t-shirt, the clever State tourism campaign but this isn’t our last of 50 states to visit (I now have 3 remaining – Alaska, North Carolina, and Kentucky.)

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September 13, 2020 · 10:53 pm

BernBaum’s, Red River trail, Zandbroz, in Fargo, Hjemkomst center’s Stave Church & Viking ship in Moorhead

Beautiful day in Fargo, a little cool for biking but bright clear sky and off we went toward the river, passing pretty old Island Park (which did not appear to be an island) and then reaching the Red River trail, which we took south past, hugging the narrow river most of the time, gliding through green parks with willow trees, a few nice homes, cool old bridges. We rode down to I-94 and Lindenwood Park, (near Roger Maris drive, which the baseball fan among us appreciated. Maris, a Yankees outfielder, grew up in Fargo.) I think we could have gone further south on the Moorhead side. We are spoiled by excellent trail info in Polk County.

Lunch was at BernBaum’s the fantastic local Nordic-Jewish deli (a pleasant surprise) which has a great menu with old favorites (very good chewy bagel with not too salty lox) and updates on old classics (a cold brisket sandwich to die for, on toasted rye with pickled this n’ that), plus the best little homemade rugelach. I will be back to stock up before we drive west tomorrow. The deli also had local cheeses and salume. Wish we had such a place in Des Moines. Reminded me of Russ & Daughters in NYC. We passed an Orthodox Jewish man walking on the bike trail so I gather there’s a customer base here. (One of the few people I know from Fargo is Jewish.)

We picnicked by the river downtown where there are gentle rapids — perfect minus the bees, one of whigh dive-bombed into our can of locally-made hard cider (Terra cider). We rode more, this time north on trails on the Fargo and Moorhead side. The river bends so often that I forgot which side we were on at times. Very pretty and easy ride.

Downtown Fargo was very quiet on a Sunday (and a Saturday night). We peeked into the fantastic Hotel Donaldson, which looks like a remarkable place…my favorite combination of old restored architecture and contemporary art. The restaurant and bar looked very cool. Closed temporarily, I think, due to a Covid issue. Next trip. We also popped into Zandbroz, a huge store full of lovely things: part independent book store, vintage store, paperie and giftshop.

We also visited the Hjemkomst center in Moorhead, touring a Stave church much like the ones we saw in Norway and a remarkable massive wood Viking ship that was built by a local teacher. After his death, four of his kids and a handful of others sailed the ship all the way to Bergen where the king of Norway greeted them. Wow! We also enjoyed an exhibit of contemporary quilts from artists all over the world.

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September 13, 2020 · 2:32 am

Fargo at last!

Well it’s not Paris, where we are supposed to be right now but oddly our sweet little Airbnb in a 110-year-old house south of downtown has a poster comparing Fargo to Paris (and London and Moscow.)

We had an easy 7.5 hour drive here under cloudy occasionally dripping skies. We crossed the Red River and quickly found Broadway, which is lined with old brick buildings housing sweet little independent shops and restaurants. Apparently this renaissance is about 20 years old and the Hotel Donaldson helped paved the way. Once a near-derelict building, it was transformed into a 17-room hotel, each with local artwork, and a cool restaurant, which wasn’t open, we gather due to a Covid situation. We stopped at a store called Unglued that has local artisans work and a Scandinavia store next door and walked down to Nichole’s pastry shop and an art gallery on Roberts Street. The town reminds us at times of Wichita and Omaha and even Des Moines’ East Village. We ate a good dinner at Rustica Tavern, across the river in Moorhead, Minnesota. It was one of the few places that offered outdoor seating. Most people seem to be wearing masks but gather that will change as we drive west.

K

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