GREETINGS FROM NORTH DAKOTA When last we reported our whereabouts we were bouncing between Mikes in Kansas, and Melanie, Aaron, Noah and Brodys in Iowa, pending a dash on our BMWs northward to St. Paul, Minnesota for our annual big BMW national rally. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area we spent one night at Vonis sister Karens house in Lexington, four nights at the fairgrounds for the rally, and two nights at Vonis sister Sylvias near Wyoming. At the rally we camped on the fair grounds in the shade in the trees in front of the stadium. Paul presented his usual Very Basic Tech and Not So Basic Tech maintenance seminars and teamed up with two others to do two others to fill in for a scheduled speaker who couldnt make it to the rally. Voni organized and orchestrated an outstanding panel of lady riders for the Women Who Ride seminar. Vonis sister Sylvia was one of the panelists, speaking about her experiences as a teacher of Accident Scene Management. The rest of the time at the rally was spent visiting with old and new friends, shopping at the vendors, listening to musical entertainment, visiting the beer garden, and other typical rally activities. Following all of this we headed north and west so as to be in Bismarck, North Dakota by August 8 for a memorial for Vonis uncle Vern Hansen and a reunion of assorted cousins and other kinfolk. On the way we sampled camping at several city parks, the International Peace Garden, one Canadian National Park and one Manitoba Provincial Park. Voni has long had distinctly vague memories of an early childhood visit to Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. She has, one several occasions, suggested that we go there but it heretofore has never actually worked out that we went there. This trip we did. Our first stop once we left the rally area was at Aerostich in Duluth, Minnesota. Aerostich is the maker of premium (and Pauls favorite) riding gear. Paul replaced his ten year old Roadcrafter riding pants with identical pants, just ten years newer. We also both thoroughly enjoyed a complete tour of Aerostich by its CEO, and our friend Andy Goldfine. In keeping with distinctly vague childhood memories, neither of us could pass up a stop at Itaska State Park and the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. Walking across the headwaters we didnt fall in but it was close. The rocks are much more slippery than when we were kids. More or less in order of their appearance, we camped in Menahga Memorial Forest Park at Menahga, Minnesota; Hill City Park, Hill City Minnesota; City Park, Cooperstown, North Dakota; The International Peace Garden straddling the U.S. and Canadian border; Moon Lake at Riding Mountain National Park; Wawanessa City Park, Wawanessa, Manitoba; Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba; and City Park, Bottineau, North Dakota. Overall the city parks have been amazingly pleasant and the local people hospitable, including the little boy who kept asking Are they camping? The visit to Cooperstown was particularly memorable because 41 years ago this week or so, Voni started her very first year of teaching as the special education teacher for the entire county, kindergarten through high school, in Cooperstown, North Dakota. The house north of town which we rented from Torval Stockland is still there, now vacant, and somewhat overgrown with trees and bushes. For history buffs, when we lived there it was amidst a grouping of 150 Minuteman nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles and their ten associated launch control centers. As a result of the START treaty with the then Soviet Union we destroyed 114 of these missile silos and 9 of the control centers. One missile silo just west of Cooperstown and control center Oscar-Zero (O-0) which is 2.8 miles south of where we lived have been preserved and are open for public tours by the North Dakota Historical Society. We also stopped by the nearby site of the former Finley Air Force Station where Paul was assisgned to the radar site from 1969-1971. Three relic buildings (out of 20 or so) remain but the site is now a landfill and motorcycle moto-cross track. Time marches on. We are now poised in Bottineau ( Bottno to some locals) a short days ride south to Bismarck for the memorial and the reunion. Then it will be on westward to Nakusp, in British Columbia. And so it goes. Voni remarked that weve only had one hot day this summer. Paul reminded her that there is still most of August and the western states before we plan to roost at our Treehouse in Angel Fire. LOTS of pictures here: vonig.smugmug/Summer-Wander-4-MN-to-CA-to-ND/ And, if youre interested, pictures and a video of Women Who Ride: vonig.smugmug/BMW-MOA-Women-Who-Ride-2014/ https://youtube/watch?v=DVZKUFsNBMg&feature=youtu.be LOTS more pictures of the rally by day: vonig.smugmug/BMW-MOA-Tuesday-Wednesday-2014/ vonig.smugmug/BMW-MOA-Rally-Thursday-2014/ vonig.smugmug/BMW-MOA-Rally-Friday-2014/ vonig.smugmug/BMW-MOA-Rally-SaturdaySunday/ -- Paul and Voni Glaves Big Bend, Texas U.S.A. --------------------------------------------- bigbend.net/~glaves ---------------------------------------------
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:44:44 +0000
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