Williston.....

...Near the joining of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers,
hot as can be in summer sun, and shivering in the winters,
Williston was founded in 1902 and named for a railroader;
this is a vital city, busy, genuine and not a freeloader.

Near the area "home" of Teddy Roosevelt, the cabin stands lonely and stark,
in what is now the North Unit of the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.
The great man who founded the National Park System, he had a ranch nearby,
here was a chosen area, rugged, rough and a great place to just not drive by.

Tomorrow: Montana

Minot…

….North Dakota, trading hub of the northern mid-west,
guardian of the USA our interests in the world and all the rest;
at Minot Air Force Base there are an array of destructive forces,

should they be needed but only if there are no other choices.

Two Railroad museums are part of the town,
tracks come through from all around;
there are so many interesting things to see,
but one of them just calls to me.

Go see the Stave Church, see photo above,
built in the past, as a labor of love,
it reminded the settlers of the homelands so dear,
bringing their past from Scandinavia to here.

It is built using post and beam,
but the outside walls are not what they seem;
there are only rows of vertical plank,
strong and sturdy and of the first rank.

Drake...

...North Dakota founded in 1902,
named for Hermann Drake, aren't you?
Best known to the civilized plan,
as the home of Glen Uhlich, the man.

Now Ol' Larry and Glen were good pals, back when,
and they'd go out, you know, every now and then;
sometimes, I'd guess, they'd go a little to far,
just look at what happened to them in a car.

Glen and Ol' Larry decided to go,
to see what life was like in Sacramento,
off in Glen's Chevy away they did ride,
a couple of beers and swelling with pride.

After a fashion they started back to the base,
eighty-five miles that's not too far to race,
but they were quite loaded and needed to nap;
got about down to Dixon, and without using a map…

..pulled off the highway and proceeded to sleep into the night,
a knock on the window with the state cops flashlight,
he asked if they knew in which place they were,
as he lighted up the back seat, empty cans, caused a stir.

He said "you can't sleep here" and he made it quite clear,
"you're on the off ramp, it's dangerous here"
"I'll show you a place where you can sleep", and to make it to base;
"I'll wake you up in time, so you won't have to race".

So the guys got real lucky, no arrests had been made,
so did they learn a lesson? No way, they had it made in the shade;
but they confined their urges to roam,
and did all of their drinking closed to home.

Fessenden….

….North Dakota, County Seat of Wells County,
rich with the grains of natures bounty,
sits at the intersection of US fifty-two and State fifteen,
it's just right there waiting to be seen.

There was a bad fire, in April this year,
causing the loss of bowling and beer;
also lost was a favorite cafe, and making us blue,
the medical clinic was nearly lost too.

I will be leaving tomorrow real early,
almost to Drake, and I'm in a hurry;
ol' Larrys friend Glen is waiting up there,
I just want to see - if he has any hair.

Jamestown….

….Nouth Dakota, home to the National Buffalo Museum,
has an albino bison, White Cloud, come and see him.
the former Fort Seward on the banks of the James,
is now Jamestown so it had more than two names.

At the Frontier Village, where you can go,
are things that would teach you, so you would know;
how things used to be done, and what was the reason,
that farmers have always prepared for each season.

It's a great place to visit and it's handy to know,
that it's also home of the worlds largest buffalo, (photo)

oh sure, it's made from concrete, but it's a great source of pride;
the trouble for me was it was too large to ride!

Yee Haw