Day 149, June 23, Bismarck, North Dakota

 Three amazing things:

#1- While visiting New York City’s Museum of Natural History last April, we viewed a film about the great potholes of the upper prairies. Today, we drove through the Dakota’s which are virtually littered with these intriguing blue potholes. Formed when the northern glaciers scoured the landscape with giant boulders and then retreated, the potholes are leftover shallow lakes or ponds dotting the vast grasslands. Besides adding immense beauty to this countryside of gently rolling farmland and prairie, they function as bird refuges for the millions of ducks, geese, pelicans, and waterfowl which yearly migrate along this corridor from Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the central plains states. We were captivated for hours by the seemingly endless number of these beautiful bird-filled blue ponds bordering the green grassland. Simply gorgeous.



#2- The Bismarck, North Dakota, Temple, number 24 since the beginning of this trip, was very small and not so ornate but sweet and special nonetheless. Visited by only 16 people in our session, it was a personally intimate experience. We arrived in Bismarck with barely enough time to change into our Sunday clothing and wolf down dinner, but because we didn’t have access to an electrical plug in, Bambi’s microwave was unavailable to me. I called the temple ahead and was told we were welcome to use their small lunch room which had a table and microwave, and while warming and eating our dinner there, had a nice conversation with a couple of temple workers. Their generosity saved my bacon; I detest cold soup and chicken. 




#3- Thank goodness for Costco and their less confiscatory gas prices. We “Costco hop,” eagerly hoping the next Costco is within range of our fillip needs. We save anywhere from 20 to 50 cents a gallon on each fill. When Costco is not close, we use the app Gas Buddy and wonder how we ever used to manage life in the olden days before cell phones. We are dreading gas prices once we reach California. Yikes!


Good deeds; I gave away my last Costco gift card to the patient lady behind me, and I left a Costco package of  wickedly delicious Brownie Bites in the tiny temple lunchroom for the generous temple workers. 

PS-Happy 45th Anniversary, my Bryan. Not one day passes without my heart being continually drawn to you. A more valiant, happy, honorable man I’ve never known. I miss you.


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