Day 8 – Centering Spot and the Dakota Territory Air Museum

It was hard to leave Larimore this morning, you could easily spend a month or 5 in that lovely setting. We were able to accomplish one of our objectives for this trip – filling in the states we haven’t visited yet. North Dakota was the first.

Bill had his fill of coffee, and I was trying to bail on my HIIT workout. Bill assured me that there would be plenty of time for me to work in a 30-minute workout. This is one of the many reasons I love him. Left to my own devices, I would have turfed it until later until it was too late. Besides – those 30 minutes have the same effect on me that a pot of coffee has on him. We are both better people for those little important parts of the morning.

We set off at 0940 hrs., 10 minutes past our hoped-for start. We drove through beautiful farmlands. The sky here is magnificent – vivid colors and the clouds have so much dimension and depth. I could set for hours and watch the sky. Along the way, we drove through Michigan, ND. Many tiny little towns, traffic was pretty light, as is the population. It’s orange cone seasons here, just like Michigan – but the cones are much different.

A little over midway through our journey, we stopped in Rugby, ND. The geographical center of North America. It was a very “centering” experience – even Piper got in on the action.

Our final destination today was the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. Our daughter gifted us a subscription to Harvest Hosts – a camping program. The host locations allow you to park in their designated parking area overnight – usually at no charge – for one night. In turn, you patronize their business. There are wineries, working farms, attractions, museums, and such. This was our first experience using Harvest Hosts – and it has been extremely satisfying! We called ahead, as requested, and were welcomed by the curator. Our arrival was timed to allow us to visit the museum this afternoon. This place is a hidden treasure! Among their collection, they have 7 flying warbirds – several will be visiting Oshkosh Airventure while we are there. The museum in situated on the grounds of Minot International Airport – which means we are parked on the grounds of Minot International Airport. This is every pilot’s dream – and these two Dumont pilots are living this dream! We had supper watching airplanes take off and land, and do pattern work. Piper was enjoying the experience as well.