North Dakota Highway Drive

October 19, 2010

We’re in southern North Dakota and it’s cattle country mixed with fields of grain crops all rolled and staggered across the fields.  Herds of cows graze in pastures with natural lakes splattered throughout.  I’d seen signs about swans and said a little prayer to see one.  I do believe our prayers are answered just not always the way we expect.  Later, on one pond I see a flock of large white birds float as a collective all bunched together in the middle of pond.  Swans.  Our two lane highway has no real spot to pull over, so no picture.  A little of god’s humor – swans, but no photo today.  Further down the road are fields of sunflowers.  Past their prime, leaves browned and heads bent down.  They must have been a Van Gogh inspired site in their prime.  Somewhat unexpected are the fields of wind turbines.  Side by side with grazing cattle and newly cut fields of grain windmills sprout in fields of sunflowers.  Tall white spires with wide spread wings that rotate lazily in today’s breeze. Jack thinks they look like a prehistoric pterodactyl.

So many pastures!  Even the right of way alongside the highway is mowed to collect another three to four bales.  Some fields seem to have nothing to cut and bale.  I don’t know what they cut, maybe just prairie grass.  About 55 bee hives are lined up in neat rows in another field.   We take a side graveled road for about 5 minutes looking for a wildlife refuge.  We must have misread the sign as we don’t see it.  So turn around and head west again.