Trip Recap: Dakotas (North and South)

[mala_14]

Finally feeling better, so here's the first part of my trip recap. My boyfriend and I hit the road and drove down through North Dakota, stopping off at a rogue Dairy Queen in Moorhead, ND. It's rogue because it still uses its contract with Dairy Queen from 1949 and is thus able to offer all sort of old school treats that are no longer served at

Comments

[nuranar]

How cool is that! Thanks so much for the pictures!

[mala_14]

It was really fun and interesting/educational! You're very welcome. :)

[redthreaded]

That was a lovely little trip down memory lane! My family is from South Dakota (4 generations) and can also trace our lineage back to sod huts on the banks of creeks, so the Little House books were an important part of my childhood. As was visiting all of the sites with my grandma when I was a kid.

I used to think it was boring but I appreciate the prairie now too. The part of SD my family is from (SE, banks of the Missouri) is really beautiful with dramatic rolling hills, trees, and fields. That's where Louis and Clark headed west.

[mala_14]

That's so fascinating about your family history! And it's great that you got to go to all those places with your grandma. I bet you have some wonderful memories!

lol I come from prairie that is even flatter, so SD looked pretty hilly to me. But there is so much gorgeous scenery to see during road trips. I love watching it change.

[padawansguide]

Oh, I really enjoyed this post!

It would be so cool to see all this stuff and where it took place. It's been ages since I read all the Little House books, but clearly I need to give them a reread.

I got a bit of chills seeing all their graves. I mean, realistically, of course they are all gone, they lived so long ago. But even so, they are alive in books, so it's weird to see their graves. Does that make any sense?

Also, kitty!!

[padawansguide]

Oh, also - omg, that school house in Dakota winter must have been PAINFUL.

[mala_14]

Glad you liked it! I reread all the books every couple of years. It's interesting to see what you pick up on as you get older. I used to love the earlier books when I was a child and wanted to be Laura, but as I grew up I related more to the later books and the perspectives of the adults in the earlier books.

Yeah, its strange to think of them as being outside of the books or continuing on after the books. Like the 1887 house was so weird to me because it's not in the books and I just pictured the family continuing to live on the homestead farm. So yeah, I get what you're saying about the graves too. It's a weird intersection of reality and fiction.

Loved the kitty! So cute and friendly!

And yeah, as someone who does attend school in -40 degree weather, I can't even imagine trying to go to school in that little shack. Pioneers were tough!

[ashamanja_babu]

Looks like so much fun! I really have no excuse for not visiting there yet. It's not that far away and I could stop at Walnut Grove too!

[mala_14]

You totally could! It'd be awesome. And F would probably have a great time too at the Homestead.

[starlightmasque]

What a wonderful post! Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with me!

I come from the Pacific Northwest, so I need giant trees and mountains cradling me in. When I read why Pa loved the big wide open prairie-- it really opened my eyes to another point of view I never entertained!

[mala_14]

You're welcome! There's still a second part coming.

lol I went to school with a girl who was from BC and we used to jokingly argue all the time about landscapes. I was team prairie and she was all about the mountains and ocean. Where you grow up really makes an impact!