Day 7 September 2: Dickinson to Fargo, North Dakota.

Woke up to the sad news that Jimmy Buffett passed away. Since 1980, Buffett’s music has been the soundtrack to my road trips. In the summer of 1980, I was living in a trailer in Durango, Colorado. My roommates Jeff and Sam listened to Buffett almost nonstop.

For coffee this morning we took a suggestion from our waitress from last night, and headed back west to the town of Medora.  Medora is the start of the South Unit of Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We had not intended to visit, but after the waitress raved about the small town, we decided to make the 30-minute drive in the wrong direction. We grabbed coffee and strolled around the town that has preserved the old west feel as a tourist attraction. While we were there, we ducked in the National Forest for a short drive to see some of the vista’s before heading back out and East. 

Our next stop was the Capital of North Dakota, Bismarck. I stopped here on my 48 days trip and really liked the city. Michele was also surprised by the greenspace and the tree lined streets. We stopped at the State Capital, which is also the tallest building in North Dakota at 20 stories high. From the Capital we drove downtown and got lunch at a little bakery before heading east to Fargo for the night. We listened to Margaritaville Radio on XM for much of the day, in tribute.