Next Trip ~ 2018 ~ Dickinson, North Dakota

2018 - Dickinson, North Dakota

Dickinson, North Dakota, gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and home to Dickinson State University, is a home rule city that services a population of 25,000-30,000. Dickinson is centrally located in southwestern North Dakota, the midpoint between Fargo, North Dakota and Billings, Montana. We are also located less than an hour’s drive from Lake Sakakawea, the largest of the mainstream reservoirs on the Missouri river, which is a wonderful fishing and recreation resource.

Due to this strategic location, and the resulting regional social and economic influence, it was known for decades by the nickname “Queen City of the Prairies.” This nickname was used as early as 1906, and legend has it that it was selected through a contest sponsored by the Dickinson Press. The Dickinson Commercial Club (now the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce) published a variety of material promoting Dickinson as the Queen City, especially in the early 1900s when they were lobbying hard to acquire a state college (now Dickinson State University). While other stories exist to explain the nickname, most of them have been discredited through research. Many regional commerce centers throughout the United States and Canada promote themselves as their region’s Queen City due to the positive imagery of a nurturing woman and the association with a lush and bountiful region. As Dickinson is also the gateway to the great American West, Medora, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, it has also been branded by its modern nickname: “The Western Edge.”

2017 ~ Bluff, Utah (2017)

Bluff, Utah (2017)

Whitehorse High School

Under the direction of John Taylor, Silas S. Smith and Danish settler Jens Nielson led about 230 Mormons on expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880.^[5] (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole In the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town was named for the bluffs near the town site.^[6] The town’s population had declined to seventy by 1930^{[citation needed]} but rebounded during a uranium prospecting boom in the 1950s.^[5] With the uranium decline in the 1970s Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 300 residents.

sThe Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute, and Zuni tribal reserves and nations. The Four Corners region is part of a larger region known as the Colorado Plateau and is mostly rural, rugged, and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas within Four Corners include Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.

2016 ~ Spirit Lake, Iowa

Spirit Lake, Iowa

We left on 7/21/16 and headed for IOWA.  We will stayed in Indiana Thursday night and stopped at the Field Of Dreams movie site on Friday morning.  We checked in to Fillenwarth Beach Resort http://www.fillenwarthbeach.com/ on Friday night and stayed 8 nights.  We are drove the bus and pontoon boat with us to explore the area by water.  We will had family pictures taken by www.joshandjenniferphotography.com when we are there.  Such and incredible trip!  These are always our favorite vacations.

Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,840 at the 2010 census. It is thecounty seat of Dickinson County.^[5]  The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region.The Dakota Sioux originated the name of "Spirit Lake" referring to it as "The Lake of The Spirit."^[6] In 1856, three brothers-in-law created the town of Spirit Lake after a visit to the Lakes area piqued their interest.^[6] The three brothers-in-law, O.C. Howe, B.F. Parmenter, and R.U. Wheelock, were soon joined by various other settlers, making homes along the lakes' shores.^[6] These settlers however, did not get along peacefully with the natives, and on March 13, 1857 Chief Inkpaduta of the Sioux led a revolt against the non-native settlers, killing all but four women.^[6]

2015 ~ Kirksville, Missouri

2015 ~ Kirksville, Missouri

We took off on Memorial Day Weekend 2015 and headed towards Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock Golf Course.  We could not believe the beauty of this area.  En route, we stopped in Belleville, Illinois.  This is a town that Jen had spent time in growing up with family.  We stayed at Big Cedar Lodge from Saturday to Wednesday and had an incredible time.  We have every intention of traveling back to this incredible resort!  On Wednesday we left and headed north 4.5 hours to Kirksville, Missouri.  Here we met with the Chamber of Commerce, had dinner at DuKum Inn, stayed in the beautiful Brashear House Bed & Breakfast, toured the AI Stills Museum, walked through the medicinal gardens, engaged in learning from the dummies in the medical lab, toured the campus of Truman University, went tubing on 1000 Hills Lake, at dinner with local author of the Dibbuk Box, Jason Haxton, and visited an Amish farm!  All in 2 days!  We left late Thursday and made it home on Friday.  What an incredible and educational trip!

Kirksville is a city in and the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States.^[1] Located in the Benton Township, its population was 17,505 at the 2010 census.^[5] Kirksville is home of Truman State University and A.T. Still University.  

2013 ~ Badger, Minnesota

2013 ~ Badger, Minnesota

We left on June 23, 2013 on a new adventure.  We took our three youngest ~ Boyd (age 5), Ben (age 5) and Elle (age 3) with us in our Winnebago and traveled towards Badger, Minnesota taking in some sights along the way.  

• Madison, WI (slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot)
• Minneapolis, MN (Mall of America) (B)
• Mantrap Lodge (www.mantraplodge.com) for a few days
• Badger, MN (D)
• Zippel Bay Resort (www.zippelbay.com) (E)
• Red Rock, Ontario (F)
• Wawa, Ontario (G)
• Paradise, Michigan (G)
• Grand Rapids, Michigan

Here is what we know about Badger:

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 375 people, 181 households, and 103 families residing in the city. The population density was 282.0 inhabitants per square mile (108.9 /km²). There were 235 housing units at an average density of 176.7 per square mile (68.2 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.1% White, 0.3% African American, 1.1% Native American, 2.1%Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

http://www.badger.k12.mn.us/site/default.aspx?PageID=1

2014 ~ Antlers, Oklahoma

2014 ~ Antlers, Oklahoma

Antlers is a city in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,453 at the 2010 census, a 3.9 percent decline from 2,552 at the 2000 census.^[3] It is the county seat of Pushmataha County.^[4]. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the town was named for a pair of antlers hung on a tree to denote the location of a spring.^[5]The city has two motels and one hotel: Sportsman Inn & Suites, Budget Inn, and Hiway Inn & Suites respectively.

There four schools, total: Brantly Elementary (Grades K-3, Vegher Intermediate (Grades 4-5), Obuch Middle School (Grades 6-8), and Antlers High School (9-12).

Until 2008, Antlers was home to the only red light in Pushmataha County. Even now, it has the only two traffic signals in the entire county. [This is only partly true. Before 1958 Antlers had two traffic signals. In about 1960 a big truck ran under the light and knocked it down. Instead of replacing the light they just put up a 4-way stop. And now, some 50 years later, Antlers once again has two traffic lights. In 1958 the Lu Lodge Motel and Log Cabin Cafe were located on the southeast corner, Jimmy Maple's Chevrolet dealearship was on the northeast corner, and the Mobil station was on the northwest corner.]

Fox & Friends Appearance

In April 2012, Fox & Friends flew Bob & I out to their live studio in NYC.  They put us up at "The Stay" on a Friday and we were at the studio at 6 am on Saturday.  Below are a few photos from the show: