Off Road, Amazing Progress - Day 238

  When I was here before, every bit of the straight-line 11.5 miles that I walked today were on road. Back then there was not a chapter of the NCTA in this area. Now there is an active, responsible Dakota Prairie Chapter, and of the 14.5 miles I walked today to connect the dots (sort of- the trail is now several miles north of where the road walk was), only 1.5 miles were on road. That is quite amazing because almost all of this new trail is across private land which means that agreements must be made with each landowner.

This view is from a hilltop called Rennae's Hill because she scouted out that location as a nice place for the trail.


And, speaking of Rennae, she hiked with me for a portion of today. She is a member of the Dakota Prairie Chapter, and is also one of a small group of people who decided to hike all of the North Dakota miles. She has completed this challenge, and a number of miles in Minnesota and the Mackinac Bridge walk as well.


If you think we look a little too clean, we are. Several of the members of the chapter decided to take Omer and me out to eat tonight. We went to a somewhat local place of renown, the Silver Prairie Saloon in McLeod.


Rennae's husband, Ed, built this model of an earthen lodge like the one pictured on the interpretive sign at the Biesterfeldt Site. He hopes to build a small but full size one. I didn't realize from the picture that the earth walls only go part way up the sides, and then the top is covered with hides.


Back to the trail... there are even a couple of campsites established on these properties. And there was quite a bit of wooded land today, too.


One of the neatest parcels includes two log cabins. This one was built in the 1860s, making it one of the oldest buildings in North Dakota. It has been moved from its original location, but if the chapter can find where that was, they hope to move it back there and have it registered as an historic building. They think it was right along the trail, but they have to find some kind of documentation. This property was also on a stagecoach line, and there was a roadhouse (inn) at the corner.


I'm going to share a couple of plants, darn it! I always seem to run out of space and energy. This one was completely new to me. It's called Silky Prairie Clover, Dalea villosa. The color washes out in the pictures, but the bushy flower spikes vary from pink to white.


It's a cousin to Leadplant, Amorpha canescens. I guess some people confuse the two. I'm not sure how, but I've already heard one person here do just that. This is Leadplant. They are both in the pea (legume) family, but not in the same genus. Anyway, they are both beautiful.


Miles today: 14.5. Total miles so far: 2878.4.

See Sheyenne National Grassland 2