North Dakota Treasures

Yesterday our retinue took a hike from the plateau down to the Missouri. Very quickly we dropped into a wonderful valley that would make an excellent state park. A nice stream with large beaver dams ran through the valley. The whole experience made me think about how many places are in North Dakota that compare with the best spots in the country, however few people know about them. North Dakota has a bad image among most of the population, and for that matter I doubt most people in North Dakota even know what they have. Many times I have taken someone from Bismarck on Lake Sakakawea, and they say, "I had no idea this lake was this big". When we travel through the southwest, we always find the true travelers all have been to the North Unit of the Badlands and love it. The state does a very poor job of promoting itself. Some say we don't want any company. What is that picture? According to The Commander it is North Dakota coral. The hikers came across two artesian wells yesterday in the river bottom. Both had amazing formations in the bottom.