The View From My Beer
A visit to Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon is completed with a glass of Michelob Ultra (unfortunately there were no local choices available)
North Dakota
Some strange quirk in history meant there were two Dakotas and not just the one. And while South Dakota had Mt Rushmore, there had not been a definitive reason for me to visit North Dakota until now. The reason? Well after 25 years living in the US I had managed to visit 47 of the 50 states. As part of my plans to depart the US and return to Australia, I decided I needed to finish off the job and visit the other three states. North Dakota is the first of those.
Two Days in North Dakota
West Fargo
After my flight to from Los Angeles to Fargo via Chicago, I picked up my hire car and drove to my hotel in West Fargo. It was late in the afternoon, so I took a short walk around the area to qcclimatize myself to my new environment. I had expected an oldy sleepy town. Instead, what I found was a very new and modern suburb. Evidence that the local economy was strong. Apart from a lot of signs pointing out I was in Fargo and North Dakota, I could have been in any number of other US cities in middle America.
Fargo
After a good night’s sleep I ventured into downtown Fargo for a look. Downtown Fargo was distinctly different, and more like what I had been expecting. There was the wild-west cowboy theme characterized by icons such as saloon bars, bison, and cowboys. And there was also the strong presence of the railway that ran through town.
Hamburgers
Fargo was nice, but there was only a limited number of things to do. Drinking beer in a saloon was one option, but I was driving and staying a far way out of town in West Fargo. I noticed the food choices seemed to be dominated by pizza shop and hamburger joints, and decided now would be a good time to start chronicling the many burger chains that are present here, and elsewhere across the US. In Australia there is Maccas and Hungry Jacks, and not much else. In the US, I have learned over time, there is an almost endless variety of burger brands.
Fire Hydrants
The fire hydrants in town caught my attention when I noticed they all seemed to have a long red pole attached to them. It took me a while, and then I realized this was a reflection on the cold weather here. When it snows, fireman need to be able to locate the fire hydrants shen they have been covered by snow. I would see this again when I visited Montreal a few days later, only they had much longer poles (I assume because they get even more snow).
