Hazen Last Thoughts and Move to East Grand Forks, MN

We made the move from Hazen, North Dakota to East Grand Forks, Minnesota on Friday.  No problems, followed US Route 2 across North Dakota.  Couple of thoughts about Hazen, North Dakota.

The town is small (2,620 people) but wealthy.  Many folks work in the energy field - coal mines, coal fired electricity plants (5 of them in close proximity), natural gas pipe lines, wind farms going in, and in various industries that support the above.  The homes are cute, well maintained, only saw a handful that needed some TLC, but for the most part, very nice.  And some are very, very large.

Flat, long roads, in great condition regardless of terrible winters

Bye Bye Missouri River - maybe see you next summer in Montana

And bye bye Lewis and Clark Trail

More coal burning, electric producing power plants

Bye bye coal strip mines (I called this beast Big Bertha)

Growing up in a small town, I know what it is like to sneeze and someone calls and asks if you are feeling well, everyone knows everyone's business.  Same in this town. Fourth of July competition - big time.  You could purchase fireworks and set them off as long as you were done by 11:30pm.  Which they were not but who is going to enforce this?  July 3rd was the town's display, was okay, but then at the same time at least 6 others were firing off theirs, and we agreed the 'others' were much better.  Then came the 4th.  Oh my goodness!  At one point we counted 12 different people shooting off their fireworks, and our neighbor even got into the act and stepped out and shot off a couple.  Our poor cats - they were a wreck.  But we feel we saw and did some neat things while here.

Lake Sakakawea to left, Lake Audubon to right

Yellow fields of canola with prairie potholes all over 

Large wind farms scattered around in North Dakota

Flat, lonely US Route 2 heading east

Left Friday morning in overcast skies and headed eastbound and then north to Minot where we picked US Route 2 east again, Route 2 runs from Seattle, Washington to New York, New York.  Nice drive, boring, but no problems.  Lots of prairie potholes with water in them and these little lakes did not show up on our GPS.  We now understand what we were looking at 8 years ago, all the water which we attributed it to flooding where in essence, potholes, drying up as the summer goes on.

In Rugby, North Dakota, passed the geographic center of North America

Crop dusting going on

8 years ago Devil's Lake was messed up with construction - still the same!

Devil's Lake was quite high

Don't spray us!!!

East Grand Forks has a sister city, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and the two cities share a vibrant community.  An Air Force Base is here, lots of shopping, 3 city parks which we are in one of them located against the Red River of the North, and the name Grand Forks (and East) come from where the Red River of the North combines with the Red Lake River right by us here in town.  It's also the state boundary between the two.  Only here for a couple of days before heading to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota.

Bridge over the forks of the rivers - campground to the right after
crossing into Minnesota

Good size river