Lewis n Clark slept near here...

The wind died off as we headed west on Hwy 5, out of Morhall, ND and spent a bit of time in Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge at Kenmare, ND.  I learned they opened up one of the scenic drives along the Des Lacs lakes only 2 weeks each year and I hit it just right.  

(9/19/2016)

the reason they open it is so everyone can come and view the fall foliage!

the wind picked back up so birds were staying down mostly but flushing when I got close...

Saw plenty of Gr Blue Herons, and  Gr. Egrets, Canada Geese, D. C. Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls, Ruddy Duck, Ring Necked Duck, Mallard, Northern Shovelers, but nothing new to me.  

The scenery was brilliant!

There is an 11 mile driving loop and it's really a fun drive...

The trees are brilliant while the grasses are done for the year,.

Nearby was the town of Kenmare and in the town park spotted this Danish styled windmill it was built in 1902  by immigrant Christian Jensen, and was used to grind grain! 

this north-western region of ND has vast grain fields and has been a mainstay of the economy for centuries.  A close look across the lake and you can see the community of Kenmare...settled by the Scandinavians and incorporated in 1897 population is roughly 1,200 people. 

here's a few of the old buildings I admired as I continued to travel west on Hwy 5 almost to the MT line in fact only 5 or so miles from it..

I'm headed to the State Historic Site called Writing Rock.  

I was thrilled to find a Vesper Sparrow along the roadside here. 

Someone went to a lot of trouble to paint lovely murals on the large rocks by the roadside...like this one

Wilma took me around my a$$ to get to my elbow, but it was a pretty drive,

  I saw the writing rock on Ancient Aliens! It is believed these 2 granite rock petroglyphs could be 1,000 yrs old. 

the glyph depicts what looks like a Thunderbird...

and there is a second stone with similar carvings, it was originally 200 ft away but was moved beside the larger one and they now rest inside a stone house for protection. 

The site has a picnic shelter, a playground and a baseball field 

some people say the rocks are a hoax, and the people on the Ancient Aliens TV Show said they are probably carved by natives who had encounters with space aliens and the pictures depict a craft of some kind,  I think they are old rocks carved by Native Americans. 

It was a cool spot to see...then I turned South and spent 2 days at Lewis and Clark State Park.  A very nice park by the Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea .  Lewis and Clark camped near here and this is on the Lewis and Clark Trail. 

Plenty of sites were available as the park was in it's off season.  

All the sites were level, had a table and electric, the bath house had hot showers and was clean, but not heated brrrr.

 I ended up staying here 2 days because I had to get a , tire, wheel alignment, and  an oil change.  I drove down to Williston for that, and to get breakfast in one of their hip coffee shops.  Williston has that feel of  "Western"  its a really nice downtown area, but again the nearby oil fields have ruined the beauty of the area I really hope they can get them out of there soon.  

the Sakakawea Lake with the ND Badlands behind it.  I got up early and Casey and I did some sight seeing around the park in between our appointments to get the van serviced.   

one of the short hikes we took, one thing I enjoyed is they mowed a wide path in the prairie grass to make walking easier.  This is the tent campers area right by the water, they have cabins to rent also..

Casey Approved! 

I enjoyed watching the Western Grebes down by the marina and boat launch area...

And some Green Pheasant in the grass by the campground...can you find 3 in this shot?

then the beautiful male came right out in the open...

this is the national bird of Japan so of course they were introduced into NA for hunting and feather for hats! Normally we see the ringed neck but this one has no rings!

 these are white tailed deer...they sure can run fast!

the view by the water is amazing...and so are the trees and shrubs

how about this wooden arch? Pretty cool...

I would def recommend this park if you have a boat, even better, you can cruise the river.  

From here I was not far from Theodore Roosevelt National Park and my next planned stop. 

UP NEXT----->

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.