When you approach Mandan from the south on Highway 6, and you’re anxious to get back to town, this is a welcome sight. To me it’s always meant that, for all intents and purposes, I’m back in Mandan.

This farm belongs to my friend’s family. The last time I was out there was probably in high school, where we had an amazing dinner – one where the roast is slow-cooked underground – and I nearly eviscerated myself while playing on the trampoline without dragging it away from the wire fence.

I don’t know where she is these days; I lost track with a lot of friends when I went incognito for a couple of years back in the late 80s. I went back to my beloved Rocky Mountains and dropped off the radar for a while in between television jobs. When I came back, it had become hard to find some of the old gang. Facebook is helping me get in touch with people from years past, and that’s proven to be quite fun. Hopefully some of the people I knew from high school (or my notorious high-adrenaline days after college) find their way back to this site and get a glimpse of the ol’ stompin’ grounds.

One cool thing about the legislative session is that the parking rules on the state capitol grounds change, which explains the bag over this NO PARKING sign adjacent to the capitol mall. LD80, or Legislative Day #80, arrives on May 6th this year according to the calendar on the state website. After that, some convenient areas available for parking now will once again be off limits. Of course, there will be fewer people vying for those spots.

I remember a time back in the early 90s when my car was hit by an inattentive driver on the capitol grounds. I had parked near the State Library to return some books, and came out to find my driver’s side door pushed in. They backed into it with their van, then accused me of parking illegally (thus making it my fault). I pointed out to the highway patrol officer writing the report that, due to the legislature being in session, I was not parked illegally and the guy should have been looking where he was backing up. The officer agreed and noted so in his report.

A short while later I got a call from the guy’s insurance company indicating that they were refusing to pay my damages because their insured told them I was parked illegally. I referred the person to the policy regarding parking during the session, and they agreed to pay to fix my car.

It’s a bit of an odd phenomenon to see signs bagged like this, but here’s the explanation. Two more interesting North Dakota facts: the parking meter was invented in North Dakota, and parking meters are illegal in North Dakota!

What can I say? Been jammin’ to some classic Sammy Hagar on the ol’ iPod while doing dishes, and it made me think of this photo. I recently processed it for a photo contest with the theme of “Red” as well. Say…maybe Brian was listening to some Sammy when he thought up the theme…

These berries hang from a tree on the North Dakota State Capitol grounds, one of my favorite hangouts ever. When I was in high school and for a short while after, that was my favorite haunt. I had a lot of friends there, and it’s a great place to hang out at night. I particularly enjoyed reading on the steps of the library, playing frisbee in the parking lot, or coloring (yes, box of 64) under the lights. These days I think loitering near the capitol at night will get you thrown out or fined. Too bad…it’s a waste of a great place.

If you’ve crossed the new Memorial Bridge at night, you’ve probably seen this monument lit brightly on the Mandan side of the river. Now that the bridge has been formally dedicated, flags adorn the tops of the flag poles in the center, and the area is nearing completion. If I remember correctly, a small section of bridge span will be placed here sometime in the future.

I love my ultra-wide angle lens, by the way. It’s the only way to make such a shot possible. Obviously there’s some perspective distortion in the corners, but I think it’s a nice photographic effect.

This stone, bearing a memorial placard, has been placed beneath the flags. The stone stood by the old bridge as long as I can remember. I don’t know if it’s been there since 1924, like the metal placard it bears. There a stone like this for each end of the bridge, and I am sure Bismarck’s will be placed in an appropriate position once the debris of the old bridge is cleared and work on the Bismarck memorial begins. I wonder if the park on the Bismarck side will be the same as the one on the Mandan side? I sure hope so.

One neat feature of this monument is that it shoots a beam of light skyward at night. It’s most visible during those cold fall and winter nights, when we get a slight haze in the air. That’s pretty much every night during a North Dakota winter. That’s one more reason why I hope a second such monument is placed on the Bismarck side; we’ll have two columns of light shooting straight upward, similar to the monument at the site of the fallen World Trade Center buildings.

One other interesting feature is the text of the memorial placard, which thanks “our sons and daughters who died in the World War that liberty might live.” When this memorial was made in 1924, there had been only one “World War.” If they only knew of the display of valor yet to come.

This bridge is open for traffic, but I expect far more wonderful things from it down the road. This monument area is nearly completed, but I think they’ll be adding some signage and a chunk of the old bridge. I also look forward to seeing what is built on the Bismarck side of the river, once all the pulverized concrete is trucked away and construction can begin. In the mean time, it’s worth a chilly walk to see how things are taking shape as the new Liberty Memorial Bridge serves the second part of its important purpose: honoring our nation’s veterans.

I needed a photo of these three explorers for a video project I’m working on. You’ll probably recognize it when you see it, and there’s a good chance many of you will see it soon. The thing is, I needed a night shot with a clear sky. North Dakota winters are often quite hazy, so I was happy to see the clear dark sky last night. I ventured out in the cold with my trusty camera, snapped the shots, and hustled back to the warm truck.

Every year, certain Dairy Queen restaurants in Bismarck close for the winter. This year is no exception. Some years in the past, the only perennial DQ in our area was in Mandan. Not so these days; there’s also the one on east Expressway Avenue, next door to my beloved Taco del Mar.

First the leaves along River Road start to yellow, and now this! I’ll cling tenaciously to the summer/fall blend as long as I can, but when I sense it’s gone, I’ll charge full bore toward Christmas! And I won’t have far to drive to get my Dilly Bars!