Category Archives: Around Bismarck-Mandan

The Fort Lincoln rip-off, and the night of ten ticks

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Out on a drive the other night, I decided to see how the blockhouses would look at sunset. I had my family with me in the truck, and we went good ol’ Fort Lincoln. I like North Dakota parks and the opportunity to support and enjoy them, but I have to give Fort Lincoln a big “thumbs down” for this trip.

It’s five bucks to get into the park. If you approach after hours, just slip a fiver into one of the envelopes at the gate and drop it in the slot. That’s what I typically do. Then you’re free to roam about the park, including a short drive up the hill to the blockhouses. The only problem is: the gates to the blockhouses were locked! There’s a sign next to them indicating “GATES LOCKED AT DARK.” Fine, but it wasn’t even close to dark yet. This is the second time this has happened to me, and I’m getting really tired of not getting my money’s worth. In fact, on my desk I have a ND State Historical Society Foundation membership form ready to send in. Part of the benefits include free admission to state historic sites. What good would that be if the gates continue to be locked?

My wife is a saint. She said that if I wanted to hike up the hill instead, grab a quick couple of shots when the sun got to the horizon, and bolt back down…well, that was fine with her. I did so, not really getting any decent shots at all, but collecting TEN wood ticks. It was almost a tick a minute on that hike, since I had forgotten to apply any insect repellent. I found nine that night and one the next morning. I was working on a DVD and felt a tickle on my neck and…YIKES! Then I had the creepy-crawlies all day long.

If you’re thinking about going out to Fort Lincoln, just park on the north end and hike in for free. You’ll save five bucks and achieve the same result. And don’t forget to take a can of OFF or another type of tick repellent. They’re crazy this year!

Sandbar fire

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It was hard to miss the giant plume of smoke billowing skyward as I drove from Mandan to Bismarck last night. A quick peek from the river’s edge revealed a lot of activity along the sandbar just north of the Expressway Bridge. I could see rural fire, police, and city fire vehicles lining the access road along the sandbar…to me, this indicated that it was likely NOT a controlled burn. From the news report I caught last night, it was not.

One thing you may not know about the Bismarck Fire Department and Bismarck Forestry Department is that they are actually pretty well equipped to deal with such a threat. They realized the fire danger that exists in areas such as this one (or the woodlands south of the city) and have built fire trails in these areas. The fire trails allow them quick access to places that normally would be a nightmare to reach, and these trails allow them to react quickly to fires that otherwise might burn out of control.

Just such a situation happened south of town a few years back in a very remote are and, thanks to the fire trail, the fire crews were able to react and contain the fire just prior to a nasty wind shift. That wind shift would have driven the fire right into the Tatley Meadows trailer park and brought disaster with it.

Kudos to our local responders! If this had spread under the Expressway Bridge, who knows what kind of complications could have resulted. From what I saw, the crew was able to contain this blaze very quickly.

Identify that statue #9

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I know…it isn’t a statue per se, but it should ring a bell nonetheless. I will say this: it goes back to 1877. I blurred out the inscription on the plaque because that might make it too easy. But even if you know what this bell stands for, even if you know its history, I’m also looking for someone who can tell me where it currently resides. Have fun!

Identify that statue #8

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This one’s going to be super easy because of the background, but it is a relatively new statue. So…have at it! I’m guessing a lot of my readers saw this statue recently, but it’s not like we have a ton of statues around Bismarck-Mandan for me to throw at you. For now, this is my best attempt at stumping you!

Ooops – dry cleanup, aisle 3

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This is the reason the intersection of 3rd Street and Memorial Highway was closed for a while this afternoon. The person driving the semi apparently cut the corner too sharp, catching the guard rail and ripping open one of the belly chutes of his trailer. The contents began to spill out, which is why you can see another truck on the other side (armed with an auger) assisting with the cleanup.

We’ve all had days like this, haven’t we? Everybody makes mistakes, it’s just that the guys with the CDLs (Commercial Drivers Licenses) that tend to make the really big ones. After all, they drive the biggest vehicles!

Mandan Library: I miss the old building

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I know it was time for a new building. The old one was small, deteriorating, and lacking accessibility for people with disabilities (you can’t say handicapped any more or you’re a hatemonger). But it’s a shame to see the old building go the way it has.

For those of you who remember this building, or even better – were able to spend time here as kids, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It was fun to play on the steps before going in or after coming out, with the slanted concrete along the steps. There was a narrow spiral staircase leading to the children’s section downstairs, tucked into such a narrow nook that it looked like Bruce Wayne built it for secret crime fighting purposes. Then there’s just the old familiarity of the place and the ladies that staffed it. So there’s the old sentimentality kicking in.

I don’t know how the building is being used now, but it sure looks dilapidated inside, with stuff strewn all over the place. I’d hate to see it torn down, which I guess has been on someone’s agenda for a while. There’s a shortage of truly historic buildings in the Bismarck-Mandan area; only Mandan seems to have an interest in keeping them around. I’d prefer to see the old Mandan Library become a museum or something of sorts…then I could show my little boy some of the features that I loved about the place when I was a boy.

Hold onto your tummy: Thrill Hill

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If you grew up in Mandan, you’re likely no stranger to what the kids have affectionately termed “Thrill Hill.” I have no idea how long it’s been named such, but it already sported that moniker over twenty years ago when I first got my license. Whoa. I just realized I’ve been driving for over two decades! That must mean I’m…………….old.

Okay, I’m back. This innocent looking street holds a real “whee” at the end, so it’s no surprise that people discovered it and treat it like an amusement ride. It’ll put your heart in your throat right quick! This street is a long upward slope, but it drops off pretty good on the other side.

Photographs simply cannot do the backside of this hill justice. Believe me, I tried several angles. The crest of the hill is really nothing remarkable…if you’re not sure you’re on the real Thrill Hill, you’ll think you missed it! Just as that thought crosses your mind, the road drops out from under you. Whee.

The bottom of this photo has snow on the roadway, otherwise you’d see hundreds of scrapes as cars hit the dip at the end of the block. Whether it’s for drainage or speed control I don’t know; but apparently people are still hitting it with some gusto. Just as the road falling away will bring your heart into your stomach, piling into this dip will drop it back into place!

This post is kinda for the “insiders” who know where Thrill Hill is. You see, I’m not going to tell you…that would be encouraging you to try it, and quite frankly it’s dangerous. While it’s fun even at legal speeds, for some reason no mere mortal can resist going much faster. I like my readers, I’m certainly not going to send them to their doom! I need you folks.

Before I got my license, I was a passenger in a car that flew (quite literally) over this hill at speeds that would probably have cost the driver his license. Later on in life, my friend Tony and I explored it on our motorcycles and scared ourselves silly – there’s not much keeping motorcycles from going airborne, we discovered – and I haven’t done anything reckless on it in many, many years. I guess now I think like an adult, a dad, and a homeowner.

So if you want to find it, you’re on your own. If you’ve got your own Thrill Hill stories, I’d love to hear about them.

Unexpected landscape

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Do you ever try to picture our city through the eyes of a first time visitor? I do, because it really helps pick out features that we see every day but somehow fail to notice.

It should be obvious from the nature of my photography that I’m big on landscapes and other such features. That’s why I was actually startled at the view from State Street and Divide Avenue yesterday. While sitting at a stoplight wondering why the punk in the Civic next to me thought I was interested in a race, I glanced out over the south horizon. We’ve got hills dotted with snow, the sky was red with the waning sunset…it almost had a southwestern feel to it! Yet there I was, right in the middle of my home town, facing a view of it that I’d never given much consideration.

This area of North Dakota is hardly the smooth expanse of endless prairie that it’s thought to be; we have hills, rocks, valleys, and other features that somehow seem to escape mention. I’ve found a few such places recently and have had a ton of fun poking around therein. It just goes to show that there’s plenty about our home that we don’t know, it’s only a matter of changing your perspective.