NORTH DAKOTA: BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA HERITAGE CENTER AND SICKIES GARAGE

September 16, 2019

On our last morning in North Dakota, we spent some time in the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum, located on the capitol grounds. Called the "Smithsonian on the plains," the original building opened in 1981, and an expansion that added 127,000 of space was finished in 2014.

 They have a large collection of fossilized remains, including this huge mastodon skeleton.

The displays are creatively placed, often showing the animals in conflict.

This must be a saber-tooth tiger.

This is one ginormous lizard!

The triceratops is one of my favorites, and there is a great specimen in the museum.

This tyrannosaurus is placed to appear to be lunging at the triceratops.

I didn't know North Dakota was an important state for archaeology. I didn't know a LOT of things about North Dakota before going there.

This sea turtle could probably eat me in one bite.

This may be the first time I've seen a killer whale-sized fish as part of an archaeology display.

Check out those teeth!

The museum is not all ancient history. Tribute is paid to many other features of North Dakota Life.  I particularly liked this fiberglass horse in front of a 1936 painting of wild horses by American artist Franck Mechau.

The work, created in 2013, is entitled Tornado. Look closely and you'll see the category F4 tornado that destroyed some North Dakota farms in 2004.

Among other things, the horse also has all of North Dakota's counties painted on it, as well as the state symbols of the meadowlark, the wild prairie rose, and the American elm tree.

I wish I could have brought home this version of Don Quixote, created by Albert Reddig in 1964. Reddig was a North Dakota electrician and farmer who used metal tools and other items from his farm to create 150 metal sculptures.

 A section of the museum is dedicated to the indigenous peoples

I had heard of burial mounds, and it was interesting to see this photo and read about them in North Dakota. There are more than 200 mound cemeteries in the state!

Significant members of local tribes were highlighted. My favorite was #35, whose name was "Pretty Nose."

Tribes on the Northern Plains developed a sophisticated system of gestures to replace spoken words--a forerunner of ASL.

North Dakota is the leading state in wind-generated energy in the country, providing almost twice as much energy per person in the state as Wyoming, which is in second place. Over a quarter of North Dakota's energy comes from wind.

Of course, there HAS to be something about Teddy Roosevelt in the museum. Visitors can go on a ride with him (on a headless steed) or just pose for a photo with him.

There is information about North Dakota's role in the two World Wars  (which they were generally opposed to, partly because of the large number of German settlers in the state). 

There was more--lots of displays about various products made or grown in North Dakota, North Dakota lifestyles over the last 200 years, and so on--but we needed to eat and then catch a plane.

On our way to the airport we stopped at Sickies Garage Burgers and Brew, a small restaurant chain with this site and six more in North Dakota (Fargo), South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Note the windows that look like garage bays and the roof posts made of oil barrels.

This is their specialty, the "Sickie Burger," which doesn't sound that appetizing, does it? But it contains peppered bacon, a fried egg, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and American cheese, and then it is topped with onion rings and a splash of Frank's Red Hot Sauce. WOW.

We had to try one, and it was pretty good. We had a side of sweet potato fries--hard to go wrong there.

In addition, we had buffalo hot wings and Sickies nachos (waffle fries topped with cheese, buffalo chicken, onions, olives, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, and sour cream).

Well, our brief anniversary trip to our 50th state was drawing to a close. We were back at the Bismarck Airport, a little bit more familiar with North Dakota, a state we enjoyed visiting very much and to which we would love to return to some day.

Here's Bob with a Bobcat, which we now understand is headquartered in North Dakota.

Farewell, beautiful North Dakota. You were much more than we expected.

While in North Dakota, we learned of the "Best for Last Club."  Their website says:

If you're on a quest to visit all 50 states, we highly encourage you to save North Dakota for last. Why, you ask? For selfish reasons, really. We want to celebrate with you. We've created a special club especially for people who save the best state (North Dakota) for last, and we want you to join the club.

Travel Ambassadors at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center noticed a trend in travelers looking to visit all 50 states. North Dakota was often the last to be checked off their list! So, from what one might say is an embarrassing fact, the Best for Last Club was born.

Since 2013, the Best for Last Club has become a hit with travelers wanting to visit all 50 states. Shoot people have started to purposely "save" their visit to North Dakota for last . . . .

You can join this elite club by certifying that you have visited all 50 states, with North Dakota being the last, and in return you receive a very cool "Best for Last" t-shirt (mailed to you free of charge), a certificate, and "an occasional round of applause from staffers."  We filled out our paperwork after returning home and emailed it in.

TOTALLY worth it.