Today we thought we might have trouble getting around as heavy traffic was expected as it was the Memorial Day holiday.
First port of call today was the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes Tour. We both remember the TV series “Little House on the Prairie” (just) and were aware of the series of children’s books of the same name, but not of Laura’s background. Well we are now! It was fascinating to hear of Ingall’s life which gave her the experiences on which she based her books; but also an insight into the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the people in the late 1800s, moving from job to job, following developments such as the building of the railroads, farming hardships, etc. The docent certainly knew her stuff, and reading the supplementary information on the walls was pretty redundant. We got a good feeling for the hardships of Prairie life. It also surprised us that Laura didn’t actually start writing the books until she was into her 60s.
A brief stop for lunch broke the 200 mile journey to Fargo. We’re here basically to ensure we visited North Dakota and Nebraska! Called in at the Visitor Center to see the notorious woodchipper from the 1996 comedy film “Fargo”, by the Cohen Brothers. Also discovered a Celebrity Walk Of Fame with celebrity signatures and hand / footprints preserved in cement. It was started by a local man in the early 80’s, but when he ran out of room it was moved to the Convention & Visitors Center. Some fairly famous names, including Bert & Ernie (from Sesame Street) and a pretty famous singer called Neil Diamond.
Bill & Dawn's Travel Tales 