Where everyone knows your name

Two days ago, we entered North Dakota and stayed overnight in Williston, your quintessential small town of 12,000 where everyone knows your name (if you're from there). We stayed with Tom and Dana and their son T.C. who are all cousins of Eric's friend Erik. They are a really nice family and really treated us well.

Uncle Ernie had just celebrated his 90th birthday a few days ago, so we went out to dinner with the rest of their family to celebrate, which was really fun. Eric and I both enjoyed petting the three dogs and talking with the family about North Dakota and our adventures.

They next morning I had the opportunity to go to church, which I really enjoyed. After being on the road for nearly a month, it was very refreshing to hear the word of God and give thanks for making it safe this far. It was also great to eat some juneberry muffins afterwards during coffee hour.

After church, we were treated to a feast of french toast and sausage before heading out. It was another one of those 100 degree days and the 75 mile ride to New Town was quite exhausting, especially since we started at noon during the hottest part of the day. It was a welcome relief when T.C. drove by as we were half way to New Town with cold sports drinks - thanks man!

The unbelievable hospitality continued when we entered Minot, ND, where we're staying tonight with Barb and Tom, Barb who is the niece of my pastor's wife from the church I grew up in in Cleveland. We were greeted with cold drinks and chocolate chip cookies and were treated to an amazing lasagna dinner with peach pie for dessert!

Staying with people has really become one of the major highlights of our trip. No matter how rough or exhausting the day is, arriving "home" to friendly strangers, who treat you like a king with whom you can spend the evening chatting with is indescribably wonderful.

We've discovered that North Dakota is a pretty nice state - at least nicer than eastern Montana. Gone are the shabby bars, one room casinos, and parched prairies, and here are the rolling fields of wheat and sunflowers, oil wells and ICBM underground silos, and sparse but very pleasant, nearly stereotypical small towns.