Greater Grand Forks


Pedestrian Bridge across the Red River in the Greater  Grand Forks Greenway

This is a great spot. We are camped in the Red River Recreation Area on FHU for at least a week ( I think I will add a day) . This campground is part of the Greater Grand Forks Greenway that was developed along the Red River as a result of the devastating flood of 1997.  I am going to do a post about that and all the measures Grand Forks and East Grand Forks took after that flood. This is something of great interest to me after the flood of 2008 in Cedar Rapids (where we lived for 35 years). I think CR could have learned a lot from this area and my opinion is the missed a great opportunity.
Ralph Engelstad Arena, where UND plays hockey


The statue of Sitting Bull outside the arena
Part of the Greenway is a system of bike trails. In two days we put on almost 35 miles on bike trails here.  Yesterday we did part of the Greenway and then took a trail that took us out to UND. We wanted to see their hockey arena because we had heard so much about it from both Kevin and Brady who lived with us. It definitely is a large and beautiful facility and we can say that without seeing the inside, except for the gift shop. Recently the arena had a fire in a group of speakers and they are repairing the damage before the season so we weren’t actually allowed to go in the arena itself. John has coworkers and friends who graduated from UND and there was some controversy around the building of this rink. Seems the NCAA wants UND to give up the name Fight Sioux and the guy who built this for the U found that ridiculous. He felt that the name was actually a tribute to the mighty Sioux nation and to Sitting Bull so he made sure the logo was emblazoned everywhere at the rink so it would be difficult to remove it . From what we have been told they are still in litigation over the issue. Wish we could have seen the inside.
The dedication on the statue of Sitting Bull 

A Fisher

On our bike ride one of the other cool things was spotting a creature we had never seen before.I did get one shot of it and then we went online to try to identify it. Its face looks a little like a bear but its body reminded us more of a mink. After researching  we found out it is a Fisher, which is a relative of the weasel.  The Minnesota wildlife site said it is strong enough to take on a porcupine. It is fairly reclusive so we are lucky to see one. Cool.



The park is right next to downtown East Grand Forks MN and you take a short walk to restaurants, a movie theater and a Cabela’s. We have been in Cabela’s twice already., bought a new chair and I got a new pair of hiking shorts, identical to the pair I already have and love. We also stopped downtown Grand Forks ( right across the river, also easy walking distance) at a place called Dakota Home Bakers. The sign inside says locally owned and locally grown foods. We just had coffee but I also bought a loaf of bread that we will have for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow there is a farmer’s market on the ND side so want to get there in the morning. We may have to take a day off the bikes, our behinds need a rest. It is so good to be out biking again and I hope soon we will be able to tolerate some longer rides. There are many bike trails on this route we have chosen. Minnesota has an amazing bike trail system.  so until tomorrow...

Happy Trails............................................

Comments

  1. RV Khronicles of KevelynAugust 19, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    Sounds like a great place. Korey told us about the lawsuit regarding the name of the hockey arena. Don't people have anything better to do??? The bike trails sound like so much fun. We love to ride our bikes, but there rarely seem to be bike trails near us. Enjoy your stay!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RickAugust 19, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    Thanks for the interesting pics of the Grand Forks area. I grew up in Winnipeg Manitoba and have been to Grand Forks on many occasions. We're also very familiar with the Red River as it flows right thru the city of Winnipeg.

    It's great to see that Grand Forks has made so many improvements following the 1997 floods.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jim and SandieAugust 19, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    I would definitely think after 35 miles that your behinds do deserve a rest. Cabela's can really be a dangerous place. I'm always afraid I'm going to lose Jim there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carol KerrAugust 20, 2011 at 10:25 AM

    Thanks for the update on the Grand Forks area. I grew up outside of Minot and graduated from the rival institution in Fargo, ND. Nice to see things thriving up there.

    ReplyDelete

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