Knife River Indian Villages NHS, North Dakota

We took a little day trip, just a few hours away, to see the site of this historic village...

The one where Lewis and Clark spent the first winter of their expedition.  October 1804 thru April 1805...

Where they found friendship and invaluable help from the folks living there...

Sacagawea, her husband Charbonneau, the French-Canadian fur trader, and their baby son lived in this village...

ariel view of the village sites today...those circles are where the earth lodges used to be

When the expedition left in the spring of 1805, Sacagawea and her little family went with them as interpreters and guides...

After successfully reaching the Pacific Ocean, the party returned to this village in North Dakota in the summer of 1806.  Sacagawea and family stayed here, in their home, while Lewis and Clark continued on back east to report to President Jefferson.  Such rich history in such a quiet place...

In the Visitor Center, there was a virtual classroom going on.  One of the Rangers was teaching a class of children in Kansas, which is pretty cool.  I would have loved a lesson like that when I was in school :)!

When we left the historic site, we took a country road up towards Minot.  This church along the river caught our eye and we pulled in for a closer look.  Built in 1889...there are quite a few of these older beauties up here...

A stop at the Garrison Dam...

...and then on to Minot.  Living in Williston, there aren't many choices for eating out.  So, we pretty much don't...which isn't a bad thing.  Anyway, I had planned to treat the kids to a meal in Minot.  Whatever they wanted...I'm thinking Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Five Guys...something like that.  You know what these monkeys picked?  Burger King.  For real...hahaha!  What can I say, at least it was cheap ;)...