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National North Dakota Day 2025
We’ve got summer-like spring weather for National North Dakota Day. I definitely remember my time there in rather an opposite condition.
🌬️ A Land Of Perpetual Wind 🍃
Why not Minot? Freezin’s the reason! ~Anyone Who Has Ever Been There
Back in early 1986, I received my orders to report to Minot AFB for duty as a Crew Chief on the KC-135A in-air refueling vehicle.
When I left Sheppard AFB in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, it was warm and sunny (much like today).
Arriving at the airport in Minot, it was -40°F with the wind chill factor. That’s somewhat redundant to say.
North Dakota = Wind.
Of course, this is a wonderful resource if you plan to install windmills.
One would need to ensure that the brutally cold temperatures dished out by this lovely prairie state won’t freeze the moving parts to seize up your windmill.
Well, I acclimated to the environment rather quickly.
It was like a homeland made just for me.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay as long as I’d have liked.
It did, however, turn me into a near-replica of Mr. Freeze.
I completely lost the ability to tolerate summer conditions.
I’d be very happy to have a refrigerated suit to wear like the DC supervillain.
As it stands, I have a fan pointed at me for the majority of the time, even in bed.
I have no problem taking a walk in 20°F conditions around here, but anything over 55 is like an unbearable sauna to me.
That’s what I took away from the beautiful state of North Dakota.
It Is Beautiful Despite The Cold
Top 10 Best Places to Visit in NORTH DAKOTA 2025 | US Travel Guide
I had a few opportunities to leave the base and run around town while I was there, but there is so much more to North Dakota than the sleepy railtown of Minot.
I’ve heard of the Badlands and have seen some pictures, but I really don’t have a fair feel of the state. Perhaps I’ll get back to correct that some day.
There are so many natural and historical wonders in America that one could barely see a fraction of them in a lifetime.
Of course, that requires one to go outside and I tend to avoid that at all costs. I’m just not an outside guy.
Never have been. Never will be. Sorry, not sorry. 
🥏 Can’t Play Frisbee There 🚫
Anybody who has stood on the prairie in North Dakota has felt the force of the wind and knows that our state has an inexhaustible supply of wind power. The potential here to create jobs and draw millions of dollars in new investment to North Dakota is enormous. ~Kent Conrad
‘Twas an Easter weekend afternoon when my friends and I went out for a friendly game of frisbee.
Little did we know, it’s not possible. You cannot play any kind of a game of frisbee in North Dakota.
I’d throw it to Dwayne and the thing would get about halfway to him before cutting a sharp 90 and whistling off into the distance.
We’d run and go get it. Trying again, he throws it to me. Same deal. Halfway to me and whoosh, gone on a perpendicular gust.
One can only fight futility for so long, so we found something else to do.
I think North Dakota would be a splendid location for writing. It’s quiet, spread out and homey.
The locals I got to interact with were friendly, decent people.
Nowadays, in my home sweet home of Pennsylvania, I still see the occasional gust of wind but it’s not the perpetual companion that it is in flatter locales like Central Illinois and North Dakota.
Sadly, I don’t have a clever, thematic segue to the subject of writing here. I was hoping something would come to me, but no.
So, much like that frisbee suddenly flying off on a tangent, let me jump to my usual talk on writing that occurs in this part of the post.
I’ve been spending a lot of T&E on The Sentinels: New Blood lately.
I’m on Chapter 45 of 60 and have reached the cusp of a few turning points in the story.
Things will really start speeding up and threatening to jump off the rails.
There have been some action scenes and a lot of character development, but this is after all a superhero story.
Chaos is expected and chaos will be delivered.
That’s all for today and I shall see thee anon upon Wednesday, a day most nobly set aside for 🎭 players and scholars 🎓 of the English tongue. 📜