In 1997 East Grand Forks, Minnesota, and its big sister city, Grand Forks, North Dakota were devastated by a major flood of the Red River of the North. Nearly every home was damaged and whole neighborhoods were wiped out. One local told us that everyone in the area speaks of time in terms of before the flood, or after the flood. One of those neighborhoods, Sherlock Park, has been turned into the Red River State Recreation Campground, immediately adjacent to downtown. That’s where we parked our T@B 400 on Site #1 for a mere two nights. We definitely could have stayed longer. We loved the short walk into downtown and although there was a huge number of inviting eateries within range we got hooked on The Blue Moose which offers some delicious dark beers and yummy burgers. We also took advantage of the opportunity to run some errands since we’re in a bigger community. We crossed the river into North Dakota to get a haircut for Steve, then back on the Minnesota side we checked out the Local Ace Hardware store for a cutoff valve for our shower head and a caddy for our shampoos and conditioners. At Cabela’s we found some bear spray and Thermacell cartridges that we hope to continue not needing. The best part of the whole stay though was an invitation to visit with Doc and Sue. We met her when she offered some excellent expertise while we were shopping at the hardware store. In the course of the conversation she mentioned a unique jewelry box that Doc had made for her and we asked her to send us a picture of it. Instead she invited us to visit and see it in person. We got so much more. The jewelry chest will inspire us to devise a display of Steve’s handiwork at home but we will particularly treasure the friendship offered to us that evening. It just helps to underline our belief that good people are everywhere.
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