Mich-again

This morning I woke up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and drove westward into North Dakota. So imagine my surprise when, hours later, I found myself again in Michigan!

Yes, it turns out that a community along Route 2 in North Dakota is named Michigan (pop: 263). The town was founded in 1882 by an emigrant from the state of Michigan. I’m not making this up.

Michigan is barely a wide spot in the road, and the population (such as it is) has been declining for decades. The most notable thing I could learn about the town is that it’s the site of North Dakota’s all-time worst railroad disaster, killing 34 people and injuring over 300. (Two trains collided, carrying mostly returning servicemen.)

But let’s get back to the beginning of the day. The Jeep’s low fuel light came on just as I was passing this colorful, Bavarian-inspired gas station halfway between Grand Rapids and Bemidji.

A small plaque noted that the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. So after fueling up (at $4.19 a gallon–eat your heart out, my fellow Californians!), I asked the gas station manager what’s the story. She told me that the place is called The Big Winnie, that it was built in 1932, that it’s remained in the same family for five generations, and that it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. (A little internet research says that the Frank Llloyd Wright connection is unproven. But FLW did stay in the adjoining cabins on multiple occasions just before the structure was built, and it has FLW design elements, so it’s a plausible theory.)

Replenished with gasoline and coffee, I headed back out on US 2 West. You’ll recall that Sheena at the Judy Garland museum recommended that I visit the headwaters of the Mississippi. It required a 25-minute detour off US 2, which I figured was managable. So before you could say Hernando de Soto (or even Walter Chrysler–get it?), I was standing at the spot where a small stream of water leaves Lake Itasca and begins its journey as the Mississippi.

If you’d been online around 8 am eastern time, you could have watched me on the livestream.

I was now moving into the Great Plains. Some of my loyal readers have commented that this part of the country is exceedingly boring. But you just have to know where to look. For example, I saw this:

Okay, okay–how about this?

Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games on the road today. I did pass a few quiet moments at this roadside chapel in Fosston, Minnesota. It’s only eight feet wide, and (barely) seats eight people on four pews.

Speaking of chapels, near the end of today’s drive I was passing through the town of Lakota, ND (pop: 700). It’s a surprisingly charming and hardy small town, with well-maintained homes and nicely-landscaped parks. As I was driving down a side street I saw this picture-perfect, small Episopal church.

A sign on the front lawn told me that this is the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, and a plaque told me it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. I went to the door hoping that the church might be open to visitors, and then I noticed a man and a woman doing some planting and landscaping work. I introduced myself, and asked if I might be able to look inside. They said sure…but as soon as I opened the door I realized that this was not a church but a private residence! It turns out the two “gardeners” were the owners, who’d purchased the deconsecrated church from the Episcopal diocese in 2015.

Steve and JoAnna Martens (as they introduced themselves) have since been converting this former church into their vacation home. (They live in Fargo the rest of the time.) They graciously showed me around the home and explained its history. It seems that when the church was being organized in 1883, the priest asked parishioners to bring large stones that they may have plowed up from their fields, and these were used to build the church building. It was completed in 1885.

After a pleasant, 45-minute visit I had to get back on the road, but first they let me ring the bell in the belltower. I am grateful for Steve and JoAnna’s hospitality. In this era of Twitter flame wars, they give me hope about us as a people.

So, after leaving this former House of God, guess where my next stop was? Yes, it’s Devil’s Lake, ND (pop: 7,200). And that’s where I’m spending the night. Pray for me.

MONEY-SAVING TIP OF THE DAY

Before we get to the BOTD, let me share with you my money-saving tip for the day. Have an unwanted tree stump in your yard, but don’t want to pay to remove it? Here are two ways to avoid the cost that I saw on display:

BREW OF THE DAY

I couldn’t find a proper brew pub in Devils Lake, so I opted for Mexican food at Charras and Tequila Mexican Restaurant. The fajitas were awesome, but the beer options were abysmal. I opted for a margarita, to which I award 4 stars.