September 18, 2016
Turtle River State Park is in a heavily wooded river valley just west of Grand Forks. Turtle River is a surprising contrast to the open agricultural lands dominating eastern North Dakota. The historic 784-acre park draws visitors throughout the year who want to enjoy the park’s natural beauty and diverse recreational opportunities. Park guests enjoy shaded picnic areas and secluded camping sites. There are 10 miles of trails carved through the forested hills and along the Turtle River.
Established in 1934, Turtle River State Park was among the new parks built in North Dakota by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a “New Deal” program created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to provide economic relief. During the “Great Depression” of the 1930’s, young men joined the CCC to earn a paycheck and create long-lasting public works projects benefitting all citizens.
An ancient glacial lake helped form the geological features of eastern North Dakota and Turtle River State Park. At the end of the Great Ice Age, vast amounts of glacial melt–water flowed south across ND, creating glacial Lake Agassiz covering much of eastern North Dakota, western Minnesota and a large area in Canada. As the lake receded from the eastern portion of the park, two large prominent ridges, known as Campbell Beach, were formed by wave action along the shore.
The entire park is a nature sanctuary and harbors an abundance of plant and animal life. The river’s name is derived from the mud and snapping turtles found in the stream. Sadly, we didn’t see any turtles…
Campsite 30
We chose Turtle River State Park, in part, because the turtle is Patti’s totem animal – we definitely had to check it out for Patti. We arrived at Turtle River campsite around 11am – since it was Sunday most sites were empty or would empty out by 1pm, checkout time. When we arrive at a campground we drive through the ‘possibilities’ for our hotel accommodations for the night(s). These sites, at the ‘Turtle’, are narrow compared to other state parks. The really good thing; was that they were all pull-thrus, so no backing up was necessary. I did however have to keep an eye on overhead limbs.
The facility had about 20 sites in the south loop (the north loop was closed for construction). The road is like a figure 8 and we drove both sides, to choose our site, very slowly. When we finally chose our site I was going the wrong direction for the door – we wanted it to open away from the other 2 campers. So, all-in-all, we toured the 20 sites 3 times… We got a few, not so pleasant, stares and some smiles, but we got it the way that we wanted it, so who cares what they think!!!
Setting up for the night, has become second nature; since we both have our jobs it goes pretty smoothly. That was NOT the case in the beginning! Thankfully, we are past all that, in our 1 ¾ year Gypsy journey.
We hung out for the afternoon, I took a walk with my camera and Patti tried to get the kinks out of her neck. Dinner was low-key and we stayed up late: me writing the blog and Patti reading and sorting some papers. We had to be very careful when we were walking because there were signs all over saying “stay on the mowed paths, poison ivy is everywhere.”
So I was very careful where I stepped, and watched for vines crossing my path or hanging down. Another issue to look out for, were the hornets and mosquitos. At one point when I went out to the truck, there were no less that 20 hornets swarming the engine of the truck, probably for the warmth. Patti and I had to quickly get in and out of Rosalita to not let the flying critters inside.
After breakfast the next morning, we took a drive to find Karen’s Kuchens. Kuchens (pronounced Ku hens – the ‘c’ is silent… then why put the c in the word, duh?), are made for weddings, they are actually called Wedding Kuchens. We drove to Larimore to a small market, Millers, where the park ranger said they were on the shelf. They were not, so we called Karen and went to her house to pick one up… just to see and taste them. They come in lots of flavors; cinnamon/sugar, almond cream, red eye (anise/cherry), apple, prune, cottage cheese, and about 30 more. Patti bought an individual almond cream and I had the apricot (which only came in the 8” size). The Kuchens look like a quiche, but are a sweet treat, although not too sweet. They are custard-filled with the natural flavors added. The crust is graham cracker and about 1/3” thick. They were delicious! I was hoping they were from Sweden, (I now know I am 31% Scandinavian) hoping to sample foods of my ancestors. Sadly, for me, they are German. Karen and her husband Ken have a lovely place just outside the town of Larimore… green, green and more green, surrounded by tall pines (more green) for a wind break. Ken was telling us, in the winter the north winds swirl around inside the wind break and dump all the snow in their yard. Nature, gotta love her.
Heading back to camp with one Kuchen warming on the dashboard of the truck to thaw, can’t wait to try them. They were delicious, that’s all.
The small town of Larimore held a few interesting building; the old farm barn and silo, the huge Farmer’s Grain Storage and a Police Thin Blue Line flag, which I had to look up to see what it was.
After a lazy rest of the afternoon, and hooking Gypsy and Rosalita up for our next adventure – we will sleep soundly in the arms of nature tonight.
Next stop… Minnesota
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