home sweet home

June 23, 2007 at 9:05 am · Filed under travel

I was home for about a week not so long ago. I really wished I had a camera so I could do a visual posting about Minot, ND. But I don’t have a camera so I am just going to describe a few of my favorite sights from home.

1. The “ELK MEAT” sign:

In my opinion, this sign is the most amusing thing in Minot. It’s a big and blue with a majestic-looking elk head on it. Below is the phone number you call to get the meat. This is really as straightforward and simple as a sign could be. The weird thing is its location. You’d expect such a sign on the edge of town, but this one is right across the street from the high school in a used car lot. The only building on the lot is seemingly for the car dealership, but the “ELK MEAT” sign indicates that perhaps the structure has multiple purposes. I guess it’s more likely that someone at the dealership runs a meat processing business on the side and uses the space for advertising, but I’ve never called the number so I’ll likely never know. I don’t really want to know either - the enigma only adds to the sign’s charm. My brother has a picture of this somewhere; I’ve asked him to send it to me so readers can experience the “ELK MEAT” sign in its full glory.

2. Anything to do with trains

Minot is a railroad town so there are trains going through at all hours of the day. My favorite thing about the trains is the accompanying infrastructure like viaducts, old wooden pedestrian walkways over the tracks, and a huge trestle bridge just outside of town (sorry, this was the only picture I could find of it - you’ll have to use your imagination to remove the guy in front). The trains are sometimes covered with nice graffiti, too. During this trip, I saw a train where every single box car was tagged; at one point there was a mural that stretched between two adjacent cars.

3. The Scandinavian Heritage Center

I can’t remember when the town started really developing this park. Once upon a time there was just a small A-frame hut that served as Minot’s tourist information center; now the place is landscaped and loaded with attractions. The park includes a replica of a Norwegian Gol Stave church, a big Swedish Horse, and statues of famous people. The Hans Christian Andersen statue is my favorite. I wonder if the powers that be realized they included a gay vegetarian in their park.

4. Various signs saying “GUNS” with an arrow

There is a really nice one by my parents’ new place - huge red letters and an arrow pointing right to the store’s door. No misleading advertising there.

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2 Comments

  1. maya said,

    June 25, 2007 @ 6:38 am

    I learned yesterday, while reading my InStyle magazine on my cross-country flight, that actor Josh Duhamel, famous for such gems as “Win a Date With Tad Hamilton” and being Fergie’s boytoy, was born in Minot, ND.

    Anyway, I think I need to visit Minot. Soon.

  2. towniewannabe said,

    June 25, 2007 @ 7:10 am

    Dude, our moms taught at the same junior high school. I used to play with his sister on the school’s gymnastics equipment when I was little.

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