The “other” continental divide

Our drive from Grand Forks west to Lake Sakakawea across 2/3 of North Dakota was more scenic than we expected.  Pretty flat, certainly, but there were occasional hills and trees, a variety of crops, and much more surface water than we had imagined.  Along our route were many small ponds and wetlands (“prairie potholes” and “sloughs”).  Particularly stunning were the vast fields covered with vibrant yellow blossoms of mustard and canola.

The broad vistas were fresh and green, thanks to good rain this year.  Somewhere along the way we crossed from the Red River (Arctic) watershed into the Missouri River (Atlantic) watershed at elevation 1619 feet (if I remember correctly).  Since we live so far from the Arctic Ocean, it’s hard to think of any other continental divide besides the dramatic Atlantic/Pacific divide running along the chain of the Rocky Mountains.  The three North American divides (Atlantic/Pacific, Atlantic/Arctic, and Pacific/Arctic) meet at Triple Divide Peak in Montana’s Glacier National Park.

Camped at Lake Sakakawea (a dammed section of the Missouri River), we hiked a bit of the western end of the North Country National Scenic Trail (we had hiked a small section earlier in Michigan).  Crews have been working over the past few years to restore some of the native prairie plants to the fields in Lake Sakakawea State Park.

Teenagers in our campground were impressed that we were baking cookies with our Pizzazz.