Hitting the big 5-0

What's there to do in North Dakota? Well, nothing really. But it did make up a big milestone for one of the members of the Camera Couple. Upon crossing the border, I (Cameron) have officially been to all 50 states in the U.S.! Cheers!

Driving across North Dakota really makes you realize how much undeveloped space there is in the world. There was just a whole lot of NOTHING! Every now and then you'd see a small fire coming from the top of an oil rig way on the horizon. But other than that, it was just flat, rocky, desert. 

We were staying on a pretty big lake in the center of the state. The campground itself was in a strange location. We drove through a gas station, past a mobile home park, and down to the lake to find our site. Despite the odd location, East Totten Trail Campground was pretty nice. Everything was paved, the sites are nice and big, and you could see the lake from each one. 

To celebrate my accomplishment, we walked up to the gas station (which was also the local restaurant) to have a "soda" or two before calling it a night. 

We were only in North Dakota for one full day, so we spent the following day hanging out around the campground and lounging in the lake. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend our time in my last new state. 

As the day came to a close, we decided to run back up the hill to the restaurant for another round of "soda" and perhaps an appetizer or two (I had my eye on some the day before). We picked a seat in the barroom, and it wasn't long before an entire wedding party came crashing through the door.

They were all having a blast, taking pictures, and enjoying their drinks. At one point, they were having trouble getting everyone in a picture. Being a wonderful photographer, Rose offered to take a few shots for them. Our table was right there, anyway. They appreciated it so much that they started talking to us and we even got in on the festivities! As the drinks were being passed around, our table was always part of the rotation. It was a fun time to finish out our time in North Dakota. 

And the exta-fun part about North Dakota being my 50th state means I got to join the "Best for Last" club. Apparently, since there's nothing to do in North Dakota, it's typically the last state people visit, so they made a club for it. They even give out t-shirts!

We didn't go to Fargo, but that's where the club is based. Fun fact: My Dad is also a member of the Best for Last Club. He finished his 50 states in North Dakota just a few years before I did. 

Now it's Rose's turn. After this trip, she'll have just one more state to hit before reaching the big 5-0, and it's on our list for 2023. Stay tuned!

With our milestone achieved and a nice relaxing day under our belts, it was time to make our way south to South Dakota and to my favorite National Park (so far), the Badlands.