I’d seen the Pizza Ranch restaurant on Main Street in Mandan before but it hadn’t clicked that this is a chain. I’ve actually eaten at a Pizza Ranch once before while working on the road but didn’t make the connection. But I started hearing that this place is great, so we decided to go last night. That’s when I finally figured it out.

We printed out coupons from www.pizzaranch.com but didn’t need them…we got the buffet and piled on the salad and all kinds of pizza. This is a really nice pizza place! I am not the kind of guy to dig in to the Philly Cheese Steak pizza or other such varieties, but there were plenty of other, more traditional styles to pick from.

The room we sat in was decorated with memorabilia from the Mandan Fire Department, including lots of old photos which were fun to look at. I didn’t check around the rest of the place as it was pretty busy. I guess the word gets around!

One other cool thing is a tidbit I found on their website in their mission statement: “Our Vision…To glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in.” Nice.

This is one of the best places in the area to go stargazing. It also used to be one of the most convenient. This little stone hut was built in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project. That’s the kind of project we need these days instead of handing out free welfare money; let the government (we the taxpayer, actually) get something for their dollar.

Anyway, I digress. This little stone hut houses a diagram of the Double Ditch Indian Village and gives a brief history thereof. It had a metal roof up until the Lewis and Clark craze started; then the whole area got a makeover with signage, walking trails…the works. The hut got a new roof and some maintenance.

It’s no longer the most convenient place because Double Ditch Loop is no longer a through street there. It used to lead right past “the Hut.” Whether it was really fears of the eroding cliffs giving way or just a good excuse not to have a road to maintain, the bottom half of Double Ditch Loop was destroyed and turned into a foot path. Now you have to hoof it a bit to get to this 70 year old landmark. There used to be turnstiles between the two stone columns shown in the picture there, and some wooden/stone steps. Those have since been removed.

I have fond memories of sitting up there with friends, eating Pizza Hut breadsticks and listening to music, while watching the stars and an occasional satellite whizzing by. It’s far enough away from the city lights to provide great viewing, yet close enough to reach within a few minutes. Watch for deer. Since it’s north of the city it provides a clear view of the northern horizon in case of Aurora Borealis. There’s also a stone picnic table on the lookout point at the end of Double Ditch Loop, where the walking trail to the Hut begins.

This is the Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site…OWLS for those of you who fancy acronyms. It’s located adjacent to the ND Game and Fish office, just east of the state penitentiary.

This site has feeders and nests for birds and bats…it also has a well stocked lake which is naturally fed by the waters that flow along the east side of Bismarck. There are bridges crossing the stream and the lake, including a floating bridge from which many people enjoy catch-and-release fishing. I’ve even seen a portable ice house out there over the winter.

I’ve grabbed some fantastic dragonfly and damselfly photos out here, as well as a number of unusual migratory and aquatic birds. There are schools of baby bullheads hanging out in the reeds and cattails and the usual assortment of frogs and other critters.

Once the weather gets nicer it’ll be great to see the area come alive again. There are lots of trails around the water and through the grassland. Right now the pheasants seem to rule the roost but expect them to be sharing it really soon!

Help! Save the receding Double Ditch Glacier from the ravages of Global Warming!

That kind of nonsense could get me a membership in the Sierra Club. Spring is here and the ice is gone from the main river channel; along the cliffs below the Double Ditch Indian Village, however, the ice is clinging to the banks pretty stubbornly.

Personally I’d like to have a year-round ice shelf here. I could chip off pieces to keep my Red Bull cold!

That sandbar to the right knows a lot of late summer tales. It used to be a tradition in the 80’s to have one great big blowout before college started. We’d drag a generator and PA system out there for music, set up volleyball nets and get some bonfires going. It was the last time many of us would get together before we all left town to get back to school. There would be a couple of people shuttling people back and forth from the shore on pontoon boats.

Double Ditch has changed a lot since then. The road used to be a loop; now it only comes in a short way from the north. After that you have to hoof it to get to the actual historic site. It’s one of the best places around to watch the stars, but it’s supposedly closed at night. Visitors used to be able to park along the cliffs and hang out; now that area is fenced off. But it’s still one of my favorite places to go.

It didn’t always have this nice fancy sign or benches or interpretive signage, but this trail has been around for a long time. In many ways it’s more scenic than the paved trails that wind around the Bismarck-Mandan area. It’s one of Mandan’s more entertaining features, since it’s got use all year long. Cross country skiers always got the most use out of this trail, until mountain biking took off. Runners use it too; I’ve had many of them pass me while I’m out taking wildlife photos here.

This trail splits into wandering forks in a couple of places, but all lead to the trail head just north of Interstate 94 by the refinery. To get there you need to take I-94 into east Mandan, then hook a quick right by the Bonanza restaurant. Follow the road back and around until you drive under I-94, and hook the first right. There’s the trail head.

The trail has various little offshoots that take you to the banks of the Missouri. There are interpretive signs and lots of wildlife. This particular day I had a beautiful Mallard drift by, but of course I had a short lens on the camera. That old adage about having multiple lenses (that you always have the wrong one on the camera) has held true for me on many occasions.

The other end of the trail is just to the north of the closed-for-now Memorial Bridge. The way to get there is exit the I-94 / Expressway loop by the Raging Rivers park (or Moritz Sport & Marine) and head north along the river. The trail starts on private land, but is signed and people are welcome to use the trail. It ventures over to and under the railroad bridge, the Grant Marsh bridge, and along to river over to the other trail head.

This trail also gets you close to the backwaters along the Missouri, where I’ve recently spotted bald eagles, great blue herons, and lots of other various wildlife species too.

So while there may be snow for the cross country skiers right now, soon this will turn into a nice spot for a spring walk. All summer it’ll be a great mountain biking route, or just a nice place for a jog. If you walk the trail, make sure to bring a camera.

You’re looking at a wide angle of a new neighborhood being built along the Missouri River, north of Bismarck. It’s called Misty Waters. This new inlet and neighborhood are being built immediately north of the Burnt Creek boat dock. Like the trendy Marina Bay and Southport areas, a spot in this new neighborhood will likely come with a hefty price tag.

The only difference here is the lovely view of the Heskett Station power plant right across the river. “So what,” you may say, “I’ll get a lot on the east side of the lake.” Well, hopefully that blocks the noise. Yes, that power plant makes some pretty good racket. I doubt they’ll turn it off at 9 pm for you.

For some reason, people are financing themselves silly to get a house along the river. If the huge payments aren’t daunting enough, maybe the noise will be a deterrent. I think, however, there are plenty of people willing to sacrifice to have that coveted spot along the water. Make sure the mortage company throws in a box of ear plugs.

This reminds me of nonsense we went through in Brainerd, Minnesota in the late 90s. People bought land bordering Brainerd International Raceway at a cheap price because of all the noise on the other side of the trees. Then they all gathered forces and got a noise ordinance passed against the track! All of a sudden machines such as our motorcycles were subject to noise restrictions even a stock motorcycle couldn’t pass. It was ridiculous, and we were only shut down for a year or two. In any case, if the power plant is too loud for people on the Bismarck side of the river, they wouldn’t have any such recourse…no matter how fashionable the neighborhood.

Taken after dark, about 3 seconds exposure. Unfortunately a train had just gone by, I wanted to get that whole “streaking headlight” thing but missed my opportunity. I didn’t feel like standing around in the cold for much longer.