Red River

When we traveled to the East Grand Forks area to visit the Red River park, the fact that the water was flowing north confused my brain. All this water was going to end up in Canada where the polar bears frolic?  Wow. I know the Mississippi flows in all directions including north, south, east and west. This park is strange because each campsite is on green grass punctuated by nursery shrubs such as white lilac in beautiful and fragrant bloom.  This was a neighborhood in East Grand Forks.  After the flood the people had to move out because the city decided this was now a flood zone. So you could, as a former resident, come here to camp in your very own yard!  How strange would that be?  The list of all the former residents in this neighborhood is posted on a sign.  Most of the residents had single family homes but there was a apartment building and a care facility there too. We hiked around the path but it was strange because we felt like we were in a city. We were in a city. We hiked around the shore and through the levee area.  The levee is a big wall where it looks like heavy equipment would add a section to put over the road the next time the water gets high.  I would not like to own a home right next to the levee.  The day we were there was very warm. We asked the ranger what else there was to see around here. He suggested we go into North Dakota and visit the historical museum.  So did what he suggested and were pleasantly surprised.  For only five dollars we got a 2 hour guided tour of the museum from a young and enthusiastic employee.  We had a great time learning about the area and frankly, being in air conditioning felt good for an hour or so.  One of the strangest things we saw was a Lustron home.  This pre-made home is manufactured almost completely with steel. The roof, walls, floors, cupboard doors, closet doors and shelves are steel.  The outside is covered with porcelain enamel. The Lustron homes came in aqua, pink, yellow, tan and grey. This one was in gray. I would have chosen aqua myself.  I was flabbergasted by this great idea.  I think she said the owner of the Lustron company was Swedish. That means these homes are like something I could buy from Ikea?  She said originally the forced air heat came from the ceiling.  When they had this one restored after the flood they put in baseboard heat.  She talked to a man who grew up in one of these homes and he said the house was warm enough but his feet were always cold. Our museum guide said there are 5 other Lustron homes within 200 miles of Grand Forks but she didn't know exactly where they were. I would love to see another one some day.