August 29, 2026 · Jamestown, ND
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I can officially say my birthday was a memorable one.
More on that later.
We left Minnesota yesterday and followed I-94 into North Dakota. The landscape we're driving through still looks similar to home, but it's gradually gotten wider and flatter.
It's like what I imagine Pennsylvania would look like if you grabbed it by the sides and stretched it out.
The highway is straighter, the speed limit is higher—80 mph in some places—and the farms are massive.
You know what hasn't changed at all?
The price of diesel.
It's still stupidly expensive.
It will end up being the most costly part of this adventure by a good margin.
Not the campgrounds.
Not the activities.
Fuel.
The Stop
We parked for two days at Jamestown Campground in Jamestown, ND.
Jamestown is famous(?) for the world's largest buffalo statue. We saw it from the highway. Couldn't get a picture.
It is quite large.
You can't miss it.
What I did get a picture of is this wild looking moon last night. My phone is not fantastic at nighttime shots, so it looks like a sunset instead of a moon rising. IRL it was more orange, but you get the idea.

The campground is surprisingly quiet, even though every site is full. Most of the people we've met are on long-haul trips like us. The couple beside us are full-time RVers. They all have really sweet rigs.
We didn't get to explore downtown Jamestown, unless you count the hardware store and Walmart.
Hmm.
Why would that be?
My Birthday
The first two hours of my birthday were grand.
Waking up at a beautiful winery. Nice temps. Gorgeous weather. A slightly shorter drive ahead of us.
Just grand.
And the drive to Jamestown was uneventful.
I only had to pee one time.
It was going far too well.
And then we arrived, set up, and discovered that road vibration had broken all the metal straps holding our sewer pipe in place.
Cool.
There are some more gory details that Jason doesn't want me to talk about.
But here's him making new metal strapping so we don't lose the entire sewer line on our next hop.

Then we grilled steaks and sat outside with some music.
Sadly, I'm still in search of that campfire.
None of the RV sites have fire rings, although apparently you can ask for one.
We didn't.
The campground owner mentioned it's been dry, and they're having a hard time keeping the grassy spots, well, grassy.
Didn't feel like the right time for a fire.
But I still want one.
Soon.
Then we played Yahtzee.
How I CRUSHED Jason at Yahtzee
Like this.
Jason's card.

My card.

Maybe it was birthday luck.
Whatever.
I'll take it.
Back on the road tomorrow, continuing across North Dakota, hopefully with an intact sewer pipe.