DAY 6 MONDAY, AUG. 26 WINNIPEG MB - BISMARCK ND

We bid a sad and heartfelt farewell to Joy, Don and Daisy and turned our car south into the United States. Winnipeg faded into our rearview mirror on a hot and muggy day and the land became quickly unfamiliar to us. It spread out in a billiard table flatness with large and productive farms going off into infinity. Grain elevators looked like the skylines of some miraculous city, and the what, sunflowers and corn were like ocean waves. The heat built up into a crescendo ... and our the Millenium Falcon's A/C gave up the ghost. The drive became a hot chore as we coursed south through the flatlands to Fargo, North Dakota, then west to Bismarck. Around Valley City, the land changed and became more rolling and hilly. Ponds, lakes and rivers, some dried to no more than a trickle, appeared. The farms grew larger and livestock began to appear in great numbers: the interstate was arrow-straight. Seven hours on the road seemed like seven weeks and the heat soared and bore down on our sols. We arrived at the state capital, Bismarck, tired and drained. We'll need to see about our A/C tomorrow because it's forecast to be 97 degrees F .... but it's a dry heat !!

North Dakota sunflowers ... millions of them !