The adventure of our North “DAKOTANS” begins with a flight out of Newark Liberty International Airport early Sunday morning August 6. After a brief stop in the Twin Cities, they land in Minot, ND and board 2 minivans for the 150 mile journey to Belcourt, a small town nestled in the Turtle Mountains. The Turtle Mountains are not precisely “mountains”, as these hills rise a mere 600-800 feet. The Turtle Mountains owe their hilly appearance to receding glaciers of the last Ice Age and their name to the early Hudson Bay Company explorers and trappers who visited the area hundreds of years ago.

 

   

 

 

The drive to Belcourt takes them past acres and acres of bright yellow sunflower fields. These sunflower plants are used primarily to make cooking oil. They also spy the iconic symbol of the American frontier, the buffalo.

   

 

 

The day’s journey ends at the Sky Dancer Hotel, which is owned and operated by the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Nation.

 

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