It was snowing in Denver when we left after the afternoon concert. My Dad drove all night some 1100 miles through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana never getting off of I-70 (in Indianapolis we got on I-74 to Cincinnati). My Mom says, with such a nice straight road, if it was Germany we’d be home in 1/2 the time.

Dante www.idobelieve.com

Dear Mrs. Berger

We just drove all night from Denver CO to Indianpolis IN. We drove across three states (Kansas, Missouri & Illinois) and are working on the fourth. I am very excited to see you – tell the class I said Hi!

Dante

… And it doesn’t cost a penny. It’s there for us. We just have to stop and enjoy.

Off the road in Idaho Springs, CO.

Yesterday we went  to Mt. Rushmore and we saw it up close.  We watched a movie of how it was made.

The guy who had the idea, Mr. Burglum took two years to build nine models and see if this would work on a mountain.  Burglum worked on it with many other men for 14 years before he died.  After he died, he passed the job down to his son. My Mom said: “Only in America you can have such a big, crazy dream and make it come true.”

- Dante

What an awesome concert at the Bismark cathedral. It was the most perfect end to our beautiful week of concerts in North Dakota.Everywhere we went we met generous and kind people. What struck us is that everyone seemed happy and at peace (and no on…e seemed to want to go live somewhere else.) They seemed happy living in their unique little towns with long winters with big smiles on their faces.

The countryside was absolutely breathtaking. We decided that North Dakota is not on the way to somewhere else – it is a place to go to!

The best part was to see so many excited young people there at the concert. (And our friends who came from Minot and Beulah to see us one more time.)

So, thank you North Dakota!

Btw, we were told that there is more oil underneath ND than in Saudi Arabia. I wonder: why isn’t that national news. Like they should flash the moving titles: “Americans please relax. There is enough oil for another 700 years in our own backyard. We will be just fine – North Dakota has got your back.”

Last night a guy named Rudy, wearing a cowboy hat, leather vest and jeans shook my hand and told me he enjoyed the concert. He asked me if I had ever seen a sod house, because he had built one just a few minutes off the road on which we would be traveling the next morning. The invitation was accepted.

This morning we had breakfast at the only diner in town. Alex, who is a regular customer there but not a local, said he enjoyed the concert. He paid for our breakfast without us knowing it. That was a very generous an moving gesture for which we are greateful

Then Matthew, I and the boys went to find a farm to which we were also invited for a ’round up’ of the cattle. We couldn’t find the farm, but we drove down a dirt road, got out of the van and walked in the grass.

On out way out of town we did stop to check out Rudy’s sod house. Quite amazing. The view from the front of the house was breathtaking!

Tajci www.idobelieve.com

What a cool experience! We got a private tour of Beula’s lighnite coal mine .  It’s all surface mining done by huge machines.  The truck on the photo

holds 300 tons of coal.  We watched it being loaded with coal. It takes 7 to 8 giant scoops to fill it up.  After the coal is dumped, the cab rises about 3 ft back to it’s original position.  The tires are about 10 feet across.

I asked what they do with the dirt they remove from the top in order to get to the coal.  The lady who was our tour guide sa

id they put it all back, and within 3 years, the crops, or the grass are all back.

- Dante

Tajci www.idobelieve.com

Do you ever wonder what kind of person hosts us (seven travelling strangers who usualy show up at night)? Here is one of them – Caroline with her 1976 five speed Mustang Cobra. She bought it ten years ago when she was 66. Caroline volunteers at the local nursing home, at her church and still runs her farm. She put us up, fed us and inspired us. Thanks Caroline

Ever since Matthew received the first call from Fr Dave Zimmer requesting a concert at his parish in Minot, ND we knew it would have to be a special trip. “You don’t go through Minot on a way to somewhere else”, Matthew would say. So, Fr. Dave helped find enough concers for a week long trip and the North Dakota was scheduled.

We were all excited to see the piece of America we had never visited before.

The welcome and our introduction to it could not have been more perfect.

Our hosts Leo and Kathleen were most generous and fun. The thanksgiving dinner they prepared on our day off (which was attended by about 30 family members and friends who helped with the concert) was delicious, and the concert was flawlessly organized and the church was packed with excited people.

After spending a wonderful time with our new found friends, (who gave us a glimpse of what life is like in the Dakotas) we decided that although Minot is not on the way to somewhere else, it will definitely always be on our path as a favorite destination.

Tajci www.idobelieve.com