I’m often asked what I thought about living through my first North Dakota winter. My usual response: it sucked. No need to go into more detail, because honestly, the memories are painful. My car died three times and I’m pretty sure I almost got frostbite while trying to dig out my car that became stuck in a snow bank one cold night after work. And by cold I mean it was painful to breath – especially when it drops to 20 below zero.
But I survived and I’m stronger now than I was before. Winter in North Dakota is difficult to explain, but I’m told its never as bad as you think – except when it actually is. Unfortunately for my inaugural Nodak winter, it was one for the record books: Bismarck was a mere three inches short of setting an all-time snowfall record this winter (about 101 inches) and nearly broke the all-time low temperature: 44 degrees below zero. And that doesn’t even cover the flooding disaster around the state. Welcome, Brian Duggan.
But the harsh weather of winter, which started on Nov. 5 when the town got it’s first blizzard of the season and didn’t let up until mid-April, gives way to other activities. Like curling. And drinking. Lot’s of drinking. I didn’t know what to expect before coming to North Dakota, no thanks to a pervasive stereotype caused by the movie “Fargo“. North Dakota really isn’t that bad. Sure it’s cold, but it’s winter. And people still do stuff – including two friends and I driving to Fargo in the middle of January over ice-slick roads to see AC/DC live. For the record, as I write this in May, the summer looks like it will be beautiful here. People are out on bikes, starting softball leagues and populating the local golf course. Still, I find it funny how people continue to perceive this state as a frost-bitten, hellish wasteland. North Dakotans notice the insults. Some say the winters keep the riffraff out, but deep down many natives here are a little raw about the unfair treatment. It’s often the last U.S. state visited by many travelers, including former First Lady Laura Bush. All I can say is don’t believe the hype and come to the state and see for yourself what it’s like. I’m positive that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
If you haven’t seen the movie “Fargo” then look no further than the following Youtube gem to get the gist of the movie in 100 seconds:
