Day Twelve: Death on the Missouri

So today, we leave this place. Smalltown USA right out of a catalog. Great views - check, great people - check, great walkability - check, community spirit - double check! It's official: Piper will be heading back home. Oddly enough, she also stopped having stomach issues today. It has been eye opening to experience the challenges of traveling with a dog - arbitrary rules that maybe serve a purpose sometimes but seem just cruel most of the time. At several of the hotels, I made specific calls to ask about their dog policy only to later be charged something different than they originally quoted. Plus, all the stuff we packed to help her feel more "at home" (and the number of trips it takes to get her belongings in and out of each hotel room). Dogs are not easy, other people make dog owning look so easy. Today, we left Rugby and headed west to Williston, ND. This stop was originally booked because it was close to an airport in case Alex needed to fly in or out. We actually may not even go into Williston as we are staying a little drive from Williston. This is going to be vastly different than Rugby as nothing will be walkable from here at all, we don't even plan on leaving the house much. The Airbnb we are staying at is overlooking the Missouri River, separated only by a substantial cliff and single train track running parallel to the river. The view does not disappoint. The 180* view of the river and the three or four forks that it overlooks is just stunning. Such a different landscape than our experiences out East. Though the view did not disappoint, the mosquitoes did. We planned to spend the next two days basking in the covered wraparound porch overlooking this one of a kind view, until we realized just how thick the mosquitoes are. When you can count 5-10 mosquitoes on you at one time, that's when you know you need to call it a day and seek shelter indoors. "Why not use repellent?" you ask? We did. Apparently, they are immune. Poor Alex was excited to grill out with these views as his backdrop - so we bought food for us to have on the grill. Except the grill is outside and safety was inside. He braved the mosquitoes while I ran to shelter with the dog. Piper was covered in them as well - but she didn't seem to be bothered by them. Maybe her hair is too thick? When we asked our Airbnb hostess (who showed up unannounced) about any secrets to getting rid of the mosquitoes, she just responded "oh they normally aren't this bad". I was hoping for a big ole Costco allotment of citronella candles, but the hostess blamed it on needing to clean out the fly traps then asked us to do it. Without any ideas of how to make the outdoors more tolerable, we ate inside and looked at the view through the sliding glass door. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.