Hope someone can help me

I%26#39;m planning a vacation for Aug of 2007 and believe I want to stay in the Rugby area. However, I prefer a cabin to a hotel and am having a heck of a time trying to find possibilities on any of the ND travel sites.

I%26#39;ve never had this problem over the last 12 years that I%26#39;ve visited various states.

Is there anyone out there that can point me in the right direction??

Hope someone can help me

I can try to help. The first thing I thought of on reading your post was Bottineau and Lake Metigoshe (not that it matters, but the latter is pronounced like the english words ';met a go she'; - Bottineau is ';bought in oh';, no syllables stressed). Anyway, Lake Metigoshe is a state park and has cabins to rent. I%26#39;ve never stayed there though and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d need to bring your own linens.

parkrec.nd.gov/Parks/Lodging/LMSPcabins.htm

The crappily named ';Huntin%26#39; Shak'; I found on the Bottineau logding site (http://www.bottineau.com/lodging.htm) actually looks pretty nice.

How many folks do you need lodging for? And if you don%26#39;t mind me asking, how long will you be staying and do you have any interests or hobbies that could be given an outlet in North Dakota? Oh yeah, and how familiar are you with North Dakota?

Disclaimer: Bottineau is exactly 50 miles from Rugby but that%26#39;s probably the equivalent of 10 miles city driving. Dunseith is closer, but I%26#39;ve heard nice things about Bottineau from relatives who live around there.

Hope someone can help me

Hi Allecto...Thanks for the reply...I didn%26#39;t expect to hear from anyone since this is a pretty ';quiet'; forum!

Being of Canadian decent, I had the pronunciation of Bottineau which drew me to their web site already and have checked out the Huntin Shak--it appears to be a B%26amp;B which we are not interested in.. I%26#39;ve also already checked into the cabins at Lake Metigoshe which appear a bit too primitive! So I%26#39;m back to squeare one

There are 2 of us and our main interest is photography-one of the reasons we would like to visit the International Peace Garden. But we also are interested in hiking so would like to also go to Theodore Roosevelt National Park...however, we only have a week.

We%26#39;ve been to South Dakota%26#39;s Badlands, Custer %26amp; Mt Rushmore a few years ago but I%26#39;m still doing lots of research on North Dakota.

The cabins in this state seem to be more geared to the fisherman.

Oh well...my hunt continues!!

Hehe, I gave the pronounciation because we Dakotans really mangle French (e.g. Pierre, South Dakota).

I think I have a cousin who lives in Bottineau (either there or Dunseith), I%26#39;ll see if I can get a hold of him and see what he suggests. Plus, I%26#39;ll check around when I go back for Christmas and report back.

However, I%26#39;m pretty sure cabins in that area are going to be rustic by most standards and fairly scarce, used mostly used by hunters and fishermen. Dakotans tend to be campers and view hotels as exorbitant. Very Scandanavian.

If it were me, I%26#39;d probably go with the state park cabins even though they require you to bring your own linens. You%26#39;d be in a beautiful area with canoeing (I think the park will guide you for free too) and it should be around the Perseids so being out of town might be preferable. In a pinch, I%26#39;d go with the Super 8 or one of the least depressing looking hotels in Bottineau or Rugby.

And, yes, the Badlands are worth the drive - North Unit is wilder and has fewer people around. There are also lots of seldom-visited nature reserves in ND - probably best for folks interested in birds.

We live in Minot. 60 miles west of Rugby. If you find a cabin in the area it will be a very basic ';shack. For the Peace Gardens you would be better off staying in Bottineau or up at Metigoshe. When we say UP we don%26#39;t mean way UP either. The Turtle Mountains are more of a bump in the praire. Nothing like the Black Hills of SD.

Malebird

I would guess that from Rugby to Theodore Roosevelt National park is 3-4 hrs drive. I went through Rugby on my way to the South unit of Roosevelt National Park and it took at least that long of a drive. It was a nice drive though. You may want to stay neare to the Park when visiting it.

Been away from my computer through the Holidays...Happy New Year! and thanks for the suggestions and helpful driving timeframes.

I%26#39;ve actually found what looks to be the best cabin possibility from www.sakoutfitters.com with modified A-frame cabins on the south shore of Lake Sakakawea...anyone familiar with them? and will probably just get a motel room for the night when we head up to the Peace Garden--looks like it will take more than a couple of hours to appreciate!

I%26#39;ve also been looking at the Medora Musical. Has anyone been to see it?

How do the ND badlands compare to the SD badlands (went to SD back in %26#39;97)? Got to get back there someday to see how they%26#39;re progressing on Crazy Horse...Went on my one %26amp; only hot air balloon ride while there--what an awesome experience!

Those cabins are in a bay area of a big fishing lake. Those cabins could be very busy in the summer. Fishing is the primary activity on the lake. The wind can be a problem at the beginning of the summer up in this area. Plains area up here so be aware that those pictures on that site show cabins in a wooded area when in fact it would be more so called a grove of trees in part of the coulee. See the picture of the bay looking out towards the lake on that website you posted. Wide open spaces would best describe it. But if you have been to S.D. then you have some idea of N.D. Just no Black Hills.

We have been to the Musical several times. Talented young kids (college ages) performing. Nothing major Broadway, but not broadway prices either.

Never have been to the S.D. Badlands, so can%26#39;t answer that. Medora is right in the Badlands.

Malebird

Mornin...Well, that is exactly my point....where the heck do all those fishermen stay?? Thought there would be more of a choice of cabins...especially around the lake. Thanks for the additional info about the ';woods'; though. I like trees around me but understand that it%26#39;s not a ';forest';!!

I have a friend who lived in ND when her husband was stationed there (Air Force) back in the 80%26#39;s and I remember her ';Wind Stories';. They went out one day and left the windows open for a cross breeze...hehehe,,,came home and everything was blown all over the place! The poor dog was cowering under the bed!! Guess he thought he might end up like Toto--not in Kansas anymore!!

You should take a road trip to SD when you get a chance. We stayed at a KOA just ';down the road'; from Rushmore but I was more impressed with Crazy Hourse...especially after learning the whole story of how it came to be...and that the sculpter was from CT!! Great wildlife, hiking %26amp; you gotta love that Black Hills Gold! Lots of Outhouse Stories stories as we traveled through the state...very fun...

Looking forward to our adventure in ND!!

I visited both ND and SD Badlands this summer. They are a little different. I felt that the Badlands in South Dakota had less vegetation than in North Dakota. It was more of a desert there. They are more hilly in South Dakota. I enjoyed visiting them both.