"North to Alaska"...Day 12...Saturday, June 15, 2013

I roll out of bed at 5:30AM, and I'm still the last one up. As I said...no one "sleeps in" around here. Roger cooks up another early breakfast...and there's plenty of coffee.
It's the "calm before the storm". More work...cleaning, sweeping, organizing. More people arrive by the hour...there are now twelve motor homes and many tents scattered across the property.
Everybody brings a dish to this party. In the past, I've made grilled Tandoori chicken...some coconut and banana cream pies. But this year, I want to make something very traditional...something that every North Dakotan here will recognize. And that is how I came up with the idea to make "Spicy Korean Grilled Steak Sandwiches". I've got two big flank steaks sitting in my traditional "Korean marinade"...soy sauce, green onion, garlic, apple juice, sesame oil, etc. The steaks get grilled, served on a "King's Hawaiian Bread" bun with chopped Kimchi and Siracha-spiked mayonnaise.
Around 4:00, People really start rolling in...and they've all brought a "dish" for dinner. Mickie has already roasted and sliced up two turkeys and two hams. And others bring their salads, meatballs, ribs, potato dishes, vegetables desserts. By 5:30, the banquet tables around the perimeter of the garage are groaning under the weight of dozens of bowls and platters. Dinner commences at 5:30, and there are close to two hundred people in attendance. Most are family, many are friends.
My "Spicy Korean Grilled Steak Sandwiches" are a big hit.
All through the garage and out onto the driveway, people sit...eat...talk. It's a friendly group...there are no arguments. Children are exceptionally polite and well-behaved. Dogs run and play in the background.
You might think that people in a rural setting such as this are "stiff and conservative". Not so. Oh, they admire hard work, family and personal responsibility, but people here are remarkably tolerant. I say this every year when I come here, but this weekend always reminds me of everything that's good about America...and Americans.
As the sun starts to set, Don and his band set up to play. And this year, there's a second band. I manage to rummage around deep in my brain and locate a box of music memories from my days as a student outside of Nashville, Tennessee. And I pluck out a very old and obscure song that I ask Don to play..."Miller's Cave". For the moment, this gives me some instant country and western music "street cred".
The bands play on into the night. Mickie's parent celebrate their 60th with a dance. Children play...dogs run...everybody is happy and having fun. It's a perfect evening.
When the sun has finally set and it's dark outside, Don puts on his annual fireworks display. He sells fireworks, and he picks out the best for the party...lots of booms, pops and flashed of color in the night sky.
I make it until 1:30AM, having paced myself well all day and into the night. When I crawl into my camper for bed, the bands are still playing. They'll finally knock off after 4:00.