On the Road Again - The Enchanted Highway 7.17.25

Yes, you read correctly – the Redmonds have hit the road once again.  We left Chicago on July 11, heading up to Wisconsin.  We had wonderful, satisfying times with the Carlsteins and the Mauers, and spent the night in comfort parked in front of the C’s house.  Then we headed to Mom’s in Madison, and hung out there for a while, eating and talking.  A short stop in the Minneapolis area to see Pete and Julie as well as June, Geneva and Scott – and eat again - and we were heading west and north again.  The ultimate goal this time is again the Arctic Ocean, this time going straight north through Canada.  It is our belief – okay, hope – that the Dempster Highway will be as scenic but less rough than the Dalton!

Our first major stop will be a trailer shop in Spokane, WA, where the Bigfoot is scheduled for some upgrades.  Because they cannot see us before Monday, we decided to stay here in Dickinson, North Dakota for a few days, timing our entry to Spokane for Sunday night. 

We have seen the sign many times along the 94 West – “Enchanted Highway.”  And we saw the huge metal sculpture, “Geese in Flight,” often, too.  We wondered about it but always seemed to be intent on wherever we were going, and we never stopped.  Since we had the day free, we decided to go back the short distance from Dickinson to the sculpture and see what it was about.

“Geese in Flight” is visible from the I-94.  It is the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture, standing 110 feet tall.  We discovered it is the largest of a set of giant sculptures, placed along a roughly 30-mile stretch of two-lane highway called the Enchanted Highway. 

The sculptures’ creator is Gary Greff, a local who returned to his hometown of Regent, ND after many years’ absence to discover the town was dying.  He felt strongly that small towns are where America really lives and he wanted to do something to revitalize the town.  He figured, people would come to see the world’s largest, right?  So without being trained in either art or welding, he proceeded to create an extraordinary series of outdoor sculptures, along a stretch of highway through the countryside showing all the things Greff – and North Dakotans in general – love about their part of the country.

The Enchanted Highway is not easy to find.  Yes, “Geese in Flight” is obvious, right off the highway, but we had to ask another visitor how to find the rest.  They could definitely use better signage, and GPS does not seem to understand what or where it is.  We discovered the road to Regent from “Geese in Flight” runs south (the sculpture itself is on the north side of the interstate).  There was some serious road construction along the way, but we did eventually find the sculptures.

These fun, quirky pieces of art are all huge, from 40-75 feet high, and are all made from repurposed materials, mostly oil tanks.  Greff flattens pieces by running over them with his tractor.  Local ranchers taught him how to weld.  He had some help, but did and still does most of the work himself.  He says it takes about 6 years to make one of the installations.  The project has been in progress since 1989. 

Another part of Greff’s scheme to save Regent is a medieval-themed hotel and restaurant.  When we reached the town, we discovered the building at the very end.  A sculpture of a knight slaying a dragon is still in progress.  The building itself was the old high school, from which Greff graduated many years ago.

Signs said it was the Enchanted Castle hotel and bar.  The building has been fitted with a façade like a castle – battlements with pennants and a path across a drawbridge.  There were no cars in the lot but I went inside anyway.  I discovered the doors were open but no one was inside – there was a deserted front desk, hotel rooms, a corridor off which, signs said, were the restaurant and bar – but which was completely dark and deserted.  There was a door to the high school gym which I believe still exists, but I did not go inside.  I left fairly quickly as I was getting a distinct “Hotel California” vibe, just due to the completely deserted state of the place. 

There is a gift shop for the Enchanted Highway in Regent, but we did not go in.  I don’t like to visit gift shops when I do not intend to buy, which was the case this time.  The entire town seemed pretty much deserted.  There were few cars and most businesses appeared to be closed.  If you go online you will see some (mostly positive) reviews of the hotel and restaurant, but going concerns were not what we saw.  We saw signs of a struggle, but also of hope, in that the work is still ongoing.  There were men working on the knight sculpture as we watched.  Estimates are that some 6,000 cars a year turn off to see the Enchanted Highway. 

The giant sculptures are still being created.  The Enchanted Highway is a testament to what someone can achieve if they truly believe in their dreams and ideas.  It also shows the limitations that can exist when dreams and ideas are perhaps not shared by others, or not with the same intensity.  Gary Greff’s sculptures will be there for a long time.  I highly recommend going off the highway, even though it may take some time, to see them.  As for the town of Regent, only time will tell.

 

Gas prices:  $3.09 in Chicago; $2.99 in Dickinson, ND, $3.20 in Custer, MT

 

Signage:  Sign at tire shop in Elmhurst, Illinois:  “Retire before you go bald.”

At intersection off the interstate in Custer, Montana:  “Please slow up, let our kids grow up.”

In Livingston, MT:  Lost Sock Laundry

And the winner, on the back of a horse trailer on the I-90 going west from Billings:  “Caution:  Floor covered with political promises.”