Nashua market . . . and more dinosaurs!

My intertwined journey of farmers markets and dinosaurs continued today. This morning I visited Fort Peck, which is known for its dam and lake (both of which are impressive), a theater (I'm sorry I missed this week's production of The Foreigner), and dinosaurs!

This Tyrannosaurus Rex is quite the beauty. Did you know females like this one were much bigger than the males? Below is a photo of the outside of the window where she stands, which shows how she is two stories tall.

After looking at exhibits in the museum, I drove to the field station where locally dug up bones are cleaned and sorted. You can take a tour and see where the paleontologists work and where the real bones are stored (usually those in the museums are replicas) and even hold one! Does it get any better than this?? I cradled a head bone that was 66 million years old.

As I drove the 12 miles to Nashua, I wondered what was hitting my car and causing a soft "plop plop plop." Then I realized it was grasshoppers! They are everywhere, and I had to keep my windows closed so none got inside. Occasionally, a rather daring one would ride the windshield for a while.

Before I hit the farmers market, I stopped at Bergie's in Nashua.

This is one of those places you might skip in favor of McDonald's if you are not the adventurous type, but in this case you would really be missing out.

Customer service is primo, as I discovered when I asked what was the most popular item on their menu. Mandie, the young waitress, called Traci, the cook, over and together they reviewed the menu for me.

I ordered a hamburger, had a choice of 12 sides (including beer-battered fries, salad, or cottage cheese) and opted for plain fries, and tried a Green River fountain drink. Not the most inspired food -- although it was freshly cooked and delicious -- but I'll tell you that being treated like a valued person made my meal seem like it was worth a million bucks. (In fact it all cost a mere $5.75.) After the market, I came back to try their house-made ice cream -- in my opinion, worth a trip to Nashua!

Finally, this evening I was able to visit the Nashua market. The local Lions Club sponsors the market, and they were selling zucchini cupcakes and coffee. This was definitely a social event.

About 7 vendors sold produce as well as jams and jellies, crocheted items, and jewelry. Along with addictive rosettes (a fried cookie), the town printer was selling bumperstickers and said she would print slogans on aprons, t-shirts, and tote bags. She also published the Lions Club cookbook that was for sale, and I had to buy one so I could get that tasty cupcake recipe.

Nashua Farmers Market

Lions Club Park, on the main street

July 14 - September 22

Tuesday, 5 pm - 6:30 pm