Spent two years at Grand Forks AFB just outside Grand Forks. Three words come to mind, cold as hell. Actually the temperature differences between summer and winter are great. The first day I arrived at GFAFB the temp was 104 degrees on the 4th of June. I have skiied down a hill when the temp was -28 with a chill factor of close to -100. You get used to the clime there and dress for the temps. Snow will be around from late October until early April, but since it is so dry, driving on the snow is not much of a problem as long as you don't put your foot into the floor like one of my old roommates who was from Alabama said. He told me, in his exact words (I'll never forget them) "To get around in this ****, you gotta keep your foot in the gas". He had a Firebird and was always stuck! Grand Forks is on the eastern side of the state but I also worked on the western side during the summer a couple of years as well and other than saying it was hot, there wasn't much difference. I don't think that there are more than a million people in the entire state, so it's pretty sparse. Don't ever get caught on the highway in the winter when the winds are strong. The sun might be shinning and not a cloud in the sky, but it will be like a blizzard because of the blowing snow (remember, it's very dry so the snow doesn't melt). You also don't want to park your car on the streets during a blizzard. I've seen more than one car completely chewed up by a snow blower on the front of big trucks. As you can see, my two years brings back mostly cold weather memories, but that's just me. Had some great times there both at GFAFB and on the western part. Don't forget to bring along some long underwear!
