Attractions

Nestled on the shores of Lake Sakakawea, south of Ray, North Dakota, and east of Williston, Lund’s Landing offers a lodge, camping, and fishing on the big lake.

When I headed to Lund’s Landing, however, I wasn’t there to stay, and I wasn’t there to fish.  I wasn’t even there for the birding, although we did walk along the birding paths before we left.

I was there for the pie.

Juneberry Pie, that is.

Lund's Landing Juneberry Pie

You see, I grew up eating my mom’s juneberry pie, and aside from one special rhubarb pie recipe, it’s my absolute favorite.  So when the folks at North Dakota Tourism told me about a place that serves juneberry pie year-round, I decided right then and there that I had to find it.  Just to see if it’s as good as my mom’s, of course.

My kids and I pulled into Lund’s Landing at mid-morning, and hadn’t yet eaten breakfast.  And it’s not really right to eat pie before breakfast.  Or FOR breakfast, for that matter.  So my first course was juneberry pancakes.  They were delicious.  My kids devoured their breakfasts as well, but by the time they finished their huge plates of food, they decided to let me have the pie all to myself.

Now, you may wonder what these “juneberries” are and why they’re so special.  Sometimes called serviceberries, or even “Saskatoons,” juneberries look like tiny, pea-sized blueberries.  Dark purple in color, they grow wild in the coulees of North Dakota and other northern states, and when the word goes out that they’re ripe, people head to their favorite spots to find the wild berries before the animals get them.  Some years the crop is good, and others it isn’t, so it’s never a sure thing that there will be juneberries to last the summer, much less year-round.

And that’s what’s so remarkable about Analene’s juneberry pie. She serves it year-round.  Every day.  She has connections with people from miles and miles away, people who find the berries and somehow get them into the freezer at Lund’s Landing so that there are enough berries for an entire year of pancakes and pies.

The pie is good.  Very nearly as good as my mom’s.  It’s awfully good.  Good enough that when my parents happened to call me from the road on a vacation out west, my dad made no objection when I told him he should detour 20 miles to head to Lund’s Landing.

After all, he loves juneberry pie as much as I do.

Lunds Landing

11350 Hwy. 1804
Ray, North Dakota 58849-9236

(701) 568-3474

Photo credits: minnemom on flickr.  Yes, I realize I should have taken a picture of the pie that I’m raving about, but when it was set in front of me, photographing it was the last thing on my mind.

Linda (minnemom) writes about her family’s roadtrips and daytrips at Travels with Children.
This summer, she and her children explored many of the things in the great state of North Dakota.

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