# Is the minot ND really a horrible place this story makes it out to be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 11, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-minot-nd-really-a-horrible-place-this-story-makes-it-out-to-be/982480 "2023-04-11T01:28:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 22
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-minot-nd-really-a-horrible-place-this-story-makes-it-out-to-be/982480/22 "2023-04-12T00:59:56Z")
A base in the Aleutians? I’ve been to one! 🙂 In January 2020 I visited [Eareckson Air Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eareckson_Air_Station) on tiny [Shemya Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemya) to do some work on the [Cobra Dane radar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_Dane). It was unlike any place I had ever visited. It was cold, but not _terribly_ cold. What I remember most was the wind: _ **very** _ strong bursts of wind about every 10 seconds or so. When you walk between buildings, you have to wear a bright safety vest and hold on to the railing, else the wind will knock you over. The place was pretty desolate, with not much to do. And they banned alcohol sales a couple years before. I was supposed to be there for a week, but I got my work done in a shorter time. I really wanted to get off that island, and kept trying to get an earlier flight out. A vacant seat was finally available on the sixth day. So yea, that was probably the worst Air Force installation I have ever visited. But at the same time I’m glad I got to go there. It was once a very active Air Force Base, and now just a shell of it remains. I roamed around the large athletic & entertainment facility, and I was the only person in the place. Just eerie. Like walking around a ghost town. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-minot-nd-really-a-horrible-place-this-story-makes-it-out-to-be/982480)._