Sculptures dot ‘enchanted highway’

North Dakota is a land of contrasts and one of these scenic wonders is the “Enchanted Highway,” which begins at Interstate 94 (exit 72) and winds south through 32 miles of prairie to the town of Regent.
Along this highway, you will see five metal sculptures—“The Family,” “Grasshoppers in the Field,” “Pheasants on the Prairie,” “Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again,” and “Geese in Flight” (the latter located just east of Dickenson, N.D.)
“The Deer Family” is being erected this year, with planned future sculptures including a fish, eagle, coyote, and spider web.
“Geese in Flight,” raised up in June, 2001, is the largest metal sculpture in the world, weighing more than 75 tons. The sun ray is 156 feet long and 110 feet tall. The largest goose is 19 feet long, with a 30-foot wing span.
Artist Gary Greff is the creator of the “Enchanted Highway.” His dream began in 1989 when he quit his teaching job to begin his own business—tearless onions.
When that venture did not pan out, Greff began to think of ways to keep other businesses in the town from dying. The idea of the “Enchanted Highway” was born when he saw a local farmer build a strongman out of hay bales.
Greff thought if people were stopping to take pictures of such a small structure, imagine how many would stop to take pictures of huge ones.
He could be found most days working at one of the sites, welding, sandblasting, painting, or doing other little odds and ends that need constant care and attention.