My brother was also stationed at Minot from around 71-74. We always took our family vacation wherever he was, so we visited there 3 times. Drove out by car in the "family truckster, but my sister's boyfriend flew out to join us one summer, and he loved the sign he saw...."WHYNOT, MINOT?"
The winters sure were brutal there, I remember my brother and sister in law talking about digging out when the snow was as deep as the top of their door!
FREEZIN'S THE REASON!! Yes, I lived through the blizards and the windchill's of anywhere between -65F to -115F. Summers were mostly fairly mild (especially compared to California) but did hit the 90's to low 100's occasionally. Flat terrain, few trees, lousy fishing; not much to do up there really. But, the people were warm and wonderful, and I met my bride of 26 years there. So, my time there was well worth it.