Glendive, MT

Day 46 (12 July 2014)
Medora, ND to Glendive, MT
Day:  72.27 miles, Trip:  2921.18 miles


Breakfast in the town of Medora at the Cowboy Cafe. We had a great waitress and good food. The place was packed but we timed it well enough and found seats. Some of the others got stuck waiting for awhile.

We stopped in Bench, ND for our last stop before crossing the border into Montana. It was a short ride from here to the sign for pictures. Took a good one, but I ended up getting covered by other people, that is okay though. From there it was onto Wibaux, WT. We stopped in at the Beaver Creek Brewery and had some amazing nachos. I decided to skip the last rest stop and stayed on I-94 towards Glendive, MT. I managed to catch up to Richard at the exit for town and we stopped at a gas station for a rest room break and some powerades. It has been a hot day and I was getting really low on water. It wasn't much further to the campground at the Makoshika State Park. It is a beautiful state park and some of the group climbed up the hill for views of sunset. I decided just to relax in camp instead.

The sunset was a good one, and after seeing photos the view was great from the top. A few people had minor injuries from the climb though, so I am not second guessing my decision to stay in camp.

Medora, ND

Day 45 (11 July 2014)
Hebron, ND to Medora, ND
Day:  82.34 miles, Trip:  2848.91 miles

We decided not to wait for breakfast in Hebron since it didn't open until 8. Instead we rode on to Richardton for breakfast. At first the cafe was closed but then we realized we changed time zones and it was opening by the time we got back to it. The breakfast was good, a worthy stop. After breakfast we rode on and visited the first rest stop in Dickinson, ND. It has become known as the liquor store rest stop. Skylar claims it was because the grocery store parking lot was full ... right, we didn't let him forget that one.

We were sitting at the last rest stop before the national park and up rides Beth. Beth rode with us in Bowling Green, OH and is back to ride with us some more. It was a surprise and we were all really happy to have her back.

On the ride today we got to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Painted Canyon Visitor's Center. This national park is basically part of the North Dakota Bad Lands and is truly beautiful. We stayed at the visitors center for awhile taking photos and enjoying the view. We got a couple group photos and then rode on to Medora, ND. On the way to Medora I was trying to take pictures of the scenery and the other riders. This proved to be challenging at 30 mph on a highway.  I did manage to get a few good shots.

Tonight we are staying in the Medora Campground in Medora, ND (pop 100). Medora is a weird town that is owned mostly by one company. It is a western themed town. We stopped for ice cream but it wasn't anything special. The campground is right outside the national park and some of the group went for a drive around it in one of the vans, it was full so I stayed around the campground. Some people went to drink or get food in town. I decided to stay in camp for dinner and just hung out with those remaining. Shortly after heading to bed I realized I set up the tent in the wrong location. Some of our group (by the sound of it was Skylar, Ted, and Kenny) joined a group of other campers at a fire ring close to my tent. They were up late and were not quiet. By the sound of it, they were pretty drunk. Eventually I did get to sleep though.

Hebron, ND

Day 44 (10 July 2014)
Bismarck, ND to Hebron, ND
Day:  70.88 miles, Trip:  2766.57 miles

The day started with a trip into town for breakfast at Perkins. We headed out of town as a good sized group following the lead of Skylar. As we left town it broke into smaller groups though and we rode at our own paces.  I spent most of the day with Richard. The first rest stop was in New Salem ND. This was a unique rest stop. For one there was a giant cow on the side of the hill next to the town name sign. The people in town were super nice. Deloris, from the local paper, went around town collecting donations for us and raised about $120. The lady in the Muddy River Coffee House gave all the cyclists discounts. I wasn't sure what I wanted so she told me I wanted a blueberry smoothie and a cranberry scone. It hit the spot indeed. I rode with Richard out of New Salem and we got on I-94. We decided to skip the rest stop and just stayed on the highway all the way to Hebron, ND (pop 750). We arrived to town in time for a late lunch at the Dark Side of the Brew and each had a delicious salad.

The good news about Hebron, ND is that it is a mail drop and the best mail drop of the trip. I received my new Schwalbe marathon tires. They are still heavy but they are only 1.5 inch with less tread tires than the 2.0 tread tires (Schwalbe Marathon Mondials) that were on it already. At this point there are still 3 of us without a flat tire, myself, Joe and Andy. I am not a fan of changing flat tires so I stay with the heavy duty tires.

Tonight we are staying in the Hebron, ND community center. This is equipped with a kitchen, plenty of outlets and bathrooms. So we are set for the night. Kristen, Michelle, Richard and myself headed over to a pizza place for dinner. The food wasn't the greatest but not horrible. But the owner left leaving her 2 younger daughters to close up. The one girl was definitely trying to show us she was the one that was in charge.

Bismarck, ND

Day 43 (09 July 2014)
Napoleon, ND to Bismarck, ND
Day:  71.08 miles, Trip:  2695.69 miles

A large group of us met at Reuben's for breakfast. The one thing about traveling in a large group is you very quickly overwhelm a wifi. So instead I set my phone up outside the window of the Downtowner Bar and used their wifi instead. It downloaded a better book much faster than I was getting it at Reuben's. While waiting outside the cafe a person from the local paper stopped by for a chat and to snap a few photos. I was downloading the 5th book of the song of ice and fire series, so it was taking forever. Kristen decided to wait and ride with me. Eventually we got going. The ride itself was pretty uneventful. Though I was lucky I was riding with her, I had gotten into my book and almost missed a turn. I just followed her for the day.

Justin showing off his stylish arm warmers

Tonight we are camping in General Sibley Park outside the town of Bismark, ND (pop 61,000). Some people headed to a bar, others to walmart. I sent an order with Michelle and hung out at the campground with Kirsten. We relaxed in the hammocks. Once the van came back we had dinner and dessert plus some cold chocolate milk.

The bugs are bad again tonight so sleeping in the tent and not the hammock even though we have a lot of great  trees for hanging.

Over consumption of electricity

Napoleon, ND

Day 42 (08 July 2014)
Kathryn, ND to Napoleon, ND
Day:  101.38 miles, Trip: 2624.61 miles

We all started getting up early. The thought of a century into a headwind just has people wanting to get it over with. Kristen and Ryan made pancakes for us and then it was time to hit the road. The 4 mile ride back to hwy 46 had me tired already and the day had just begun. The day proved to be a battle against the wind, the hardest day so far. With the wind even on downgrades there was no break. It was definitely another ear bud in, head down kind of day all day long. In addition to the wind and the long straight hwy 46 there were not many towns. 2 of the 3 rest stops had the trailer parked on the side of the road. The lone town was Gackle, ND.  Gackle actually had a little bicycle hostel and a couple food options. I chose the wrong one, I ate at the ice cream place and somebody treated to lunch at the bar for those having pizza there. Oh-well it was still a good stop.

I finally pushed on from Gackle and rode the rest of the way to Napolean, ND (pop 800). Tonight we are staying in the park here in town. We stopped by the White Maid for dinner. I was expecting another small burger like I had for lunch but I was pleasantly surprised with a large, very good burger instead. After dinner w stopped by the Downtowner Bar for some Tour de France highlights and a beer. I also got to use the wifi which was nice and strong to get a new audio book. And finally back to the park and time for bed.

Kathryn, ND

Day 41 (07 July 2014)
Fargo, ND to Kathryn, ND
Day:  82.00 miles, Trip:  2523.23 miles

Riding with Richard again today. We stopped on our way out of Fargo at Mom's Diner. It was ok, but nothing special. Most of the day was spent on hwy 46 which was a gradual uphill all day long. Throw in a head wind and it made for a "fun" day.

We had the first rest stop in Kindred, ND but we were on our way out when the trailer arrived. The second stop was in Enderlin, ND and we had a lunch in a local cafe. It was a good size portions and it hit the spot. The section after the last rest stop included some hills and continued into the wind. We reached the town of Kathryn, ND (pop 52). They are letting us stay in their community center and even though its a town of 50 they have a nice and friendly bar. We decided to cook instead with the normal dinner group. Dinner was followed by more relax time and catching up on my reading. To bed early tonight, tomorrow is a century day into the wind again.

Rest Day: Fargo, ND

Day 40 (06 July 2014)
Rest Day: Fargo, ND

After sleeping in, it was a quick breakfast and wifi at McDonalds with Michelle, Richard,  and Kristen. At 10:30 we all met for the service project and Kenny and Eric gave an interview for the local news. The service project was really more than we were equipped for but we managed it. We hung fence panels, used a jackhammer to break up concrete steps, finished draining and moved a pool, and moved a storage building. This last one was a really big challenge. Luckily we had Larry to supervise and it was accomplished using 4x4s for leverage and slowly inched it around.

After the service project I went to find a barber, they were closed but I found a Great Clips and got my head buzzed. It feels good in this heat to be lighter. This was followed by dinner at the Rhombus pizza. I opted to not get pizza and got a salad again. After dinner was second dinner at Jimmy Johns and back to the TV lounge for more AC and TV.