Chapter 8: North Dakota

 Chapter 8: North Dakota

Crossing the Plains: only 500 miles of this! Shouldn't take long.

 

May 19, Monday: 59.1 miles (2318.7)

"Tougher day today. Late start and then had to deal with my first "prairie headwind." Actually, the things that were hardest to deal with were the heat and my sore, sore bottom. This all-flat riding and [therefore] constant pedalling are taking a toll. I'm cursing my lousy leather seat. Also broke a spoke; on the left side for the first time, so at least it was easier to replace."

"I stopped in New Rockford, because there's free camping, and I was pretty tired anyway. I treated myself to a DQ milkshake, bought a little food, and went back to the campground. While I was sitting here writing, a man and his father stopped to talk, and told me all about Glacier Park. I'm excited about it.

May 20, Tuesday: 60.1 miles (2378.8)

 "Another tough day. Some construction with dirt and mud, the wind was worse than yesterday, and if it's possible, the sun was hotter. I would have gotten an early start, but when I stopped to get water at 'Squeak's' gas station, they were so excited they called the local newspaper, and the pictures and interview took a little time."

 

"I'm mostly pretty up these days, though. I had been saying 'Alaska, I hope' when people asked where I'm going, and now I just say 'Alaska' ... I feel like I'm going to make it."

"My biggest problems are: 

1. My sore, sore, unbelievably sore, aching sit-bones. 

2. Keeping my skin from burning off with 16 hours of sun per day, and NO shade anywhere!

3. Getting enough water - I drink quarts and quarts and quarts of water. 90 degrees and windy is extreme dehydration weather!

4. Drinking the water once I do get it; much of the water here tastes AWFUL. If I had Staminex (a ghastly foul protein powder that was a thing back then) I would add it just to improve the flavor!"

"I made it to Hurdsfield, treated myself to a pre-fab pizza, and camped in the town park."

 "I've been hearing about the ash from Mt St Helens, and this afternoon I saw it. First the sun got hazy, and then everything in the distance got hazy." It wasn't thick enough to be a big problem, but I remember smooth surfaces like the bike frame feeling just slightly "greasy" afterward.

 

May 21, Wednesday: 67.8 miles (2446.6)

"Well, I'm starting to get the system down. Got up and left fairly early. Rode to McClusky (27 miles) and by then it was scorching, stifling hot, so I stopped and hung out in the park there. A town-wide water fight was in progress all around me, and I almost joined in, and later wished I had. Also while I was there, a  bunch of little school kids gathered around me during their recess."

"I started riding again around 4:00, but it was still way too hot, and there was no shade for miles. I resorted to sitting in the shade of my bike. At 7:30 it was still in the 90s. I started riding again at 8:00, and rode till the last minute of light at 10:00, and just made Underwood. I got a milkshake, found a park, and crashed on the ground."

May 22, Thursday: 73 miles (2505* odometer belt broke, missed ~14 miles)

"I've got it wired now. Got up fast, packed up fast, had only cheese and soy nuts for breakfast, and got rolling in the early sunrise, 6:15 CDTime, so that by 11:00 I had done 45 miles, which put me in Hazen. I bought a speck of food and a bunch of drink, and a 5 pound piece of watermelon, which I balanced on the handlebars for the mile-long ride down a dirt road, dead into the dust-filled wind, to get to the picnic area. That was a pretty frustrating mile, but I sure enjoyed that watermelon!"

"I was all alone at first, but soon people started coming - high school kids. We went down to their swimming hole - 'Paradise' they called it. It was fun to watch the social interaction - the boys throwing the girls into the water, the girls pretending not to like it. And to hear the gossip: 'So-and-so's girlfriend went out with someone else, and you-know-who stole some pot from what's-his-face' ... all deadly important to these kids."

"The wind was strong out of the south today, and did I have the longest stretch of due-south riding of the whole trip today? Of course I did! 16 grueling miles, some of the toughest I've ever done, I think. Again I rode until the last possible minute before dark, this time making it to Dodge. No sign of rain or bugs, and way too hot for the tent anyway, so I just laid down in among some bushes in the park, a little nervous about the bar across the street."

"This hot weather riding schedule is messing with my sense of time, because every day feels like 3 days: the morning ride, the midday hang-out, and the evening ride." 

"It was a little eerie, or at least a different feeling, to ride in the late dusk light today - the land is getting more rugged here - less wheat farming and more open rangeland; sparse vegetation on dry brown hills."

May 23, Friday: 90 miles (2595)

"Wow! I'm in the Badlands! Got going early again, so that by 1:00 I had done 75 miles. The wind was strong out of the south, and I finally got a chance to use it for the last 20 miles to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This place blows me away."

 I'm never one to bad-mouth the Plains, because being from New England with its hills and valleys and forests, it's pretty awe-inspiring just to see that land can be that flat, with not a tree in sight. It definitely has its own kind of beauty, but it's a stark, minimalist beauty, and going from the sensory deprivation of 500 miles of that, to suddenly being surrounded on all sides by so many colors and layers and shapes, was truly breathtaking.

 I squandered several hours in the campground, not realizing that it was the worst place to be, owing to the fact that it was at the bottom of the canyon, where there was not much of a breeze, and plenty of "buffalo gnats" ... like black flies, but maybe even more aggressive about biting. I did meet some friendly older folks, though; Bud and Ann Waechter, and Myron 'Beanie' and Betty Benser. They gave me cold OJ and snacks, and eventually dinner too! Really nice people!

"As the sun was setting, I took a ride up the park road, to see the wildlife and the park in twilight. I saw several mule deer, and after a few miles I came upon three buffalo blocking the road ahead. They are awesome, massive, fearsome looking creatures, and I didn't want to argue with them about who had the right of way, so I turned around at that point."

 

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