Belfield, ND to Wibaux, Montana

Good morning to the great grass plains of North Dakota

If I were a bovine this is where I would want to live. Brad Hunt praises how great the beef is in Nebraska; I don't think you could touch the grass fed cattle of North Dakota! They must be truly contented until their demise. I am uncertain how the cattle feel about winter though. Such winters do bring forth an abundance in the spring and early summer as can be seen by this photo.

 

Today was as good as yesterday was bad. The wind had finally abated and today was a marvelous journey through beautiful countryside which I pretty much had all to myself. Taking Old Highway 10 from Belfield to Interstate 94 led to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Painted Canyon Visitor Center where I had my first encounter with a bull buffalo.  While seemingly ignoring motor vehicles, it on the other hand, was quite interested in my bicycle and its rider. I found this to be pretty intimidating. In any event,the whole thing turned out well except for the picture I took of him which was quite blurry. 

From there it was on to Medora on Interstate 94 where it is legal to ride bicycles. The highway sports a very wide shoulder so it was not intimidating at all.  Medora was a beautiful little town in a gorgeous setting. 

John Moss is  80 years young and has taken five trips across United States since the 70s and has even gone up to Alaska on a bicycle. He's a man after my own heart and yet he says he's "not a bicyclist." Still trying to figure out when it is we actually become bicyclists...how many miles does it take? He is traveling alone and self-supporting. Go get 'em John!

It was here that I met John Moss, 80 years young, riding across the country. Attached is the map of his many journeys just since the 1990s. He has been riding across the country since the 1970s. From here I rejoined Old Highway 10 which was a beautiful, pristine, example of Sweetgrass Prairies. I saw little or no vehicles but I did encounter some additional bicyclists going from west to east. Next was Sentinel Butte, ND, a very small village consisting of 56 souls, which led to Beach, ND.  I hung my hammock and took an hour’s rest before moving on to cross the border into Montana.  

 I will be spending the night camping in Wibaux, Montana. Named after Pierre Wibaux, a contemporary of Teddy Roosevelt and a French entrepreneur from a wealthy family, he ventured into the cattle industry in a big way and ran herds of up to 65,000 head.  The winter of 1887, made famous by Charlie Russell's painting of the lone starving cow, basically bankrupted him and many others in the cattle industry. Teddy Roosevelt was also dabbling in the cattle industry and lost a considerable sum of money with the loss of his cattle in the same winter.

All in all, it was a great day with beautiful scenery, good weather, and great bicycling. Many of the roads I had entirely to myself and I bicycled close to 60 miles today.

A special thanks to my friends at ADM who took time out of their busy schedules to wish my wife a happy birthday today. Not only did I miss her birthday but I missed our anniversary as well. The special thanks to my sweet wife who has been putting up with my antics for the last 41 years.

Dickinson, ND to Belfield, ND

Sometimes the wind is enough to make a grown man cry!  Screaming out of the Northwest, straight into my face, with such force it just about curled my lips back over themselves! Goodness gracious how I hate the wind...except when it is at my back. I struggled along at 4 and 5 miles an hour and even had to walk up moderate grades because between the hills and the wind I just didn't have the "juice" to get it done. I will be reciting every prayer that I learned in catechism praying that the wind moderates by tomorrow.

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, North Dakota is the home of Dickinson State University and the proposed site for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. For diehard Teddy fans, it is common knowledge that some of Pres. Roosevelt's happiest days were spent in the wilds of the West and especially in this part of the country.

There was little of note on the ride between Dickinson and Belfield... mostly tall grasses and pigmy size corn...ankle high by the Fourth of July would very likely be the motto here. What little corn I did see probably splendidly represented what the Indians likely starved on in days past. The grass by contrast was rich, full, and a delight to the cattle that were feeding upon it.  The little town of Belfield, my home for the night, sports close to 800 residents with just about that many big rigs burning up the roads. Unemployment is virtually nonexistent and there are signs everywhere seeking applicants for just about every position imaginable. Prices on the other hand are astronomical. I observed an advertisement for a 14 piece bucket of chicken for $38!  Belfield is touted as "The Gateway to the West" as well as "Where friends meet on the Custer Trail."  Established in 1875 as Fort Houston, the name was later changed with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad to Bellfield and folklore has it that the town was named after an engineer's daughter, Belle Field.

Belfield, ND

June 20, 2014

While not perfect, Andrea is feeling much better. After having subjected my sweet wife to every test devised by the medical profession, the general consensus is that while not feeling at the top of her game, some of the really serious diseases have been ruled out. Thanks to modern medicine and pharmacopeia, Andrea's most irritating symptoms are under control. The general plan now is that we're going to just give her time to recuperate, watch for improvement, and act accordingly. This being the case and assuming that I have her blessing, I will again hit the road and attempt to finish my trip before the family reunion in mid August. 


In the meantime, the agenda is welcoming our new granddaughter, Vera Mae Ward, into the world and spending a little time spoiling her. Needless to say, she is beautiful just like her mother and will certainly be her daddy's delight.
 

This evening will be very special as we celebrate our younger daughter's completion of her surgical residency. After four years of college, four years of medical school, one year of internship, and four years of residency, she is finally done! ... Well, kind of done... as she, Paul (her wonderful husband) and our little granddaughter Jennie move to Portland for one more year of training in the specialty of Emi's choice. Paul is finishing up his work in Denver, Emily is in the last days of her residency, and we are all packing boxes for the move. But tonight, it's all about celebrating!

Trip hiatus

Just a heads up for those who are following my blog and who watch my Spot pretty closely, we've had a family illness so I'm on my way home and will alert everyone when I resume the trip. Have rented a car, "Traveler" and I are driving to Decatur, Illinois and expect to arrive sometime late tonight or in the morning...DO I STILL KNOW HOW TO DRIVE???

Fargo, ND

I've worn out my second chain and now on my third as I reach North Dakota. Traveler is getting a complete work over, cleaning all the drive mechanisms, making sure the air is right in the tires, and installing a new chain.

It's goodbye Minnesota, a wonderfully friendly state, gracious people, beautiful roads with wide shoulders, and terrific bike paths! I will miss Minnesota; it is definitely a bike-friendly state. Hello North Dakota with your wide-open spaces, limited amenities, strong winds, and vast empty plains.  I will travel to Bismarck, and it is there that I will take a hiatus as I leave the road to return to family affairs...Emily will be graduating from her surgical residency and assuming the responsibilities of a board-certified surgeon. Jennifer will be delivering our third grandchild, a little girl, and I will be there for both of these incredible events.

After this break in the routine I will return to the road in order to complete my cross country trip. At this point I must figure out how best to get to Bismarck, and once there, what to do with Traveler, determine how to get home so that I can convey Andrea, my sweet wife, to see our daughters and partake in their astounding events.  Jennifer, my schedule is rather tight so please get those contractions going! 

Jose, Rachel, and I went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (great food) and then took pictures around town. A special thanks to Jose and Rachel for their very gracious hospitality! It's nice to have new friends and I look forward to their visit to Illinois sometime in the future.

My day of rest while staying with Jose and Rachel allowed me to have much-needed work done on traveler. Had the derailleur adjusted, brakes adjusted, wheels aligned, spokes tightened and added a new chain, second one of the trip.  They seem to be good for only 1000 miles with this kind of wear and tear. I have covered well over 2000 miles so far so it was about time unless I wanted to change the back sprocket. 

Special thanks also to the Great Northern Bicycle Shop for doing such a fine job on Traveler on such short notice.

I feel rested, ready to hit the road again, and looking forward to this new phase of my bike trip.

May 26, 2014

Near ND border...brutal winds!!!

Western Minnesota is a transition into the typical plains type ecosystem where trees become sparse and the grasses take over. Unfortunately the winds are seemingly non-abating, and there are long flat and rolling stretches one has to bicycle fighting the wind and charbroiling in the sun. Bicycled just under 60 miles today in order to reach Moorehead, Minnesota, which is located just across the border from Fargo, North Dakota.  I will be spending the next two nights with Rachel and José Rodriguez, new friends that I met while bicycling yesterday. Through their gracious hospitality I will be able to regain my strength, have my bicycle serviced, and do a little sightseeing around Fargo. In return, it is my hope that they will visit us in Decatur with the promise to travel to Chicago by Amtrak so that we can take in a couple shows. They are a really fun couple, very easy to get to know, and while we have been friends for not much more than 24 hours I feel like I have known them for years. I will take time tomorrow to plan my route across North Dakota in light of the fact that there will be a tremendous amount of truck traffic as a result of the oil patch work that is underway.

Rachel & Jose

This picture was taken at the HuHot Mongolian Grill Stir-Fry Restaurant. What a really fun spot to sample various assortments and mixtures of Mongolian cuisines and sauces. You select the ingredients buffet style and at a huge round grill a bevy of chefs cook it for you. Not only was it a fun experience but tasty as well. Rachel, Jose, and I did our part and ate all we could.

May 25, 2014

After departing Eagles Healing Nest in Sauk Centre at 9:00AM this morning, I bicycle 75 miles to Fergus Falls, Minnesota.  In another day's ride I will be in North Dakota. Met up with Sourin, Jose, and Rachel in Alexandria and we rode together for the remainder of the day. They were fun folks and I hope to meet up with them once again in a couple of days. It was a great day's ride, beautiful weather, perfect trail conditions, and the wind was in our favor. I will miss my new friends in Eagles Healing Nest but will carry them in my thoughts as I travel across this great country of ours.

Ouch!

 One of my biking companions trying decide which hurts worse...his butt or his back... I think it was a tie.


 

Lakes State Trail

  This guy came after me when I tried to take his picture! He was not the least bit afraid of me!