Upon arriving in North Dakota, I made the decision to bring my bicycle journey to an end for 2020. When I made the decision, I arrived at the decision quite abruptly. Meaning the day before, I was still harboring the notion of completing the entire journey this year. There were several factors that influenced my decision. One primary reason was the remoteness of the territory I would be traveling through. Had I continued on. ND 1804, I would be traveling for two full days, without a single town, gas station, restaurant, etc. until arriving in Bismarck. The trail swings westward at this point, and travelers along I-94 will recall that the most frequently seen sign on the exits in ND, is ‘No Services’. Stocking up with two days or more of water and food on the bike, was not something I would look forward to doing. The ever present possibility of a bike breakdown also was a consideration. I was starting to think about the financial cost of the trip also. The cost of sleeping in motels for another two months, would be considerable.
One day (on the bike) north of Bismarck along the Missouri River, was the location at which Lewis & Clark decided to build a a fort . At this point L&C decided to stop for the winter, and so shall I.
Departing from Bismarck I made a short stop at Hawktree Golf Club. It’s a fairly new course which I remembered visiting while curling once in Bismarck. It is rated no.19 among best public courses by Golf Digest. The thought crossed my mind to play 9 holes but it wouldn’t have worked out for an arrival at Washburn, the only town along the route today. Truth be told, this corse is too difficult for me also.
It turned out to be another very warm day, and during the mid afternoon, I saw an opportunity to carry through on a goal I had since the beginning of the trip - a swim in the Missouri. For much of the trip, the river looked like a mud puddle. Here in ND, the waters looked nice clear blue reflecting the skies. A couple of reflections: the water temp was pleasant, similar to an outdoor pool in the summer. The current was very strong, I certainly could not outswim it. And, I stayed near the shoreline. I’m sure the current was even stronger in the main channel. And the river is still a very large one, here 1300 miles from the mouth. Several times the size of the Wisconsin River. This just gave me a still greater appreciation of the achievements of L&C, towing boats upstream. I jumped in while wearing my shorts and shoes. It took very little time for these to dry out later when back on the bike, low humidity in ND.
Finally, by late afternoon, I arrived at Washburn, which is the closest town to Fort Mandan, the winter quarters for L&C. One more El Cheapo motel, located on the town’s Main Street for me. This motel, which is more commonly used for extended time clientele, was converted from a clinic and hospital. I was the only resident for the night. In order to get the AC turned on in the first room they gave me, the motel caretaker had to call the owner. She used a broom stick to open up the register located above the door to the room. They eventually gave up and put me in a huge double room that had better AC:
Miles: 45.3
Average 6.8 mph - another headwind for the whole day
Elevations: High 1891. Low 1643
Max speed: 23 mph
View of a green on Hawktree Golf Club, rated 19th best public golf course in the US
River elevation now is 1649 ft
Taking a break from the bike on yet another 90 degree day
So enjoyed following along in your journey. You rode farther than I imagined you would. Great feat!! Well done!!
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