Notes from Tom: For the first time on our trip, we rode on an interstate--I-94 headed east. Some folks seem to want to avoid such an experience, but we found it to be quite acceptable. Fewer hills, wide shoulders, and the shortest distance between two points. This was the second fairly hot day in a row--I'm sure there are more to come.
In the last couple of days I have been recalling a long time friend who I credit for getting me into long cycling trips--John Skuches. John first got me interested in Ride the Rockies, and after that first week climbing mountains in Colorado I was hooked. John died several years ago, from a heart attack while riding his Serrota bike. RIP John.
Now that we're in North Dakota, I've been in 49 of our 50 states, missing only Alaska, so Patty and I will be heading there sometime in the next year, but probably on a cruise ship, not on a bike. It was interesting how the terrain changed as we entered western North Dakota. Lots of pointed hills and more gullies and sharp ridges. We stopped at the Painted Desert overlook and read about the lignite coal smoldering under the ground, causing the red tops on many of the pointed outcroppings.
Wildlife Update: We finally saw elk, and buffalo. The elk were on the hills behind the theatre Jerry describes below, and the buffalo were on the North Side of I-94, right in Teddy Roosevelt Park. I also jumped a rooster and hen pheasant right along side the road--not sure who scared who.
Notes from Jerry: We met several more cyclists in our great motel on the outskirts of Glendive. The motel was great because it had a bar, a coffee shop and a restaurant downstairs where we enjoyed both dinner and breakfast the next morning - no driving involved! Of course one downside was all of the construction / oil field workers that were staying there, who woke up at 4-5 am to drive north to work! You would have thought that we were back in college in a dorm or something with all the noise. By the time we got down to breakfast at 6am the parking lot was empty!
Our decision to ride the interstate vs the adventure cyclist route was a good one. We saw one of the couples from our motel who had started out earlier than us about 7 miles down the road and we watched them go up and down hill and dale on a parallel road next to us and we knew they were on the much rougher chip and seal road with hills, while we had essentially our own private bike path with 8-10 ft of smooth asphalt or concrete and a rumble strip to separate us from the traffic. Other than the heat, this was one of our better rides and 98 miles to boot. We made it to Dickinson, but along the way we came across one of the best surprises of our trip so far - Medora, ND!
I think Walt Disney could have taken some lessons from Medora. This place looks like the set of a western movie! Dropped right in the middle of the badlands, this is where Teddy Roosevelt fell in love with the west and bought a ranch 30 miles north. Because of Rooselvelt we have a great National Park with an entrance at the edge of town. The town of 120 people has rooms, restaurants and all kinds of shops, accomodating several thousand people. This is the real Knotts Berry Farm - a fully restored western town for tourists manned by retirees and young people enjoing the summer employment. Best of all was the amazing nightly musical with excellent singers and dancers doing a variety show of classic country songs, dancing with Cowboy/ Dakota/ Rooselvelt/ America themes. Top notch outdoor venue carved out of the side of a hill with a great vista of the badlands. Laguna Pagent of the Masters on steroids, complete with escalator!
A follow up: After lunch in Medora, the guys headed down the road to Dickinson. I did enjoy a wonderful hour of lounging by the pool of the Badlands Motel! The big show in town is the open air theatre - seating for 2,000. Somehow, the guys agreed to stay up till 11:00 and attend the performance. As Jerry mentioned, it was great. The performers were top notch, the sets amazing, including the horse and riders included in the performance - real rough riders.
You've never been to Alaska??? Nothing makes sense anymore.
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