Life On A B-I7

Route

• Plymouth to Fairbault

Metrics

• Miles: 66 + 3 NIM
• Average Speed: 10.8 mph
• Ride Time: 6 hours 1 minute

Notes

• Hot and very humid today. I hate to admit it, but when I pulled into Fairbault, I was exhausted.

Thought #12

• Be committed to those you’ve committed yourself to. Bring them coffee in the morning.

Last night my friends took me to dinner at the Aster Café in downtown Minneapolis. We had a great meal and we listened to the “New Entangled Particles” perform an experimental jazz mix of classic 80s hits. After dinner we went for a walk and experienced a Midwest lightning show.

Today I’m off to Farabault. It is a 64 mile route on 35 miles of “bicycle way.” Minneapolis is known to be bicycle friendly, but so is a large portion of the surrounding area. If you enjoy bicycling, this is a marvelous place to become “entangled” with what are known here as “cycle ways.”

About halfway to Fairbault, I pulled up at an intersection where there were three other cyclists. It was a husband, wife, and son. When we got the signal to cross, we all started out. The two e-bikes led the way and soon we’re well ahead of us. I told the fellow riding alongside me, “you better catch up.” He said he wanted to ride with me for a bit!

We rode together for about 2 miles and had a really nice conversation. He told me how much he admired what I was doing, which made me feel very good. We talked about cross-country cycling and I shared a couple stories from one of my previous cycling adventures. He asked me if I had ridden with other people on this tour, and I said “the longest has been for about 10 feet.” When we parted ways, I gave him my card that has the link to this blog. He really appreciated that and said he was anxious to follow along. He’s going to retire in a couple of years and I told him he should definitely do a cross-country. I recommended the Selkirk Loop as a wonderful bicycle/e-bike combo tour. That way his wife could join him. I think he will cross the country. Good luck, my friend!

Poster at the Aster Cafe. The poster begged to be photographed as an homage to my current focus in life.

The “New Entangled Particles” live on stage. Two of the band are Music PhD’s teaching in Minneapolis. Their music is as mysterious as quantum entanglement. If Einstein were listening, he might describe it as “joyful music at a (near) distance…”

Stunning view of downtown.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Plymouth, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• Today I’ll be spending time working on my itinerary for the second half of the tour.

Thought #11

• Happiness is temporary, joy is permanent. Build on those things that will bring you joy.

So far, I have traveled 2,046 miles. I originally calculated it would take 4,317 miles to complete the journey. That means the official midpoint of my tour would be the town of Rochester, Minnesota, East of Fairbault. I will be passing thru that town in just a few days.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not currently on the ACA Route for two reasons. The first is to visit friends in Plymouth, just outside Minneapolis. The second is to visit a town about 60 miles south of Minneapolis that has special significance to me. That town is Fairbault Minnesota. After visiting Fairbault, I’ll head east for about 100 miles, cross the Mississippi River at Winona, then I’ll be back on the ACA Route.

Fairbault, Minnesota is my father’s hometown. His Mother raised him there, and the house that he was brought up in is still standing. I am excited to see the town and the home that he lived in while he was growing up. I’m planning to visit the Rice County Historical Society while I’m there to see if I can learn anything more about my Grandmother.

One of the controversies I plan to sort out is how to properly pronounce the name of my father’s hometown. As a kid growing up, my family, always pronounced it Fair bow. On several occasions I’ve been corrected and told the proper pronunciation is Fair balt. I believe the latter is a mispronunciation. I’m looking forward to solving this mystery.

Visiting Fairbault will be exciting… The focus today is rest and recovery. At my current rate of travel and rest, I will be in Bar Harbor, Maine on September 10th. I originally planed to arrive September 20th. That means my original estimate was pretty close, it also means I can take a little extra time here and there if I would like.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Saint Cloud to Plymouth

Metrics

• Miles: 63 + 8 NIM
• Average Speed: 10.1 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 6 minutes

Notes

• An Air Quality Alert is in effect. The smoke from fires in Northeast Minnesota is as bad as anything I’ve ever seen. I may have to call for a ride into Minneapolis.
• Q. What is the coldest city in the country.
• A. International Falls, Minnesota. On average they have 109 days a year where the temperature is below 32°. I’m south of there…

Thought #10

• Spend time each day to think of things higher than yourself.
• A person that can’t do that is no leader.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) today is 317. That’s not good. I decided to ride today anyway because the AQI in the EconoLodge where I stayed last night wasn’t a whole lot better. The carpet was moldy. I’m not sure which is worse, mold or smoke, it’s probably a toss-up. You get what you pay for.

I have arrived in Minneapolis! Roughly speaking, this is the halfway point of the tour. Tomorrow I’ll provide a better estimate of the midpoint, plus some details about where I’m heading next.

The oldest person to ride coast-to-coast on a bicycle is Bob Sanders. He completed the trip at 85 years (and 49 days) old. He achieved this remarkable feat on May 11, 2025. He cycled from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida.

I did that route in 2019. If I do it again in 13 years, I could be the new record holder!

My first glimpse of the Mississippi River, 30 miles West of Minneapolis. I’m told this is about as far Northwest on the Mississippi river as you can navigate.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Saint Cloud, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• This is the perfect day to rest. It allowed me to spend a leisurely evening watching the MLB All-Star Game here in town.
• Q. Have you ever wondered why the catcher drops his glove after presenting a target to the pitcher.
• A. It’s because raising his glove to catch the pitch makes it easier to fool the umpire into thinking the pitch was a strike.
• Local knowledge: Bounce Dryer Sheets inside your gloves will keep the mosquitos from biting your hands!

Thought #9

• Protect your heart from things that would lead it astray.

This is a wonderful country we live in. Everywhere I go, I meet fantastic people. Life on the road is different than normal life. It opens you up. It allows you to see things you would not normally see. It allows you to experience new feelings, new knowledge. It makes you aware of how important people are, even people you’ve just met.

I’m almost to the halfway point of the tour. I am making great progress. It looks like it might take fewer days than I originally planned. That’s a good thing. If I want to slow down, I certainly can take the time to do that.

Tomorrow is a big day. I’m going to try and do 62 miles to get into Minneapolis to see friends. I’m trusting the Komoot app to build a good route for me to follow.

I met some great people while I was watching the All-Star Game last night!

My boy back home.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Osakis to Saint Cloud

Metrics

• Miles: 57
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• All trail today. No need for metrics.

Thought #8

• Be gentle. It is the strong that are gentle.

Today completes 110 miles of bike path riding. It was a huge relief to be off the road for a couple of days. It occurred to me that it might be fun to ride a bike path all the way across the country. After I thought about it a bit more, I realized that’s not such a good idea. The reason is simple, when you’re on the road instead of a path, you pass right through the middle of towns. You meet people and you see things that you don’t see from a bike path.

It was a rough night last night. I’m going to blame it on mosquitoes, but it’s entirely my fault. When I got to Alexandria at the end of the day, I went to the visitor center to inquire about motels. The lady there told me they had a few in town, which were about 4 miles off the trail. Then she said there’s one in Osakis just 10 miles ahead and it’s right on the bike path. We called the number, but there was no answer. I figured what the heck, I’ll just show up. They’ll have a room for me! Just as I was arriving in Osakis, my phone rang. It was the motel calling. The nice lady informed me they were completely booked. There is a slight difference between Alexandria and Osakis, Alexandria has four motels, Osakis has only one.

There wasn’t a campground close by so I found the city park. A lot of city parks, especially those on the ACA route, allow tent camping… this one did not. The sun was starting to set so I was faced with a decision. Should I press on, or should I try and make a go of it here. I decided to try out my stealth camping skills. I managed to keep a low profile and no one threw me out of the park. When it was starting to get dark, I unpacked all my gear and put up my tent. I didn’t pitch it completely, just enough so I could keep a low profile. I forgot to mention the mosquitoes. I crawled into the tent and soon realized that a large number of mosquitoes had followed me inside. That really wasn’t working for me all that well. I got out of the tent, packed everything up and got back on the road. By now it was 11:30 PM.

Did I mention I’m not a big fan of mosquitoes? Did I mention that the mosquitoes in Minnesota are the size of elephants? As bad as that sounds there is more to worry about than the big ones…There’s also the swarming tiny ones. In other words, they come in all shapes and sizes and they’re all hungry. One sidenote with regard to Minnesota mosquitoes, they have an uncanny ability to set up an intravenous line before you can even swat them away.

Fortunately, I have a dynamo powered front light on my bike, which allowed me to negotiate the bike path after dark. I got to the next town 10 miles down the road about an hour later. There was a City Park there right alongside the bike path. There were also mosquitoes, but they were fewer in number. Once again, I set up camp and crawled into my tent. This time far fewer mosquitoes followed me inside. I managed to get about 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep. I’m going be tired today, but I survived. I fixed myself my morning breakfast, instant oatmeal and instant Starbucks coffee, then I hit the road.

On the bright side, I’m getting to the point where I can drink instant coffee without grimacing.

About 30 miles from Osakis, the ACA Route turns north to the city of Bowlus. I’ll be continuing on to the end of the path, to the town of Saint Cloud. I’m now leaving the ACA Route for a couple hundred miles. I’ll reconnect with the ACA Route on the east side of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles south of Minneapolis. I will explain the reason for this in another post. I think you’ll find it interesting.

Sunset on Lake Osakis. The lake should’ve been my first clue there might be a problem camping at this location.

This is where the ACA and I depart ways. (More to follow.)

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fergus Falls to Osakis

Metrics

• Miles: 69
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• I was on a paved bike path all day today. I didn’t feel like running the metrics app.

Thought #7

• Do everything you do to the best of your ability. 

I thought today would be another day of road riding. I was mistaken. When I got to the outskirts of Fergus Falls, the route turned onto the Central Lakes State Trail. One hundred and ten miles of paved bike path over an abandoned railroad spur. Actually, it’s not just bicycles, in the winter snowmobiles and cross-country skiers are allowed to use the trail. Today I covered the first 65 miles, tomorrow I’ll do the last 45.

My route today passed through the town of Alexandria. I was met as I entered the town by Olaf the Viking, affectionately known as Big Ole. The town of Alexandria calls itself “The Birthplace of America.” Naturally, I had to inquire why. I was told it was because Vikings explored this region in 1362 making them the first white men to see this land. There is only one piece of evidence to corroborate this story, it is a Rune Stone discovered by a local farmer in 1898. The stone is engraved with Nordic runes and the date 1362. There is archaeological evidence to show that the Vikings explored Hudson Bay dating back to 1000. In 1355 an expedition was sent to Greenland and a permanent settlement was established. It is that expedition or one similar to it that is assumed to have reached this part of Minnesota. The stone has become known as the Kensington Rune Stone. The stone is on permanent exhibit in the Rune Stone Museum in Alexandria.

I made a strange observation today on the trail. When I wave at guys on e-bikes, they don’t wave back at me. I assume it’s because they’re going so fast They don’t see me, although it could be because they’re embarrassed by their electricity. Either way, if you’re on an e-bike and someone waves at you, be sure and wave back.

I passed a very cool memorial in the town of Butler. It was only visible from the bike path. I got off the bike and wandered around. It was fascinating. There was memorabilia and stories from the Civil War all the way through the Vietnam war. The memorial was dedicated to local citizens who had served in those conflicts, and those who had given their lives.

As an aside, this summer represents the 50th anniversary of my first long distance bicycle tour. When I graduated from college in 1976 I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I got on my bicycle and rode from Seattle to San Diego. That adventure made a huge impression on me. That is a big part of why I keep doing it.

Just the sort of thing you’re looking for in a heat wave.

“Big Ole” was there to greet me at mile 55 in the city of Alexandria.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Barnsville to Fergus Falls

Metrics

• Miles: 33 (+8 NIM)
• Average Speed: 8.67 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 44 minutes

Notes

• Strong headwind again today.
• Unusually narrow shoulder for 20 miles.

Thought #6

• When you are required to make a decision, are you doing so with the best of intentions to follow a higher will, or are you doing so only to benefit yourself.

The temperatures are soaring. This area is experiencing a heat wave. It is expected to last perhaps as long as another week. The best way to deal with a heat wave is to keep moving (unless of course you’re indoors). You have to do everything you can to prevent sunburn. That means long pants, long sleeves, and a hood over your neck and head underneath your bicycle helmet. This sounds like it would make things even hotter. The opposite is true. As long as the sun’s rays aren’t hitting you directly and you keep moving, you can create a small amount of cooling breeze.

Another day of headwind, this one fairly strong. What I find interesting about headwinds is the impact it has on performance. You have to drop down a gear and accept the fact that you’re going to go a little bit slower, otherwise you’ll wear yourself out. Looking on the bright side, I haven’t had a wind day where I needed to park the bike and give mother nature her due… I’m still waiting for the day I can tell Lieutenant Dan to hoist the Running Sail.

Occasionally, I will disturb some birds. For the sake of argument, I’m going to assume they were nesting somewhere nearby. Sometimes a couple of birds will follow me for a distance, circling overhead. I know they’re there for two reasons. I can see their shadow on the ground in front of me and I can hear them chirping. To me, it sounds like an angry chirp. A chirp that seems to blame me for having disturbed them. What is fun about this little game is they think they’re chasing me away, when actually I’m just enjoying the company.

I encountered 20 miles of narrow shoulder today. This is actually less disturbing than it may seem, as long as it’s not a busy road. Along with the bird game, I also play the shoulder game. The objective of this game is to keep the tires on the white line or slightly to the right of the white line. It can be a bit mesmerizing, but it certainly helps pass the time.

This shoulder isn’t even big enough to cry on.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fargo, ND to Barnsville, MN

Metrics

• Miles: 29
• Average Speed: 8.69 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 13 minutes

Notes

• Strong headwind today.
• Dropping Ascent Metric. (See below.)

Thought #5

• Work on your character every day. Character is like muscle, it gets soft if it is not exercised.

I’ve removed the Ascent Metric from my daily ride summary. I’ve tried two different apps to measure ascent. Both are just giving me the net difference start-to-finish. What I was hoping for was a total of all the incremental ascents during the course of the ride day. it appears that maybe the AllTrails app will do that, but here’s the problem. I’m already running two apps continuously all day long, one for navigation and another for metrics. To run a third app to measure incremental ascent would have an impact on the cell phone’s battery life. I’m already carrying two spare battery banks to keep the cell phone charged. I guess this is why a lot of people use a Garmin.

I only did 30 miles today, but that was for two reasons. The first was that I couldn’t find a room in Fargo so I could rest today. The second was because I was facing a strong headwind today. Not a great day to experience that. I just have to marvel at how few tailwind days I’ve had on this tour. When I get back to Redmond, I’m gonna’ take the running-sail I brought with me to Gear Fix because it’s not doing me any good on this trip.

One of the things you need to pay attention to is what I call “Shoulder Crown.” (What I’m about to talk about assumes you’re riding with traffic, not opposed to it, which of course is what you should be doing.) A wide, flat, smooth shoulder is naturally the best, and a pleasure to ride on. often what you have to work with is something less than that. Narrow shoulders are bad, narrow, and rough are worse, but possibly the worst is a crowned shoulder. That is when somewhere between the white stripe on the left and the edge of the shoulder on the right, the shoulder slopes down from left to right. The highpoint is the crown. That could be anywhere on the shoulder. What is critical is the degree of slope from the crown to the right edge. If the shoulder slopes steeply from the crown to the right edge, you need to be very cautious. If you drift to the right of the crown, there is a chance your left pedal could come into contact with the ground on the down stroke. If that should happen, it could have serious consequences. Now we get to the heart of the matter. The size of your pedal is important. A narrow pedal has less chance of coming into contact with the ground in this situation than a wider pedal. YOY am I going into all this boring detail?

When I was in the bicycle shop in Bismarck to get a quick tuneup on the bike, I complained to the fellow there about my shoes. He said he could fix that. He was a professional bicycling shoe fitter. He measured my foot, did a heat map of my in-step and looked at the cleat position on my old shoes. He said you’ve got some problems here. One new pair of shoes later with custom insoles and a pressure relief insert in the right shoe to relieve cleat pressure and I was out the door feeling a lot better. Oh yes, my old shoes were the wrong size too. I won’t tell you where I bought them, but I will recommend that when you buy cycling shoes you buy them from somebody who knows their business. One last piece to tie this into my rant about Shoulder Crown. I told the fellow I wanted new pedals for the bike that were flat on one side and held cleats on the other. (SPD Combo.) He said he could sell me a used pair that he had just taken back in. He said the guy didn’t like them because they were too wide. I knew exactly what he meant. I bought the new pedals because I pay pretty good attention to the shape of the shoulder I’m riding.

I find myself singing this quite often in the morning when I first get on the road. My apologies to Willie Nelson for the liberties taken with his beautiful lyrics.

On the road again. I can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is sharing memories with my friends, I can’t wait to get on the road again

On the road again. Goin' places that I’ve never been. Seein' things that I may never see again, I can’t wait to get on the road again

On the road again. Like a band of gypsies I go down the highway. Where the friends back home, are insisting that the world keep turning my way… On the highway…

I’ve been following the “Cooking Oil Trail” for over 200 miles. I finally reached its headwaters…

The ingredients for your bean chips also come from here.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Enderlin to Fargo

Metrics

• Miles: 55 (+9 NIM)
• Average Speed: 9.69 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 37 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 0

Notes

• NIM, Not In Metrics.
• Metrics impacted by heat and road conditions.

Thought #4

• When you feel stress coming on, take time to relax. Focus on higher things than yourself.

I left Enderlin at 7:30 AM. A bit late. I slept in until 5:15 AM! It takes me about two hours in the morning to pack up all my gear, cook breakfast and get on the road.

One possibility for sleeping in might’ve been the light show last night! I went to bed at 8 o’clock and woke up to thunder and lightning at 10:30. It was like no thunder and lightning show I had ever seen. Perhaps it’s not unusual for the Midwest, but it would make that sort of thing back home look small. After watching the show for a few minutes I realized I’d better get the rain fly on the tent. I was sleeping without it because I wanted to enjoy the nice evening air. No sooner did I get the rain fly on and was crawling back into the tent when the rain started to come down. The rain was milder than I expected, that meant packing up the tent in the morning was pretty easy.

As I was in the midst of all that, a man walked into the picnic shelter where I was getting organized and we chatted for a few minutes about the tour. He lives just across the street. The park is so beautiful that he often walks down to it to do his morning reading.

Seventeen miles down the road I saw a sign pointing to the town of Leonard. The town was 2 miles off route. I had a feeling they would have a convenience store and a cup of coffee, so I turned off to go check it out. Well, they had a convenience store, so I went in. It was a score. I had my coffee and a breakfast sandwich and some terrific conversation with the owner of the store and her baker. The owner bought the store 15 years ago because she loves the town of Leonard. The store was set to close and she didn’t want to see the town die. Small towns on the plains have to have their convenience store. It’s the center of social life in the community. We chatted for a good long while. After I finished my sandwich, the baker gave me a cookie for the road. I just finished it a few minutes ago. it was fantastic.

As we were chatting, the Mayor of Leonard walked in. My two friends introduced me to her. We talked about the town and the tour. I was so impressed with Leonard, I asked the Mayor if she would let me have a picture of the two of us. She was very kind, and said yes. (See below.) if you’re ever in the Eastern Plains of North Dakota, not far from Fargo, drop in and say hello to my friends in Leonard.

I got to Fargo and found out every room in town is booked. Not quite, I found a hotel for $400 a night and I found a motel for $200 a night. I said no to both and moved on to a nice campground right on the edge of the city. It was booked too. I chatted with the campground host and we struck a deal. I asked her if I could stay in the campground using stealth mode. She was hesitant at first, until I explained to her that I would only be using standard Romulan and Klingon stealth technology and I would not break any intergalactic laws. Still a bit hesitant, she said that would be fine…

My plans for a rest day in a motel in Fargo have been dashed. The first town in Minnesota, 27 miles from here, has a motel that is also booked. It looks like I might be camping for a few nights. As soon as I find a motel, I’m going to take a day of rest, maybe two.

Parting shot: Here is some wisdom you really can’t live without: The first 10 miles of the day are the easiest. The last 10 miles of the day are the hardest. To prevent that from becoming your reality, you have to dismiss the entire notion.

Brad meets the Mayor of Leonard!

Kiwanis Park in Fargo.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Gackle to Enderlin

Metrics

• Miles: 74
• Average Speed: 9.94 mph
• Ride Time: 7 hours 18 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 112

Notes

• 58° when I crawled out of the tent. It reached 85° today.
• No wind to start the day.
• Ended the day with a slight Southwesterly. Not enough to call a tailwind.
• The Climbing (Vertical Feet) is ridiculously off. I need to research that.

Thought #3

• Use your gifts and your time to help others, not just help yourself.

I found a shoulder today, but I’m not crying on it, I’m riding on it! Almost all of today’s 74 miles was on good shoulder. I’m now into what is referred to as the “Dakota Plains.” That was a big help towards upping the mileage a little bit.

When I reached Enderlin, a lady pulled up next to me and asked me if I was looking for a place to eat. I said yes, she said go to the tavern across the street. We chatted right there, her in the middle of the street in her car and me sitting on my bicycle. She told me she was from Seattle! She worked for the City of Seattle. When she decided to retire and told her friends she was moving to North Dakota. They told her she was crazy. She told them she was moving to North Dakota because the cost of living was lower and the people were nicer. From what I have experienced, I can’t disagree with her. I feel really safe on the roads here. I’ve never seen so many courteous drivers. That includes the semi’s.

Dinosaurs on the prairie. It’s actually a collection of old thrashing machines.

Who would have thought the Continental Divide runs this far east. I’m just 75 miles west of Fargo. The James River and the Sheyenne River are separated by only a few miles in some places, but they are on opposite sides of the Continental Divide. Their waters will never mingle. The two rivers will end up about 3,000 miles apart.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Hazelton to Gackle

Metrics

• Miles: 66
• Average Speed: 9.01 mph
• Ride Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 571

Notes

• White Line Fever for the first 45 miles. (No shoulder.)
• Song of the day: “White Line Fever “ by the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Thought #2

• Anger can’t always be avoided. The best way to make anger go away is to first recognize it, then tell yourself to set it aside.

Up early. There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee the morning after a Midwest thunderstorm. I’m very pleased with the new tent and recommend it highly. There is one thing about rain storms I don’t appreciate, that is when you roll a tent up to put it into the stuff sack, it’s much heavier than when it came out. There’s no way you can get all the moisture off of it. I’ll probably be thinking about that all day long as I’m pedaling.

This may not come as a surprise to some of you, but it turns out I’m not the sharpest tool in the tool shed. I waited out the thunderstorm last night under a picnic shelter. That sounds convenient but actually it was very difficult to find a dry spot even under the shelter because of the blowing wind. After the thunderstorm passed and I got the tent up I decided to use the bathroom. It turns out the park has a lighted, heated bathroom facility. Instead of waiting under the picnic shelter I could’ve been relaxing in a nice heated space, in my camp chair, enjoying a good read.

The weather forecast for this location is for high overcast today, but no rain. When you live in a house and it rains, you can always go indoors. When you’re on the road, the weather forecast becomes a matter of some interest.

I was just thinking about how little I have to complain about, then I realized there is something. I have had only one day of tailwind since I left Anacortes, Washington. That is more of an observation than a complaint. It does make you wonder, since that is extremely rare traveling east for this many days.

As my parting thought for the day, I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “every journey begins with a single step.” Well, I have something to say about that. Every mile you travel puts you one mile closer to your destination. You can quote me on that if you’d like.

Nothing like a hot cup of coffee the morning after a Midwest thunderstorm.

A nice vacation rental!

Alfalfa in bloom.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark to Hazelton

Metrics

• Miles: 45
• Average Speed: 9.21 mph
• Ride Time: 4 hours 42 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 875

Notes

• I didn’t get out of Bismarck till 10:30 AM.

Today

• If you make a mistake, no matter how small, gracefully acknowledge it. Don’t forget to apologize if that is possible.

I got my new tent this morning and I’m headed out of town! I got a bit of a scare when the clerk at the post office came back and said he couldn’t find it. I showed him the tracking number and asked him to look again and sure enough he found it, thank goodness.

I got to my destination just in time for a Midwest thunderstorm. I was able to hunker down in a picnic table shelter and wait for a lapse in the storm. The rain abated briefly, so I quickly assembled the new tent and just as I was finishing another storm front rolled in. The tent is performing beautifully. I’m going to have a very comfortable night. At the moment, I’m writing this post sitting in a lightweight chair inside the tent. Possibly two of the best purchases I’ve ever made. At least when there’s a thunderstorm to contend with.

I should be in Minnesota in about three days. If memory serves, they are known as “The Land of a Thousand Lakes.” Looking at my map, I can’t find any reason to argue with that. I’m also looking forward to the longest paved bicycle trail in the country. More on that when I get there…

I’m met another fellow heading west. We chatted on the side of the road. He left May 15th. The other fellow I met four days ago left on May 14th. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more westbound riders very soon.

I’m going to read for a bit and then call it a day.

I was running ahead of the storm all day so I stopped only once to take a photos. The sky was dark. It wasn’t great weather for taking photos.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 11
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): NA

Notes

• NA - Not Available

A bicycle tour gives you a lot of time to think about things that you often don’t take enough time to consider.

I’ve been pondering some of the lessons I have learned in life and considering how best to benefit from them. Having the opportunity to step out of my normal routine has given me a focus that has allowed me to see these lessons more clearly.

The lessons I share here I have gathered from multiple great books. From the Bible to the Koran, to the teachings of Buddha and Confucius, even to Homer’s Odyssey, all the world’s great literature is a source of learning and inspiration. There is no better guide to daily living than the collected wisdom of the world’s greatest prophets and thinkers.

The question becomes, what do you do with this knowledge? Of course the first thing is to live your life every day in a way that follows these lessons to the best of your ability. That’s not all. It is important to keep close to you, people that observe these teachings, and shun, as much as possible, those that do not. This prescription applies to all that we do, from our recreational activities to our civic duties, including whom we cast our vote for at the ballot box. It is our obligation to strive at all times to build a better world. Never allow yourself to be led by someone that behaves in a way that is anathema to any of these principles, even if his promises benefit you materially… Especially if his promises are designed to benefit you materially.

Each of these lessons is short and to the point. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to fill in the blanks. In fact, there is probably nothing here you haven’t heard before. What I plan to do is pick one each morning and say to myself, “today I am going to make this lesson my focus for the day.” Some days will be easy, some days will be hard. The point is to live these lessons, one day at a time, one lesson at a time. These can be helpful guides to a more useful and satisfying life. A life lived with purpose.

Here are 31 lessons I have chosen. One for every day of the month. I plan to focus on one each day and allow it to guide me. In time it will become easier and easier to incorporate these into my life, with less and less effort.

It’s important to appreciate life while we are living it. Incorporating these lessons daily can be a huge step toward doing that. I begin tomorrow!

• Ambition is good but ensure it serves mankind in some way.
• If you make a mistake, no matter how small, gracefully acknowledge it. Don’t forget to apologize if that is possible.
• Anger can’t always be avoided. The best way to make anger go away is to first recognize it, then tell yourself to set it aside.
• Use your gifts and your time to help others, not just help yourself.
• When you feel stress coming on, take time to relax. Focus on higher things than yourself.
• Work on your character every day. Character is like muscle, it gets soft if it is not exercised.
• When you are required to make a decision, are you doing so with the best of intentions to follow a higher will, or are you doing so only to benefit yourself.
• Do everything you do to the best of your ability. 
• Be gentle. It is the strong that are gentle.
• Protect your heart from things that would lead it astray.
• Spend time each day to think of things higher than yourself.
• Happiness is temporary, joy is permanent. Build on those things that will bring you joy.
• Be committed to those you’ve committed yourself to.
• Your past does not determine your future.
• Change cannot be avoided. The stress that comes from change can be avoided. To do so, spend time reflecting on those things that are higher than you.
• Remember that your Creator listens.
• Take time each day to think about those things that matter most. Use those thoughts to help you set your priorities for that day.
• What is your purpose? Your purpose is to find your purpose. Let your Creator help you do that.
• Never quit.
• There is no distinction between your public life and your private life. Both should reflect what is best in you, and do so all of the time.
• Show respect to everyone. Smile.
• Work hard and take time for rest.
• If you lose patience, remember that obtaining patience is a lifelong endeavor. Take a step back, take a deep breath, then you will be able to move forward.
• Remember to serve others.
• Use the gifts you’ve been given to the best of your ability.
• Success is not what you own or how rich you are. Success is who you are. 
• When tempted, look temptation in the eye and then walk away. Laughing at temptation helps to overcome it.
• Remember to thank your Creator every day.
• Periodically evaluate your values. Make sure they are in alignment with your purpose in life.
• Every choice you make has consequences. Making good choices is a sign of wisdom.
• Be courageous and work on developing determination. 

I offer these thoughts first and foremost as reminders to myself. When I look back on this adventure, it will not only be an experience to remember, it will also an inspiration.

Church and Abbey in Richardton, ND. There isn’t even a coffee shop in this town, imagine that.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 10
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): NA

Notes

• NA - Not Available
• After waking with the birds, I went back to sleep until 7 AM!

My favorite time of day is first light. That’s when the birds wake up and start to chirp. They are instinctively observing Brahma Muhurta time.

The General Sibley Campground where I stayed last night is beautiful. It sits along the banks of an old course of the Missouri River. The river now runs a couple miles west of here. General Henry Hopkins Sibley served in both the US Army and the Confederate Army. General Sibley served for 28 years in the US Army and saw action in three campaigns against Native Americans. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and served as Colonel and eventually Brigadier General. He was known for innovation. He designed the Sibley tent, which was a standard used by both the Union Army, and the British Army. In his later years, he served as an advisor in Egypt, helping to build fortifications on the Nile River.

The Sibley Tent is a conical design with a central pole that telescopes down to a tripod. It’s about 12 feet in diameter and 16 feet high. It can comfortably accommodate 18 soldiers. it would make my little backpacking tent look slightly inadequate.

Speaking of tents, today is a rest day while I wait for my new tent to be delivered to the central post office here in Bismarck. I’m going to get a motel tonight so I can get cleaned up and then Monday night, after picking up my tent, I’m going to come back to the Sibley Campground for one last night. Getting from Bismarck to the campground is a pleasure. There is a 6 mile long paved bike path that goes directly to the campground entrance.

It was a glorious morning! Camping doesn’t get much better than this. The field repair on the tent is holding, but I’m anxious to get the new tent in my hands. The new tent is a two person tent designed specifically for bike packing. It will be a lot more comfortable than this one. I now know I’m too old for this sort of tent.

Today’s Song: Life is a Highway Rascal Flatts.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Glen Ullin to Bismark

Metrics

• Miles: 64
• Average Speed: 9.23 mph
• Ride Time: 6 hours 31 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 640

Notes

• It’s a beautiful day!
• Hot! Maybe Summer has arrived!

I started my morning in the Cenex gas station in Glen Ullin. I had a nice conversation with three locals. They meet there every morning, it’s part of their social network. Meeting at the gas station in the morning for coffee and breakfast sandwich is a very important ritual. They were kind enough to let me join them. On the way out one said, “hey peddler, how old are you?” I replied, “72.” The fellow said, “good on you, good luck out there.”

About 20 miles down the road I met a Cyclist going West. This is probably only the third Cyclist headed West that I’ve seen. This fellow started May 14 on the East Coast. Now I understand why I haven’t seen very many. As I go East from here I should start seeing more, I hope. This guy was particularly nice. We chatted for about 10 minutes alongside the road. I gave him my blog address, he was interested in following along. What I admired most about this fellow was the fact that he was pulling a Burley trailer. In the trailer was his dog, the dog looked like a medium size Collie. That takes strength and endurance that I’m not sure I have. But it is tempting to think that perhaps Mr. Tux would like to make the next road trip with me…

When I got to Mandan about 6 miles west of Bismarck, I saw a baseball game! I was thrilled! I pulled over, paid for my ticket and went inside the ballpark. It was boys age 16 to 18. It was fun to watch them and recall the days when I used to play baseball. That was a wonderful time in my life. The Home team won the game holding off a bases loaded rally in the top of the ninth. I’m hoping to see a Twins game in Minneapolis and a Guardians game in Cleveland. If not, I can say I saw a baseball game in Mandan North Dakota.

I wanted to stay in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park south of Mandan. There were no sites available so I had to press on. I ended up in General Sibley Park 6 miles south of Bismarck. I wanted to stay in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park because that was George Armstrong Custer’s homebase. There is a replica of his house on the grounds there. Custer was a complicated person. He wrote a lot for a periodical, which at the time, was noted for its serious historical and cultural articles. All of his works were eventually compiled into a book titled My Life on the Plains: Or Personal Experiences With the Indians." In the book Custer makes a serious attempt to justify his actions towards Native Americans. He also takes pains to point out their cultural importance. Some Indian tribes appreciated him because of those efforts, others did not appreciate him largely because of his actions.

I donated $15 to the Wikipedia Foundation today to celebrate the 4th of July! Wikipedia is completely “human” written by volunteer contributors. No AI is ever used in their articles.

Baseball. What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July!

I can’t stop taking photos of the beautiful sites that I see alongside the road.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Dickinson to Glen Ullin

Metrics

• Miles: 50
• Average Speed: 11.21 mph
• Ride Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 221

Notes

• How do you know when to shift? Simple, when your legs start to burn.
• I’ve thrown away RideWithGPS, Komoot, COROS and Apple Maps, now all I do is follow the Duck.

I had a very good dinner last night at the Brick House restaurant in Dickinson.

No coffee this morning until I got to mile 35, the town of Hebron. I set up my stove on a picnic table in front of the public library. The sheriff waved at me as he drove by. A rancher drove by, waved and gave me a thumbs up.

I arrived in Glen Ullin just as JD’s Bar was opening. I had a pizza and a beer and then went across the street to the city park to rest. I’m now at the Glen Ullin Memorial Park just outside the city. For $6 a night I have a covered picnic table, electricity, and believe it or not, free Wi-Fi.

Everybody I meet says I’m insane to be doing this. People just don’t get it. I’ve heard it enough times I’m starting to wonder what everyone means by that remark… I’m starting to feel like I’m missing something. If you think you are sane, but everyone tells you you’re insane, who do you believe?

Nature’s palette.

Wind breaks.

This is a field of Canola. I verified that with a local.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Dickinson / Rest Day

Metrics

• N/A

Notes

• N/A

Yesterday after I posted, I went for a walk. I stumbled into the Southwest Gallery of Art. I walked up to the front door to see if the gallery was open. Unfortunately, it closed at 4 PM and I was 10 minutes late. Before I could turn around to leave the gallery host opened the door and asked me if I wanted to come in!

I explained I was riding my bike across the country. They were thrilled and wanted to hear all about it. They took my photo for their Facebook page with one of the hosts handing me a yellow rubber duck. It seems they give a little rubber duck to all gallery visitors. I explained that I couldn’t accept their offer because back home, I drive a Toyota Tacoma and only people who drive Jeeps are allowed to have yellow ducks on their dashboard. They laughed and said, “so put it on your bicycle.” I thought about it and realized that was a pretty good idea.

The painting from yesterday’s post was one of the paintings that was hanging in the gallery.

What do you do with a yellow rubber duck if you don’t drive a Jeep?

Me, when it’s too cold to go cycling.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Medora to Dickinson

Metrics

• Miles: 37
• Average Speed: 10.56 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 19 minutes
• Climbing: 697 vertical feet

Notes

• I’m in a completely different headspace today. I’m taking a leisurely approach to riding.
• The lasagna yesterday was just OK. Not as good as my mother’s.

Tip: You know your motel is one of the oldest establishments in town when it’s directly across the street from the town’s grain elevator.

Summer has finally arrived! At noon today the temperature hit 79°. It’ll probably climb to the low 80s by the end of the day! Everyone I’ve chatted with in Montana and North Dakota has told me they’ve also been waiting for summer to arrive.

Yesterday after I posted, I spent some time wandering around town. Naturally I gravitated toward the bookstore. Wow. It was the best history bookstore I have ever seen. The entire shop was dedicated to history of the West, American Presidents, Native Americans, and various military conflicts. It was mind blowing. I was chatting with the owner telling him what a great shop he had, he said “let me introduce you to a couple of people.” He did, and I found myself shaking hands with the Architects that designed the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. A two woman firm from New York is responsible for the design. What a pleasure it was meeting them. They are in town for the opening and dedication on July 4th.

A bit later yesterday, in the campground, I was putting up my tent and the cross-pole broke right at the center connection. I tried various remedies but nothing was working. As a last resort I pulled the bandage scissors out of my first aid kit and performed a successful field repair. Meanwhile I have a new tent coming from REI. It is being shipped General Delivery to Bismark. I will probably be laid up for a few days while I wait for it to arrive.

I got out of Medora early to avoid the chaos that is likely to occur when Trump arrives. I thought briefly about seeing if there were any tickets available, then dismissed the idea. I don’t have the proper headwear. (I have the right color helmet, but that’s as far as it goes.)

It was another fantastic day of riding. Very comfortably and enjoyable. I will probably rest here in Dickinson since I’ll be waiting a few days for the new tent to arrive.

I’m in oil country. I snuck onto this pumping site to capture this photo.

Acrylic painting by local artist Cherie Roshau.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the door of deeds could have done them better.”

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

–Theodore Roosevelt

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Wilbaux MT to Medora ND

Metrics

• Miles: 36
• Average Speed: 13.32 mph
• Ride Time: 2 hours 38 minutes
• Climbing: 315 vertical feet

Notes

• I was flying today! It felt good!
• Today’s secret sauce was less vertical and the wind at my back.

The first month is in the books! I’m starting to feel like I can do this!

I stopped for breakfast in Beach, North Dakota, about 10 miles outside Wilbaux. While I was chatting with the proprietor and listening to the coffee club at the table next to me, I learned a little bit more about what’s going on in Medora. In preparation for Trump’s visit tomorrow, about 90 percent of North Dakota’s Highway Patrol are currently in Medora. Two out of every three cars in Medora are either a City, County, State Patrol, or Secret Service vehicle. (They are running shuttle busses to get people into town.) As I was about 5 miles outside town, two Secret Service vehicles passed me. I say that because they had US Government license plates and the vehicles were unmarked. The town is expecting 25,000 visitors tomorrow. After chatting with the folks over breakfast, it wasn’t clear to me what is being celebrated tomorrow. No one seems to really know.

As I was packing the bike up outside the restaurant, one of the fellows came out to chat with me. He told me how wonderful what I was doing was. We talked about where we grew up, what we did for a living, and the places where we have lived. He was just as nice as can be. He wished me good luck and safe travels. His Trump MAGA hat was the same color as my bicycle helmet.

About 5 miles out of town I saw a couple on a Tandem bicycle heading West. I stopped to chat with them. They started in Upstate New York and they were headed for Anacortes Washington. They’re doing almost all of the Northern Tier. (All except the Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine portion.) What really surprised me was they told me I was only the second Eastbound rider they had seen since they left New York. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that.

I made it to Medora in record time. It’s my new personal best on this tour!

I’m sitting in the Medora Bar and Grill, waiting for my order of Lasagna. (i’m very excited about that.) Two Men-in-Black walk-in. I say that because they were wearing black shirts. I’m guessing possibly Secret Service but there is no way of really knowing for sure. They told the bartender they were just looking around. As they walked past me, I looked at them and said, “are you looking for suspicious characters?” The first one said, “I think we found one.” The second one said, “we just came in for the smell.” I did not work up a sweat today, honestly, so I’m sure he was referring to the pizza.

On an historical note, General Custer’s route from Fort Abraham Lincoln to the Little Big Horn River In Montana, passed just 2 miles South of Medora. The little Big Horn is where Custer and a large portion of his 7th Cavalry met their fate at the hands of “Hostile” Sioux Indians. Roadside Historical Markers should always be taken with a grain of salt. There is no mention on this particular marker of the “hostilities” committed by General Custer.

I am “Legendary!” (In my own mind.)

I’m having breakfast in Beach, 10 miles outside Wilbaux. The cinnamon roll was almost as good as my Mother’s. I told the proprietor that and she was thrilled!

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Glendive to Wibaux

Metrics

• Miles: 28
• Average Speed: 8.29 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 17 minutes
• Climbing: 1,099 vertical feet

Notes

• The Climbing number was up from yesterday over a shorter distance. That can be confusing. The distinction comes down to grade over distance. I don’t have a way to measure that.
• I’m letting my right leg do too much of the work. I’m gonna have to keep an eye on that.
• I did my first stretch of Interstate today, I-94. The 12’ shoulder was down-right relaxing.

First things first. I broke my cardinal rule. I’m staying at the Roosevelt “Hotel.” I know, I said never do that, which only proves, never say never. This is the only place in town. It’s a two story affair but I can’t hold that against it, some motels are two story so I can’t complain about that. The price is about $20 higher than it should be. Possibly because of the name, but probably because there’s no competition.

Now, to complicate my Itinerary somewhat, I was planning to be in Medora tomorrow, the 30th. It seems that President Trump will be there on the 1st. The Secret Service is already there and accommodations have likely been booked well in advance. I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to get through town!

This is happening because the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora opens July 4th. The President has other plans for the 4th. Those plans do not include opening a new Presidential Library along with all four living former Presidents. As a result of both happenings, the towns of Beach, Medora, Dickinson, and perhaps beyond are all likely booked solid. It’s going to be interesting!

I was chasing a storm front all day. As I got closer to the front the headwinds picked up. At times I was pedaling against a 10-15 mph headwind. This also influences metrics. I got lucky and the storm bypassed me, or I bypassed it, one or the other.

What is the most important piece of gear you can carry on a bike packing trip? I’ve been asking myself that since I started planning this adventure. I can finally answer that question. A good purpose-built tent.

You would think since this is my third cross-country bike tour, I would have solved that problem. I thought I would be clever this time and go ultra-light weight, so I bought a one person single pole set-up. It’s just not up to snuff. To add pain to having made this purchase, even though this tent is considered very good, there are compromises. One of them is the fact that the tent requires staking at six points or it will not stand up. (Staking is another problem.) Even when staked properly, it is really not possible to make this tent waterproof. When I get home you will find it at Gear Fix in Bend.

I’m about 16 days from Minneapolis. When I get there I am going to buy the top of the line bike packing tent from REI. The Big Agnes Copper. Spur. The bad news is, I’m buying another tent. The good news is I now have a reason to do another tour next summer!

I could go on and on about gear, but I won’t bore you. I learn more and more each time I do this. In fact, I learn something new almost every day.

Speaking of next summer. I’m not thinking cross-country. Three cross-country tours will be enough. (Unless Clark decides to come with me…) I’m thinking The Selkirk Loop. Perhaps I won’t do that one alone… You know who you are!

There are very few things I would trade in this life for the pleasure of having this experience. A loving companion, a cat, good friends, those would qualify as better, but that is about the extent of what can be considered better, at least for me.

I can see North Dakota from here. It’s only a few miles away.

My friend that follows me everywhere.

I can’t resist the pastoral views.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Circle to Glendive

Metrics

• Miles: 48
• Average Speed: 9.82 mph
• Ride Time: 4 hours 48 minutes
• Climbing: 601 vertical feet

A good day. The flatter terrain was a big help.

You may wonder, “if he can go 48 miles in under 5 hours, why doesn’t he go further?” Two reasons:

1. It’s always best to stop in a town where there is a park for camping or other amenities.
2. You have to listen to your body. Or, as Harry Callahan would say, “a man’s got to know his limitations.”

I need a haircut and a shave. I’m looking like Chewbacca. (You’ll recall I met him back in Eureka and got his autograph.) On second thought, maybe not. Wookiees are considered to be a highly intelligent species. If I hold-off on that haircut and shave, I might be able to pass myself off as one…

I tried, it’s Sunday! Of course there is no place open.

All the climbing today was in the first 26 miles, after that it was essentially flat. That played into the better numbers. If I were an 8th Grade Math Teacher, I would come up with a formula the could be used to measure performance based on climbing, distance, and mph. Unfortunately I’m not that good at math. Anyone out there that teaches 8th grade math (or has in the past) that wants to take a swing at that, be my guest.

I’m still waiting for Summer! I’m hoping the weather will figure out the calendar and start behaving like it is supposed to! looking forward to July. I would like to be doing more camping and less staying in motels.

Not a fun hill, as hills go. This shot is looking back at the mile below. Notice the shoulder. The dark tarmac on the far left is a no-go zone (rough). The area to the right of the white line is (obviously) a no-go zone. That leaves the 18” in between for navigation. Not always easy when the wind is blowing. I have no complaints about the drivers. The vast majority give me LOTS of room. I don’t use a mirror, I rely on my sense of sound to tell me what’s coming. I’m focused on the pavement ahead and the sound behind. This may be hard to believe, but that can be very meditative.

This is one of the 12 “Montana Call Home” Projects in Central and Eastern Montana. The sculptor, Jim Dolan, has placed these “phone booths” as a reminder, not only to call home, but also to seek help if mental health issues are troubling you. Dolan is a world famous artist and has voluntarily installed all of the sculptures. This is the third one I have seen on my journey through Montana.

Itinerary Maps

Route

• Wolf Point to Circle

Metrics

• Miles: 53
• Average Speed: 8.93 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 55 minutes
• Climbing: 1,357 vertical feet

I’m trying out a new way to summarize the day’s ride. It provides more information. (The HTML is simpler too.) To me, the most interesting piece of information above is the “Climbing.” As I suspected, the climbing reported by my other apps has been less the actual amount. I’m glad to now have a handle on this stat. I used Cyclemeter for this data. The data Cyclemeter generates is as good as a that provides by a Garmin.

A word about Average Speed. I’m not unhappy with just under 9. I think the gold standard for humans carrying 35 pounds of gear is probably 13. A younger man, by that I mean 30 or so years younger, would probably be in the 10 to 11 range. I’ll take 8.9 every day. I’m going to continue using Cyclemeter the rest of the way, so over time that number will tell an interesting story. (Ya, I’m kind of a data guy at heart.)

I wasn’t out of town this morning before I had to put my rain jacket on. About 5 miles out of town I crossed over the Missouri river. I’m now heading south on State roads. I’m no longer riding on U.S. Highway 2.

The rain came down for the first 10 miles and then miraculously stopped. The forecast for today was for much worse. Another 20 miles down the road I was able to take my raincoat off. You know things are going to be OK when you can hear the birds chirping. I saw two pair of deer, I scared a bunny rabbit out of its wits, and I flushed numerous birds out of the grass alongside the road. It seems I would make a good hunting dog.

Two miles outside the town of Circle, I stopped to look at the sky. There was a dark bank of clouds spewing thunder and lightning. The storm front appeared to be just over the town. I watched for a few minutes, but couldn’t tell which way the front was moving so I pressed on. I arrived in town, checked into the motel, and just as I was opening the door to my room hail and rain started coming down in buckets. I guess you could say today was my lucky day. In the time it took to write this post, the storm completely moved on. I can hear birds chirping. The birds are telling me the rest of the day will be just fine.

Sunnyside School. 1923 to 1968.

Itinerary Maps

I purchased the “Northern Tier” route information in digital form from the Adventure Cycling Association. They are a non-profit that has been selling cycling route information since 1976. I have used their paper maps to navigate the “Southern Tier” trans-continental bicycle route and the “TransAm” (central) trans-continental route. As noted previously, this will be my third trans-continental tour. This is the first time I have gone with their “paperless” route information.

The route information they sell for the Northern Tied contains a digital map set and a visual map set (images). It is difficult to build an itinerary from digital information so I used the visual maps that came with the digital information. Well, the two don’t agree. I’ve been following the itinerary I built in advance. I only planned to use the digital routing tool in a pinch. Today I discovered the maps that come with the digital product are (apparently) an older version of the route. Curiously, I now know why people in the towns I’ve been going through have been telling me they don’t see as many cyclists passing through as they used to!

All of this is probably my fault for not digging more deeply into what I was buying but I don’t remember a disclaimer stating that the two tools do not agree with one another…

If you are using the links below (“Itinerary” and “Maps,”) I’m not completely sure how useful they will be going forward. I’m tempted to continue following the itinerary I built (based on the maps) before starting the tour, but frankly, all bets are off. As you have probably noticed, each daily post includes my starting point and ending point. I will continue that practice going forward.

This presents an interesting twist to my journey, but certainly not insurmountable. My inclination is digital be damned. Que sera sera. (What will be will be.)

Itinerary Maps

Rest Day.

Here’s a tip. If you want to find the center of a small town in Northeastern Montana. Look for the grain elevator.

I’ve covered 211 miles over the preceding three days. That was overdoing it a bit. I’m going to have to take a hair off each day to go the distance. I’ve mentioned the weather, it has not been ideal. I’ve been trying to make it to destinations that have motels. Not every town I pass thru does. I’ll be doing a lot more camping once summer starts. Yes, this feels to me like April. What a weird weather year we have had. All over it seems.

This morning I hiked down to the bank of the Missouri River. I wanted to see the famous namesake spot. I couldn’t pass up the chance to view the mighty Missouri. I think I’ll have more chances down the road but I was curious what it looks like here. Perhaps a little known fact, the Missouri and the Mississippi combined, form the fourth longest river system in the world.

Tomorrow starts a new adventure.

Wolf Point on the Missouri River at Wolf Point Montana.

The “Big Muddy.”

Itinerary Maps

I love getting text messages while I’m on the road that say: “Let’s crush your fitness goals.”

Strong headwind out of the East today. Weather here in Northeast Montana is being very uncooperative. Because of the wind, the mosquitoes were not a problem today.

About 15 miles outside of Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, I pulled over at an historical landmark. The landmark was dedicated to the history of the smallpox outbreak that decimated the Assinboine (Ah sin ah boine) Indians. This is the Tribe’s native Homeland. There was a pickup truck parked next to me. The fellow in the truck rolled his window down and introduced himself to me, his name was “Duck.” We had a very nice conversation. He told me all about the smallpox outbreak. He showed me photos of caves 20 miles north of where we were and explained their significance to his people. Members of the tribe infected with smallpox were taken to these caves to live or die. Every day, healthy members of the tribe, lowered food and water by rope to the victims in the caves below. We talked about the Fish Wars in the Seattle area. He knew a lot about them, having spent time up there. He even met Marlon Brando, who was an advocate for Indian fishing rights at the time. He represented his tribe in Washington D.C. and met Senator Daniel Inouye.

Duck told me how he helped build the 200 mile long freshwater pipeline that brings potable water to the Fort Peck reservation. His current job is to take measurements and test the water quality at both ends of the pipeline every day. Duck is getting ready to retire and move to the Seattle area to live with his daughter on the Nisqually Reservation.

The Assinboine keep a small herd of genetically pure buffalo acquired from Yellowstone National Park. Not many people know about this herd. The Tribe doesn’t publicize the fact because they don’t want people wandering around on the reservation looking for them. Duck offered to drive me out to have a look at the herd and also take me to a Pow Wow 10 miles North of Wolf Point over the weekend. A truly amazing offer. I thanked him generously and told him the road was calling.

I’m staying in the town of Wolf Point. A nearby bend in the Missouri River took on that name when fur trappers stacked a pile of wolf carcasses on the bank of the river. The bend in the river, and what at the time was a trading post, both became known as “Wolf Point.”

I suppose this begs the question, where does the Missouri River start? There is considerable debate over where the actual headwaters of the Missouri are. It is generally agreed that the official starting point of the Missouri River is the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers at Three Forks, Montana (Southwest of here). This is the point where the river officially takes on the name “Missouri.” Above the confluence, the consensus is that the source of the Missouri River is Brower’s Spring, at 8,800 feet near the Continental Divide.

Duck’s Grandfather, Chief Digsaground. Duck was careful to point out that his tribe is known for their quiltwork which is very different than traditional beadwork.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s there were a lot of protests in the Puget Sound area of Washington. The protests were held in support of Indian fishing rights granted by US Government Treaty but ignored by the State of Washington. Possibly the most famous event in support of the protests was a benefit concert attended by the Grateful Dead and the Eagles, among other performers. Duck provided me this photo of the event’s poster. These protests were known as the Fish Wars. It was a fascinating period In Seattle’s history, especially if you were born and raised there like I was.

Itinerary Maps