Traveling at Mach 0.012

Monday June 16

Start: Glen Ullin, ND
Destination: Medora, ND
Day total miles: 89
Journey total miles 2430

Sleeping in Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Towns passed through:
Glen Ullin, ND
Hebron, ND
Richardton, ND
Taylor, ND
Dickinson, ND
Belfield, ND
Medora, ND

I am not the only one around here that is bemused by the weather. The “locals” also continually comment about how windy it is and how the winds keep shifting direction. So yesterday, the winds were from the west and pretty strong (I don’t want to be accused of whining, so I won’t mention that they were gusting to 30MPH). Maybe I already mentioned it. Must be sticking in my head. Think of it as you are on a flat area, or even slightly down hill and the wind is pushing back so much that you feel like you are pedaling in sand.

Fast forward a day and the wind is shifted to being from the east. Now, all of the naysayers who continue to claim that west to east is the better way to go are faced with those wicked head winds like I was. The world sheds a new light when you move along at a good pace with less effort.

The destination was the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND. This place should be on your bucket list. Part of the trip involved the interstate (not bad with little traffic and wide clean shoulders). I ambled along (because that is what you do out west here) and picked off small towns along the way. Saw an ethanol refinery (smells interesting), some construction, and got to view Dickinson from a different viewpoint. The highlight was:

This was the view coming down the interstate and into Medora. The park is stunning and we got to camp out on a great site located up on the bank of the Little Missouri River. Here is a shot from the campsite:

And:

Set the tents, had some nice wine and a beer to go along with the beef stroganoff in a bag. The neighbors were two friends driving to Portland to see family and camping along the way. Settled in for a good nights rest. Little did I know…