Traveling at Mach 0.012

Tuesday June 17

Start: Medora, ND
Destination: Glendive, MT
Day total miles: 63
Journey total miles: 2493

Sleeping in Glendive

Towns passed through:
Medora, ND
Sentinal Butte, ND
Beach, ND
Wibaux, MT
Glendive, MT

Where to start. Plan was to wake early pack up and then take the road loop through the park at dawn to see the sights. Back up a bit. Was sleeping well, clear night, moonlight babbling brook (ok, river below). Around 130, i woke to a bit of noise, not loud, but something. But it wast the smell. Put on my glasses and looked out to see a friendly bison about 6 feet away. He looked at me disinterested and walked off into the night. Thought of taking a picture but considered that the flash may agitate my guest. Glad he did not want to cuddle up in the cool night.

Morning Light at the camp.

So, we packed up the tents and hit the road.

Not the visitor that I know of, but you get the idea.

We drove around stopping to take pictures of interesting views. Some of the interesting sights included:

We rounded a corner and then:

Here were about 100 of our best friends out for a morning stroll. They literally walked down the road for about a mile. Stopped whenever they wanted to rest, eat and look at us in amusement. Finally, they veered off the road, tired to picking on the humans and off into the valley. Shortly after that we see:

a bunch of these guys. Not as assuming as the bison.

Into Medora we go for breakfast. Done, pull out the bike for the ride and a flat rear tire. The first. replace the tube, put everything back (but the tread was facing the wrong direction; an omen for sure but I would rectify that soon enough. The flat was a thin piece of wire and an thorny thing.

Off I go. Another great tail wind and I am flying. Stop in Beach, come on you have to stop in the place called Beach, ND. Cenex seems to be the C-store of choice in these parts. Get some coffee and a snack to rest before the push to Medora. Here I learned all about seed cleaning; maybe a new business venture but not really. With the new knowledge in my head, i am off for the final push of the day. Jump onto Interstate 94 and fly down the road. What a boost the tail wind is giving me. Surely i won’t remember this the next time i face its angry cousin the headwind. Stopping to snap this:

Only 3 more of these to go.

It was too good to be true. with only 3 miles to go. thump…. and I have another flat. of course on the back. Pull way off the road and change the tire. It was a staple or some kind of wire. Patched the tube and off to complete the ride.

Staying at the Guesthouse hotel in Glendive. Great place, reasonable price very clean and helpful staff. Glad to be done, with thunderstorms predicted and delivered later that afternoon and evening. More for tomorrow. Good thing it is a day off.

Ahhh sleep without the interruptions.