August 8, 2023
Day 86 - ending at Alexander, ND
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I was up at 6:15am CDT. Ate breakfast from my lunch bag at 7:40am. Just before I left I met a fellow camper, John. We talked about my trip and also some of the hiking plans he has and the equipment that we use.
I left at 9:27am, not sure of today's destination. My routing had me ending up at Sather Lake Campground, a primitive campground near the intersection of ND-68 and ND-16. But that all depended on whether I could exit this national park on an unofficial road at its west end. If not, I would be backtracking 13 miles on their Scenic Drive all the way to the park's entrance. And if I had to do that I'd end the day at Watford City.
Scenic Drive has pull-offs with information signs. It was a little hilly until just before I got to River Bend Overlook. Then it was extremely uphill. I had to walk up that hairpin bend. There's a CCC-built pavilion at River Bend Overlook, so I hiked down to see that, along with several others who'd arrived in cars. This climb to River Bend Overlook pretty much put me at a level with the top of the buttes. I hoped the road would stay there. It did, for the most part.
I was still on Scenic Drive when noon arrived: 7.4 miles so far. I didn't take a break then. I needed to know if I could get past the boundary fence or not. At 12:30pm I was at the unmarked dirt road that would get me to the fence. 10 minutes later I was at the fence. There's a locked gate here, and also a spring-loaded gate that pivots up for hikers. I was so relieved! I figured at least I'd be unloading the bike and throwing equipment over the fence, if it wasn't too tall, but they made it very easy - swing the gate up and walk through. Before I did that I had my noon break, eating some Wheat Thins and a Clif Bar.
The road on the other side of the gate was a little rough, so I walked half a mile on it, then maybe another half mile on a farmer's dirt road until I got to a gravel road heading west. The butte canyons were pretty much behind me, though there were still buttes here and there. Mostly what I was seeing now was rolling hills of grass and just a few trees.
At the top of a hill still on this gravel road, I finally had a good cell phone signal. Sather Lake Campground has no place to eat nearby. I decided then to go instead to Alexander, North Dakota, where there are places to eat, and get a motel room. So at 2:06pm, I turned north onto County Highway CR-38, which would get me to US-85, the highway that goes through Alexander. Today's north wind was pushing against me a little, but this wasn't too difficult of a ride. I was stopped by road construction at one spot. There was a pilot truck that we were waiting for. In the meantime I talked to the stop sign girl. She eventually said, "I'm going to let you through. What they're doing is filling roads seams. Just go real fast over them, and try to stay on the tissue paper covering." When I got to where they were filling these seams, I thought, "No way am I going to ride over that!" Fortunately they were doing the opposite lane and there wasn't any tar on my side.
I arrived at US-85 at 4:45pm and turned west. The shoulder is wider here but the now 4-lane highway is very busy with traffic. Eventually I made it to Alexander, and their motel. I couldn't find the motel's office, so called the phone number they had posted, but it just answered with a busy signal. I rode on further a little ways into town past the town park. There's a spring in one corner of the park. I was hoping I could camp in this park, but all the grass looks way too green, which tells me they have a sprinkler system. The Alexander Bar and Grill looks like the only business open in town. So I walked in there hoping for supper and for the name of a city official.
Waitress CJ took my sirloin steak dinner order. With some help from a few other patrons, they were able to come up with the phone number of the head of Parks and Recreation. That fellow said they actually have a campground just north of the city park. It's new this year. They're still working on it some, but for $20 I could stay there. Since they didn't have a payment box yet, they just had me pay CJ. I really enjoyed my steak dinner along with two root beers. The total cost was only $20. I also enjoyed conversations with CJ. We talked about the upcoming eclipse next year and one we both saw in 2017.
The campground was just a block away. I can see where they're trying to get new grass to grow here and there. I didn't want to set up the tent on one of those patches. The rest of the areas were a little rough with rocks, so it took a while before I settled on an established grassy area that was still close enough to an electrical box for my extension cord to reach. As I set up the tent I was hearing thunder, but that was for a storm that was passing just south of town. It's almost 9:30pm but still quite light outside, thanks to being in Central Daylight Time here.
There's a cafe in town that will be open in the morning for breakfast. That was the main reason for today's diversion - food. For a day that was so uncertain when I started out, everything has worked out very well.
Jeff
Spent: $20 plus $8 (supper) + $20 (campsite) = $48
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I took this picture because I liked the color contrast. I didn't notice at the time that it looked like a tree trunk on its side, but it does.
Jeff
6 months ago
6 months ago
Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 3,136 miles (5,047 km)
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8 months ago
And you’re right about Jeff’s remarkable fearlessness. I think you may need to cede your claim to being the toughest guy on the site.
8 months ago
8 months ago
Thanks! That area is a little challenging with the ups and downs, but certainly is beautiful.
Sorry this reply is so late.
Jeff
6 months ago