Dickinson to Medora- The First Thousand Miles..

June 28, 2018

350 of it chasing the damn tire (so far)

6/28/2018

Sugar the Cat prepares for our departure

Today began with some discussion and tension about whether to jump ahead to Montana in light of the upcoming weather forecasts. We elected to plow on to Medora, 37 miles via Interstate 94, which is new ground for both of us as we've never ridden on an interstate before.

This was a mistake shot. But looking at it, shouldn't my calves be enormous by now?

I got an email from Gay yesterday (June 27) with some information about the route ahead. He rode the Interstate 94 from Hebron to Medora, 75 miles, and then to Glendive, 65 miles. He said the ACA route is hilly and torn up in places, and the oilfield traffic from Belfield to Fryburg is terrible and insane, so advised taking the interstate.

His advice was good. The shoulder is 6 feet wide, rumble strip on the white line, smooth surface, moderate grades and moderate traffic. It wasn't relaxing just because of the noise and presence of cars and trucks screaming by, but it was fine. We made an average speed of 12.4.

We stopped at the Belfield exit to take a wiz at the gas station and eat something, and there were dozens and dozens of tractor-trailers flying by. I'm glad we avoided that bunch of nasty horsecrap. It was a sad looking area, with an RV park with transient oilfield workers.

We continued and began to see the Badlands getting closer, as well as signs for Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Roosevelt used to ranch in the area near Medora and his influence is everywhere. We stopped at the information center for the park and talked to several people about our trip. One woman mentioned that she was working in Medora and recommend the Elkhorn Quarters for lodging.

An information center and rest area for the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Jen can look at the Badlands scenery with her mirror at the same time she poses for a selfie!

We saw a small band of wild mustangs a few miles down the road. There are a couple hundred in the park and many go up for adoption each year.

It's hard to see but this is a small herd of wild mustangs

We rolled into Medora and onto the parking lot of the Badlands Hotel. Jen went in and asked the pricing and availability while I called the Elkhorn. Badlands was $140, Elkhorn $88. So Elkhorn it is. The buildings are repurposed housing units from the oil fields that have been renovated and modified with by joining two side by side and adding a corridor. Genuis setup. The room is tiny, but clean and new. And it holds all of our crap.

The Elkhorn Quarters, our respite from lightning, tornadoes and rain

This is the room. It is new and very nice. Small but fits all of the Hoosier bike tourist crap

Mr. Grumby getting an upper body workout in the narrow hallway

Once we got settled the task was to check on the tire. Loyal readers know that I ordered a tire for Jen's bike on 6/16 after we discovered sidewall damage. I've been chasing it all over South Dakota and North Dakota since then and I was really hoping it had arrived. So you're probably thinking, "Come on! What happened with the π¶∆#&* tire???!!!!!"

Well, rather than just telling you, please enjoy this photo montage of this phase of the quest:

We explored the town a little bit on the way to the post office.

Browsed the ice cream selection (small scoup $4- nope!)

Do you like pretty flowers? Sure you do!

Success! The post office staff immediately knew what I came in for.

There were labels on top of labels, starting with Germany, Cleveland, Omaha, Mobridge, Bismarck and, finally Medora!

I will install the tire tomorrow, probably without leaving a tire lever in. But who knows? Maybe I'll accidentally leave a can opener, or a pancake, or Sugar the cat in the tire. It's clear that I must be watched closely and, frankly, Mrs. Grumby has been slacking a bit.

Our decision to hotel was soon vindicated when the lightning and thunder began rolling in. And there's a tornado watch for the whole state. So our trend of extreme weather continues.

I almost forgot to mention that we have ridden a total of 1002 miles as of this afternoon! This is riding miles, excluding the shuttle/leapfrog sections We arent moving fast but we're moving forward.

Tomorrow: an off day on Theodore Roosevelt's old stomping grounds, Medora, North Dakota.

Ahhh,. The sweet smell of a brand new Schwalbe Big Ben Plus, size 2.15x26!

Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 1,002 miles (1,613 km)

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