HEADWINDS ALL AFTERNOON. LONELY ROADS.
Left Medora about 7:30. Climbed for about 1 hour on I-94. Medora is in the Little Yellowstone Valley. The Little Yellowstone looked to be almost dry.
Stopped at the Painted Canyons visitor center. Awesome views!
After the visitor center lots of long rolling hills on lonely roads. Seemed like more up than down, which by the numbers turns out to be correct.
Lunch at Subway in Dickinson. I watched with interest as a family tried, and succeeded, to decipher the meaning of my flag/banner. We had a nice conversation after they succeeded.
Not sure you can see it, but guess how far to the water tower (one of my mindless games). Answer below.
3.2 miles
Getting greener, and more humid.
Passed through a few small towns, they seemed mostly boarded up, with just a few store fronts open, sad.
Now in Richardton, ND home of a Benedictine Abbey established 1880s. The Abbey is renowned for its acoustics. I could not go in as the monks were in service.
Richardton is mostly a suburb of other places. Employment includes an ethanol plant, a seed cleaning company (removes dirt and non conforming seeds) which exports, and grain silo manufacturing.
By the numbers:
Dist 61.1 miles
Elev Gain 2,369 ft
Elv Loss 2,143 ft
Moving time 5:56
Bravo for kind people via Warm Showers!
ReplyDeleteXOXOXO Susie
I like your “mindless games” (counting train cars and guesting distances to water towers among them.Better than dwelling on the oftentimes too slow passage of numeric mile markers, right? ) Wondering how you did guessing the distance to the water tower.
ReplyDeleteCool pix
I’m with Wa!
Way to go Warren! I've finally caught up with your blog.
ReplyDeleteIn case you're curious, KP (Kraig Pauli), the 54 yo from the Portland OR area, won 2021's TransAm in 17d 08h, with a ~220 mile advantage on 2nd, 47 yo Evan Deutch, also of Portland. You may recall he and Evan crossed Lolo Pass within hours of all of us.
If loneliness is a problem, remember we are tracking you with awe daily! You are not alone in spirit. On the other hand, you could always go to Duluth and hop a ferry to Buffalo. Then your trip would be by bike or by water, no cars involved. Still quite an adventure (and maybe more varied, fun, and a relief?!) P
ReplyDeleteYes, Warren, you have a host of friends following you. And yes, ND is hillier than most people think. I remember clocking the distance from one rise to another on a trip to MN and it was 5 miles, so that water tower is a good example of how far one can see.
ReplyDeleteWe saw a lot of dying little towns in KS on our way across. It is sad, but the people continue to be first class. I am glad you had a nice stay with the Warm Showers family.
That picture of the Benedictine church is just classic midwest Catholic. When you hit the small towns in western MN, you will see lots of that. These are all 19th century structures and almost all red Victorian brick. Lots of Catholics in that northwestern to mid-state area of MN. You might be riding near Collegeville, MN, where St. John's University is located. There is a large Benedictine community there, too, as well as a seminary. St. Joseph's, MN, just across the road, has a Benedictine convent with a rather interesting graveyard. But you have a ways to go yet. Enjoy the open, less crowded landscape of ND. It's a good place to be. I am glad you are getting some green and a little humidity. Well, I don't know about the latter, but safe riding and I hope for a tail wind. eg