I've always considered western North Dakota to be too far away for MN1K bonuses and never much liked the slog to Bismarck, where things finally start to get interesting. But with the family away on a European adventure, I decided to pack up the K75, booked a room in Glendive, MT and headed out Thursday morning.
Riding alone on two wheels still intimidates me, or at least it does when I'm home imagining all the bad things that could happen. I really ought to always ride with someone else, but that's hard to coordinate, plus I prefer to ride alone (no offense to my great friends intended). My route had a lot of easy interstate miles, which I now actually enjoy since I avoid them when piloting the sidecar rig. Thus the ride to Bismarck was enjoyable except for the cold weather - 49 degrees in Fargo on July 16th? I had the heated liner on until mid-afternoon!
I turned north on US 83 to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn, then headed west on Hwy 200. There are many historic sites related to The Journey in this area, and the scenery is (to me) interesting; I like butte country. Next stop - Zap.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip_to_Zap I first heard this story from a musician friend who attended college at NDSU. It sounded bizarre: The only riot in North Dakota history which required the National Guard (take that you HAs worriers!). It's hard to imagine it now, as the Zap I found was very small and sleepy; the Lignite Bar was the only business I saw open. Continuing west on Hwy 200, I faced road construction at Killdeer, so I headed south back to the slab. As I approached Richarton, an amazing cathedral appeared on the horizon. It reminded me of the one in Hoven, SD - how'd that get here? I pulled in to the parking lot; the church was open and the inside is even more spectacular. There is a functioning abbey there with students prepping for priesthood, and I quickly found myself in a long conversation with an elderly priest.
I wanted to get to Theodore Roosevelt National Park well before dark, and arrived in Medora around 5:00 pm. I pulled up to the entrance to pay the fee and lowered the landing gear on the K75 (it allows me to park the bike, nothing else). The ranger watched intently and wanted to know "what's that for?" Discovering that I am in fact disabled, she volunteered that I now qualify for a permanent free access pass to all National Parks! Who knew disability had such rewards? I rode the scenic loop, stopping at the Wind Canyon Trail. I managed to hike a short distance and fell into conversation with a woman whose son (same age as me) has issues like mine. She was impressed I'd gotten there; I was just glad it made it back to my bike.
The ride in to Glendive was made more enjoyable by the two righteous bros I fell in with heading west from Medora. They insisted on riding side by side, taking up both lanes; I followed the one in the left lane but he seemed unwilling to let me pass. At this point we were running at 85 mph, which suited me, so I let them lead. After thirty miles of this they finally relented and I held the throttle open on the plucky little 750cc. They gave up and fell far behind while I enjoyed a stupid pleasure I can't achieve with the sidecar. At the Super 8 I found two Victory riders from Minnesota, one on a Vision (I likey) and a really neat stealth Kingpin. We chatted in the morning and I asked if they were customers of Dean's at Warner (yes). They saw my MN1K shirt and said that Dean had talked about "that guy that runs TeamStrange." I'm certain Dean was referring to Eddie.
I was headed for the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, and the early morning ride up MT 16 was excellent. The first thirty miles to Savage, MT was spectacular, with the Yellowstone River to my right and buttes to my left. There's a very nice new interpretive center at this "long desired spot" where Lewis and Clark landed.
From there it was time to start back east, as I wanted to be home that evening. At Watford City I decided not to head south on US 85 since the north unit of Roosevelt NP was under heavy road construction. Instead I headed east on ND 23 for New Town. This area is quite scenic in my opinion and most of what little traffic there was consisted of trucks servicing the many oil wells in the region. I stopped at the Four Bears Bridge for a bit then crossed into New Town, which is definitely the most prosperous and bustling reservation city I've yet visited.
Deciding to minimize my time on the boring stretch of I-94, I followed ND 23 to Velva on US 52 where I got gas from one of those wonderful Gasboy Cardtrol pumps, just like the one in Java, SD (BL IIIII). Or Bison, SD (BL II)... Heading southeast on US 52, I thought about my ride on this road last June to Minot, the maiden voyage of my return to two wheels. It hadn't changed at all...After a 5:30 pm supper in Jamestown, I faced the mundane final 350 miles of interstate. Fortunately, some folks were moving along rather briskly so I fell in and made good time. It was pleasant to ride the final one hundred miles after dark, something I don't do very often now that long distance rallies are beyond my grasp.
I pulled into my driveway and checked the GPS mileage log: 1,499 miles. Should I ride around the block and get the extra mile? A large vodka and cranberry sounded better, so I pushed the bike into the garage. As I settled into my chair, gazing at the now-beloved little brick (how's that for "K bike love" Bill R?) I could only think of one thing - life is fucking good.
I love riding in the Dakotas (hence my trip to Rugby on the 1000 this year). I'm also the oddball who loves to ride in Iowa. I guess I just like wide open spaces, vast fields, and big sky.
We spent the July 4th weekend in Medora ND with Critter and Deb, Jean and I "toured" North Dakota for 5 days as a vacation destination several years ago. Rick Corwine had an article published in RIDER magazine about riding in ND.
One of my favorite rides is leaving Pierre SD headed west into those big rolling hills early in the morning on #34/14.
Now Iowa, that's another matter, well except for the coastal areas.
AW
Being a Dakotan, not Native Dakotah, but second Generation, I enjoy hearing the ride stories of people finding the beauty of vast open country we have to offer.
People who talk about the great nothingness of western Dakota Territory, have just not taken the time to appreciate the subtle beauty,of lands unchanged by people. Get off the super slab, and enjoy it a lot more.
Oh, man has indeed changed the landscape, with the damming of the Missouri,and farming of the land, but there are plenty of places that man has tried to change, with no lasting results. The North and South Dakota Badlands are a couple of those places.
Teddy Roosevelt tributes his time in the Rough Rider country in many of his writings.
Speaking of writings, Thanks Bart,and just when I let my subscription to RIDER lapse Rick has a published article?
"...and just when I let my subscription to RIDER lapse Rick has a published article?
Dang I want to read it , tell me more Mr Corwine."
Well if you just let your subscription lapse you should have seen it. It came out in a 2002 or 2003 issue. Now that I'm wiser with the ways of the interwebs I should post it up some where. The plains states are some of my favorites.
Many poeple in MN used to think I was crazy when I'd tell them how much
I enjoyed riding across the openness of the Dakotas, NE, etc.
The beauty of these states is terribly unreported.
Trying to explain to someone in OH or NC that you could ride across an entire state non-stop on a US hwy (if you timed a couple stop lights correctly) left them amazed that such a thing was possible.
Living in the much more populated east, I miss it even more.
Bart Wrote-
"I've always considered western North Dakota to be too far away for MN1K bonuses"
This has got to be the most under utilized bonus area in the surrounding area. I could very easily get side-tracked in the oil patch and DNF! The area is changing rapidly. I met a gal here a couple of weeks ago who mentioned she and her family are benefiting from from their oil leases to the tune of seven figures a year. She also mentioned how her, her husband and her daughter were each able to afford motorcycles for the first time in their lives and what fun they were having riding in the prairie.
Nice ride report Bart, I personally love the area.
Critter
Staging the MN1K out of Niobrara, Nebraska, that one year opened up a lot of new territory that was doable on a MN1K.
I remember Pete Dean and I, and a couple of others, made it to Hell's Half Acre in Wyoming that year.
I remember that was the rally where I got "the mark," that cute little scar where the Widder plug was pressing against my stomach and left a burn.
It also was the rally where we got points for listening to a talk by Arelene, which was totally worth it.
It was also the ride where I was a little ahead of Pete, heading west late at night. I was on the mighty SR500 and Pete was on some puney-ass BMW. An oncoming deputy gave me the "flash" to slow down, but he actually stopped Pete. Thank goodness, as I recall, Pete just got a warning.
There were some fun bonuses around Rapid City, too.
I surely agree about riding in the western Dakotas. Some of the best riding on the last ButtLite was out that way.
Well now I can dig, I have all those magazines in the basement. I first met Rick in Niobrara 2002. had no idea you were a published writer at that time.
On another note, I have threatened to hold the Buffalo Run at the Prairie Knights or Grand River Casino, so all points in the Dakotas would be within reach of a 12 hour rally.
I just may get that dream to come true, you just never know.
Great write up Bart! I have had many enjoyable rides across Nebraska, South Dakota and even Iowa the past few years. The scenery is open and the local peoples, when you stop, are plenty interesting and colorful. I dont know if its because of all the extra time they have due to a long, lonely, cold winters, but these people often seem to express themselves artistically in imaginative, unorthodox ways at times. The open spaces also give me time to think and reflect without too much concern for traffic. Sensory overload is sometimes over-rated.
Does anyone know what is up with those quilt pattern thingies? I keep seeing them painted on buildings and signs? They seem to be everywhere lately.
Wondered about the quilts going up around the good roads, too, Frump. I found the source which revealed a semi-disappointing history. I was really hoping there was some meaning behind the colors and shapes used that had a deeping meaning. Like an agricultural gang symbol displaying family heritage, crop, or farming standard. Not the case. It's pretty much cause the owner wanted one and the artist thought the pattern was nice looking. Considering the natural beauty that old barns achieve with time, the quilts are just cries for attention. As much as I like 'just because' art (ie. fiberglass statues), I think these infringe on a distinct part of the countryside that I already find beautiful.
Great read, Bart. I have a friend that returns every 4th of July to visit his grandparents on the plains. He's mountainbiked the Mah-Dah-Hey non-motorized vehicle trail with similar gratitude for nothingness that is everythingness.
Very nice writeup Bart. Makes me want to go for a ride.
My friend and I blasted out to Missoula on I-94 in his truck a couple of weeks ago and we came back on US2 and MT200 part of the way.
I always forget how much I like driving through Eastern Montana and the Western part of the Dakotas. There is a lot of nothing out there, but it sure is pretty.
