Wet morning breakfast at Beaver Creek Recreation Area, Memorial Day

 

On Memorial Day we had to cover some 55 miles with no services into the city of Bismarck, ND. It was sunny and warm and we had easterly winds. We were totally done when we arrived in town. After checking in at a motel we went to Pizza Hut for a big meal with noodles.

On Tuesday, a rest day, we showed up at the Post Office to pick up a parcel with spare parts for Maren's bicycle. Then we walked to a bike shop. But it was gone. Fortunately a former employee of that shop was there and he gave us a ride in his car to another bike shop. At Epic Bicycles the folks were very helpful. They not only gave me a ride back to the motel to pick up the bikes to haul them to the shop for repair but also delivered us and the bikes back into town later to an Internet Cafe.

Wednesday was the same mix of sunshine and rain and strong NW-Winds. We opted for another rest day.

Finally on Thursday we made it out of town with sunshine and (nearly) tailwinds. We rode our bikes to the small town of Washburn. The motel was booked out, so we stayed in the City Park. It was free, had toilets but no running water. Unfortunately the two roads around the park were dusty and from 4 to 8 PM big trucks were hauling concrete to a working area into the steep hill behind our tent.

On Friday we had a sunny day again. We crossed the Missouri River bridge in Washburn (toMountain Standard Time), passed by two big Electrical Power Plants and made it into the small town of Pick City. Only a few hundred people but you could get everything a fisherman could want.

Next morning with westerly winds and sunshine we came over another dam across the Missouri River and back to Central Standard Time. This dam creates the Lake Sakakawea (named after Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman, who helped Lewis & Clark from Ft. Mandan to the West Coast and back). We stayed at the Fort Stevenson State Park, south of Garrison. Next to our campsite was a man with his dog in a small truck. He called himself a "Birder" and was on his way from Oklahoma to Alaska to watch and listen to birds!

 

PM at Fort Stevenson State Park Campground

We awoke Sunday to a gray sky. We had a few sprinkles. We started with a wet tent and made it 4 miles into town for breakfast. Then 30 miles West against the wind. Later we entered the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The sun came out. We stopped at the "Old Scout Cemetery", a place that pays tribute to American Indians, who served the U.S. in war and peace. An Indian (with the German name Nagel) showed us around. That evening we stayed at the Indian Hills Resort (4 miles gravel) in a nice little cabin with no water/electricity.

Cabin at Indian Hill Resort

Monday morning started with sunshine and SE-Winds. Great! After a breakfast in the camp store (the owner had his birthday that day) we pushed our bikes one quarter of a mile up a steep hill (on gravel). Then the wind pushed us back to the highway and up north. A roadside repair on Maren's front tire was necessary. At lunch we had reached Parshall and at 2:30 PM we arrived in New Town (still within the Indian Reservation).

At this point we had to decide, how to proceed after Williston. We opted not to ride to Williston but instead to ride to Watford City and head on West to the Yellowstone River, a region Captain Clark had traveled along during his return in 1806. This will bring us back to the main route in Three Forks, in Central Montana.

Next day (Tuesday) we said "Goodbye" to the Missouri River. We crossed on an
old bridge (the new one is in full construction) to the West side and made it along beautiful North Dakota countryside (endless green hills) to the town of Watford City. Next day we waited out a rain front by having a rest day.

 

Old and new Missouri River bridges near New Town -

Last time across the Missouri River.

We have now successfully completed the second of three stages of our trip across the United States. (The first stage was completed in Washington, Missouri, when we reached the L&C Trail and the KATY Trail.)