August 30, 2024 – The Great Bicycle Experiment

    I'm physically exhausted tonight. I guess I didn't eat enough to give me fuel today. I rode about 70 miles today from Hazen to Richardton, ND. Adventure cycling once again had me on a dangerous high-traffic road with no shoulder; SR 49. I got off it as soon as I could. I took back country gravel roads, some of which were minimum maintenance, from Beulah, ND to here at Richardton.

    From Hazleton Recreation Area I traveled to Bismarck, ND; the capitol city of North Dakota. First thing, I went to Walmart to resupply my food cache, buy bug spray, and buy a rain jacket/wind breaker. As I was leaving Walmart, I ran into two homeless Native Americans: Jordan and Brittany. I gave them $6 to buy a drink, and Jordan gave me directions to the public library in downtown Bismarck. I went to the library for a few hours and worked on the poetry/songs of the parables of Jesus. Afterward, I went to Dairy Queen and tried a new flavor of Blizzard. Last, I went down to the riverside park, right by the North Dakota Zoo. I found an empty pavilion, set out my tarp and sleeping pad, wrote a couple more poems, and then I retired for the night.

    In the morning, I went to Art Alley off 5^th Street in downtown to check out all the local art work and graffiti. Then, I rode to the State Capitol complex. I kept riding down to Pioneer Park and Keelboat Park. This area is believed to be the the site of Fort Mandan; Lewis and Clark's winter safe haven on their epic adventure. They occupied Fort Mandan from November 1804 to April 1805. Then, I set out with Washburn as my destination. I had a strong tailwind that pushed me all the way to Washburn. When I arrived in Washburn, I went to the Public Library to work on the poetry of the parables of Jesus. Then, I rode down to the Fort Mandan historic site, and I camped there overnight. In the morning, I went to the Fort Mandan Visitor Center and toured the exact replica of Fort Mandan. Rebecca, the tour guide, led me on the tour of the Fort. She just moved to North Dakota with her husband who works for the Army Corps of Engineers. They are expecting a child, and until Rebecca has the baby, she will work as a guide and receptionist for the Forth Mandan Visitor Center and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn. After touring the fort, I talked with another docent of the museum, named Ashley. She told me about an Army regiment of all black bicycle infantry soldiers. There is a book about this particular regiment that I need to check out. The book is entitled Great Bicycle Experiment: The Army's Historic Black Bicycle Corps, 1896-97; the author is Kay Moore. The Army at the time was trying to decide whether or not soldiers on bicycles were more efficient than soldiers on horseback. They must have went through hell because they had to ride over terrain before roads were constructed. I don't think the bicycle infantry lasted too long in the US Army, but still yet, I would love to read the book.

    I left the Fort Mandan Visitor Center and headed to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn. It was absolutely amazing, and it retold the story of Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery with great detail. It only costs $8 to go to the Fort Mandan historic site and the Lewis and Clark Museum. It is well worth both the money and the time to check it out if you are in North Dakota. There are several galleries in the museum; a Lewis and Clark gallery, a Maximillian and Bodner gallery, a North Dakota cultural gallery, a George Catlin art exhibit (paintings of Native Americans in North Dakota before the settling of the white man), and more. The museum and the fort are a must see. I'm so glad and privileged that I had the opportunity to visit them.

    From there, I set out on State Road 200 into heavy 25-30 mph head winds. It was winds of intensity like I have never experienced before. The closest I remember is the head winds of the Blue Mesa in Colorado, but I believe these winds were stronger and more sustained. To make a long, miserable story short, I only rode 35 miles in the head winds. I made it to a small town called Hazen, ND. I slept at the high school baseball park and practice football field.

    I awoke around 6:00am, and I rode from Hazen all the way, some 70 miles, to Richardton. I am camping out in the town public park, and plan on going to Dickinson first thing in the morning. I may take a day off in Dickinson, rest up, and write. After Dickinson, I go to a new map segment on the trail, and within a few days I will be traveling into big sky Montana. This journey is going to be epic. Let's do this! And please dear Lord, protect me on this journey. In Jesus' mighty, holy, and wonderful name, amen.