Northern Tier Day #38 Hazelton, ND to New Salem, ND
Northern Tier Day #38
June 27, 2019
Hazelton, ND to New Salem, ND 87 Miles
Ride Time 6:35
Tour Total 3022 Miles
Last evening I showered, did laundry, and gave myself a pedicure before heading to the Ugly Bar. Bartender Jessica served me a 12 inch pepperoni pizza and several Fat Tire Ales. Instead of tuning into the First Democratic Debate, the folks in the bar were watching South Park and playing a dice game betting for drinks. The coal miner sitting next to me paid for me to play and I lost. Later someone paid for everyone to play against Jessica and we won! Everyone referred to me as ‘Brooklyn’.
My laundry was dry when I got back to the campground, except for my socks. I moved my tent underneath the pavilion because it was supposed to rain during the night. I fit it wedged between two picnic tables and it was tricky to climb in and out of the tent. It ended up being the smart thing to do. When I got up in the middle of the night there were thunderstorms on the horizon. The next thing I knew it was raining. It rained for hours. My tent and things were dry when I got up this morning. I woke up at 6:30am and knew that the Cenex opened at 7am. I took my time packing. Riding away from the campground I passed a bunny zigzagging through somebody’s front yard. The gray skies were cloudy, and I was wearing my cycling shorts, short-sleeve jersey, sweater, and leg-warmers.
It was going to be 40 miles before my first service stop in Bismarck, so I stopped at the Cenex, Dakota Frontier Cooperative (DFC) on the outside of Hazelton. I got an egg and bacon on croissant sandwich, a Starbucks Frappuccino, an orange juice, and a pack of mini powdered donuts. Many gas stations along my route have had small kitchens and food to order along with tables for people to eat and hang out. In the early hours people here say ‘Morning’. Everyone was talking about the rain last night. The locals here are as passionate about fishing as I am about cycling. Everywhere I stop they’re talking about how they can’t wait to get back out on their boats.
It was sprinkling when I left the Cenex, so I put on my rain jacket. I swapped my rain jacket with my sweater. I later pulled over and added the sweater to the mix because I was chilly. My gloves were soaking wet this morning when I put them on. They were still drenched with yesterday’s sweat. They’re disgusting and I really need to wash them. I also need to do some chain lubrication and cleaning.
I took US Highway 83 north towards Moffitt, and had more traffic than yesterday. The surface was wet, particularly the shoulder. Water was draining from the rumble strips, and I rode on the slant. The green fields combined with the rising sun through the clouds were spectacular. The wind forecast called for a breeze out of the south east, which would be good for me. That remained to be seen. For the first stretch I was averaging 14 miles an hour. The sun pushed through the clouds and I removed my rain jacket.
The wind seemed like it was out of the east and I would be heading west much of the day, so I was looking forward to the tailwind. I pulled over to the side of the road to sign my Parson’s fall teaching contract. Talk about being at two different places at once!
It was overcast, gray and cool- perfect cycling weather. The folks in the store this morning were talking about the hundred degree heat index forecast for Saturday. I’ve spent some time looking at all the different weather apps. The weather in the plains responds to what's going on out west in the mountains. There was currently something brewing out west, right where I was headed.
I was listening to music on my iPod which had an empty battery. I was re-charging it in my handlebar bag while I listened. Every time I crossed the rumble strip it thought that I wanted to change the song. I had some unexpected and disappointing musical switch ups.
At Moffit, which lists no population or services, I overshot the turn off. I realized my mistake when I saw the upcoming train track junction. I corrected my error and stopped at the intersection of Highway 83 and Moffit Road to remove my leg-warmers and sweater, and to apply sunscreen and put on my sunglasses. It got cloudy as I was readjusting. Most of the clouds and storm were off to the east. The skies to the west looked a little hazy but much clearer.
I noticed rows of trees running north and south with 1000 foot wide grass pastures in between. Certainly this was a strategy to address snow drifting. I was definitely getting more roll today. The terrain had beautiful curves. A large hill appeared out of nowhere and the highway stair-stepped around it. The high voltage electrical lines, however, went straight over the top in a perfect line.
I met eastbound cyclist, Tim, who was doing a modified Northern Tier from Portland Oregon to Portland Maine. He was a high school teacher from Minneapolis, and had done sections of the route numerous times. He had it all mapped out in his head. He was staying in hotels and averaging 100 miles a day. He was intending to do the whole route in 45 days. He was complaining about the headwind today, that I was enjoying as a tailwind.
At a certain point Moffit Road became State Highway 1804, and also the Louis and Clark Trail. It was a beautiful ride! For a stretch there was grass growing in the shoulder so I had to ride in the motorized traffic lane. No worries, because there was no traffic on this road.
The rumble strip was continuous and right beneath the white line. Usually there are gaps between the rumbles spaced every 50 feet or so, but here there were none. My teeth rattled every time I left the shoulder.
There were exquisite hills to the west as I approached the Missouri River. This was an exciting moment for me after having followed the Lewis and Clark story last summer and read the Stephen Ambrose book. I was making great time traveling 20 miles an hour.
Twin buttes really stood out. It was the first Badland feature I’d seen on the tour. Why was it, though, that somebody had built a house right next to it? Ugh! And then, all of a sudden, I began seeing houses and buildings as I neared the outskirts of Bismarck, population 61,000. I had a nice downhill coming into the Missouri River Valley. I could see a jet taking off from the Bismarck Airport to the northeast. I found a bike trail alongside the four-lane highway. I met some day cyclists going for a ride and I pulled over to get my photo taken next to the giant gorilla at the fireworks store.
Downtown Bismarck drove me crazy. I wasn’t used to cycling in so much traffic. It was mostly sprawl, and all the traffic engineering favored motor vehicles. I couldn’t find postcards, and I was unable to find the post office. It was one big run-around pain-in-the-ass.
Finally I ended up at the state capital for postcards. It was so complicated, because there wasn't any signage. The architecture was beautiful, but please North Dakota- help us folks from out of town. It was confusing. I passed the handsome governors mansion (he’s got to be a Trump supporter, right?). I later noticed a lot of trailer homes in town.
I finally did all of my business and went to the Laughing Sun Brewery, that east-bounder Kirt had mentioned. It was fantastic! I ordered an Irish Red Ale, a pulled pork sandwich, and potato salad. All beer was 50% off. I wrote a bunch of postcards and I wish that I could have stayed there all day. It was really hot outside and I didn’t want to go back out in it.
I hooked up with a nice bike trail that took me across the Missouri River into Mandan. There I was greeted with yet another bike trail which was fantastic and kept me away from motorized traffic, which I really appreciated. Everyone was saying that it was going to rain again tonight. That seems to be the pattern. Hopefully the campground in New Salem would have a pavilion.
There were a lot of trailer parks in Mandan as well as Bismarck. I noticed a lot of impoverished people here. I cycled on County Highway 139 West. There was a freight train to my left blasting its horn. I was traveling on rolling hills with semi-trucks, pick-up trucks, and cars. It was scorching hot, as I climbed my way out of the Missouri Valley and back up onto the plateau.
I passed the 3000 mile mark on my odometer, and that milestone felt like a big deal. County Highway 139 was also known as the Old Red Trail. Locals reffered to it as Old Highway 10. It was so beautiful here, and I felt unable express it in words. I passed a large wind farm off to the north. I was riding parallel to Interstate 94, and at one point I could see it.
It was 6pm and I was still peddling. I passed Old Glory off to my right blowing in the direction I was heading. I was averaging 15 miles an hour, the sky was clear, and the sun was strong. The road was empty, as I pedaled towards my destination.
At a certain point I realized there were no longer any trees in my panorama. I was surrounded by grass and rolling hills. The rocks and boulders were getting larger. It was 6:30pm and still toasty.
Two miles out from New Salem, I could see the water tower. Thank goodness! What a long day! New Salem has a population of 946. I located the campground and set up my tent. They didn’t have showers wtf. I rode to The Field bar where bartender Dee served me (yet more) pizza and Fat Tire Ale.
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