North Dakota

August 21, 2013

The day started well and the weather was fine. Duluth and beyond was the goal for the day and everything was go. The segment from Ashland to Duluth was short and sweet and it wasn’t long before Duluth came into view.

I was curious to see the place. I lived in Duluth, Ga for five years and understand that it’s name came from Duluth, Mn as they are at opposite ends of the rail line. I was surprised at how massive the industry looked on the river. I’m sure Duluth, Mn has plenty of nice areas, but I didn’t have time to see as I was trying to make miles on the two lane roads. A light rain had started falling as I passed through Duluth. Fortunately it didn't last that long and the skies cleared somewhat as I went along.

It’s not a straight shot from Duluth to Fargo, ND and my connection point to I-94, so I had to take some of the more obscure state roads. The scenery was pleasant enough, but making time on two-lane roads requires persistence and passing a bunch of vehicles along the way. The roads are so straight it wasn't much of a challenge at all on the FJR.

Minnesota West of Duluth

Minnesota is geographically interesting as it slowly changes from a wilderness tundra look in the northeastern regions to a western plains look in the ‘west’. I can only imagine how cold it gets in the winter, but it looked rather pleasant in the mild summer weather.

I was glad to get to North Dakota. It was the last state in the lower 48 that I had never visited. I would have stopped and snapped a photo of the state line to mark the occasion if I had seen a sign indicating as much, but there wasn't one. I did however do the next best thing and stop at the first rest stop on I-94 to take some rest and refreshments before assaulting the final leg of the day.

ND Rest Stop

North Dakota is not the most scenic landscape I've ever encountered, but it does have it's charm. The wide open plains are fascinating to traverse if the temperatures are reasonable and you're not being blown around by high winds that are common to the area. Last year crossing South Dakota was pure agony due to those winds and excessive heat. This year, it wasn't bad at all and the 300 miles to Dickenson, ND went by with very little distress. There were a couple of times I thought rain might be a possibility as I saw clouds in the distance that looked a little ominous, but nothing ever materialized and life was good. The speed limit is 75MPH and I was maintaining right at 85MPH. My throttle lock worked really well on the long flat roads.

ND Plains

ND Sunflowers

I made really good time but wasn't sure where I should stop to visit Theodore Roosevelt National park; so I stopped in Dickenson, ND. It might not have been the best place to stop, but it was a convenient place and only 40 miles from the park. I was in for a shock as it relates to hotel rooms. The oil boom in ND has greatly inflated the prices of rooms in the general area and it took a while to find a place to bed down for the evening. Eventually I found a seedy hotel room for a reasonable price and felt lucky to get that. While unloading my bike, a woman approached me asking what was the time. I informed her that it was about 8:00 to which she asked, "morning or night?". I thought she was joking at first, but later learned that she was one of the fine employees of the establishment and had gotten her mornings and evenings confused. Yikes.

There was nothing to do in Dickenson but take a shower and go to bed. The sooner I got out of that place, the better. The room seemed clean enough, but I just didn't like the locale, and the hotel staff was creeping me out a bit. The next day's agenda included Theodore Roosevelt National Park, about 40 miles away, and getting up early was the goal.