Bismarck to Jamestown

July 4, 2003

Westbound: Bismarck to Medora Eastbound: Jamestown to Fargo

July 4, 2003 was my single favorite day of this tour. I was up reasonably early after an easier day on Thursday and had a good breakfast at the same nearby restaurant. I filled the Camelbak with ice and water, loaded the bike, and got underway. Conditions were nearly perfect. Yes a few more clouds might have made it cooler, but there was a slight tail wind, the sky was a bright blue, traffic was reasonable, the rumble strips were negotiable—perhaps as much from my growing experience as from less hostile design—and the terrain, finally, was fully what I recalled of North Dakota. Gentle ups and downs with a slight net drop to the east. I was rolling along comfortably around 17 mph, easily the best pace I had reached to date. The morning had no special details, just the pleasure of feeling free and unstressed on the bicycle, that feeling I recall from first getting my Raleigh three speed “English Racer.”

I found a good truck stop/Interchange restaurant for lunch and had a hot beef sandwich. I also took a good rest, spending nearly an hour there enjoying my book. About 15 miles down the road from lunch, I was again cruising along the shoulder of the Interstate blissfully enjoying the ride when I saw a fellow well to my right, outside the right of way, standing on the back of a tractor. I wanted to yell to him that standing up like that made me nervous—with the expectation that he would think riding the Interstate on a bicycle proved me crazy—but I didn’t figure he would be able to hear me, and I wasn’t sure the humor would carry. Soon thereafter, however, I overtook a group of tractors ahead of him on the same side road. One of the drivers was facing backward in conversation and saw me. He waved, I waved back, and I then passed the group who then all waved.

A Bright, Sunny Fourth of July

The Group Approaches

Within a mile or so, there was an interchange where I could exit the highway. I pulled off, got out my camera and took a picture of the group as they approached. After they offered me a carbonated, malt beverage for “rehydration,” we exchanged our stories for the day. They were on their way home from a Holiday Tractor Pull. The special note was that all of their tractors were restored or preserved, antique John Deeres. Each was the same special green. The newest was a 1958; the oldest was a 1942. Having been born in 1945, that seemed to assure me of similar antique status. We chatted about my trip, conditions in the fields, and other stuff for most of an hour before I realized that I needed to get rolling again. I had to decline seconds on the beverage but thanked them for the offer.

Once underway, my smile was wider still and the balance of the trip to Jamestown passed quickly. When I got to Jamestown, the Comfort Inn was full but the manager at the desk kindly used the telephone to confirm that the Dakota Inn, not may yards south, had space. I went down there to a friendly reception, got in the room, checked the clock—my Cateye was still having problems—and found that with the long lunch and the visit with the Tractor Guys, I had still completed a century in less than eight hours door to door. Levelish ground sure does help.

After cleaning up, I went in search of food at the mall nearby but found the holiday had closed all the interesting looking places. I settled for a salad at Subway.

According to the map and clock, 100 miles in just under 8 hours, roughly 6:15 on the bike for an estimated average of 16mph.

Back up to Glendive to Fargo

Westbound: Bismarck to Medora Eastbound: Jamestown to Fargo