Day 40 – Thursday 7/7/22

Linton, North Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota – 70 Miles

The destination this morning was Bismarck. It’s a target I’ve had my mind on for a while as it represents a literal turning point in the journey. For the past month I’ve been moving northward, from Florida to North Dakota. At Bismarck moving north stops and heading west across Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon begins. The left turn at Bismarck resets the goals I’ve had for the past weeks and brings the Pacific coast finish line into consideration for each day’s planning. So, motivation this morning was not a problem. Then, I checked the weather.

It was about 60 miles to Bismarck, broken down into a 40-mile ride north, then a 30-mile continuation west. What I saw when I viewed the weather forecast early this morning was a 15% chance of rain where I was, but a strong chance (65%) of thunderstorms in the Bismarck area after 1:00 PM. I calculated that by leaving Linton early, I’d have clear weather on the ride north and would get into Bismarck before the rain hit in the afternoon.

Now that I had a plan, I said goodbye to Don’s Motel and started up Highway 83.

It was cloudy this morning, but the Sun was trying to break through to the east.

The first inkling that my plan was not going to plan was a band of clouds crossing the road in front of me. According to the people who make their living forecasting the weather, there was an 85% chance that this wouldn’t happen.

Six miles into the ride I started feeling raindrops. At first, it wasn’t worth slowing down. I couldn’t go back to the motel and wait it out, and there was nothing ahead of me for 30 miles, so I kept pedaling. Three miles later, it started r-a-i-n-i-n-g. Significantly. As I put on my raingear, I wondered how these folks who fancy themselves to be meteorologists actually predict the weather. Do they have a wheel to spin with the weather forecast on it? Throw darts at a board? Roll dice? Whatever they do, they surely weren’t out riding with me this morning as I was getting blasted from above and hit with the spray from passing semis.

The road shoulder was wide enough to ride on, with about a two-foot section between the rumble strip and the grass. Cars and trucks gave me plenty of room, so my focus was to keep moving and avoid an accident. For a time, I was slogging along at 8-mph because of a north wind, but that eventually shifted to the east, and I was going well at 13 to 14 mph. The real lesson about riding in the rain is once you’re in it and soaked, it can’t get any worse. So, after a short time the rain became “normal” conditions and didn’t have much effect on my progress. It did keep me from taking any pictures until I reached Moffit, 30 miles along, but you didn’t miss much. Farmland of all descriptions mixed with livestock and buildings.

When I got to Moffit the rain stopped. It was doubtful that I would get to Bismarck before the predicted rain moved in at 1:00, so I slowed down a bit.

I had planned to go west from Moffit to pick up SR 1804 into Bismarck, but there was a better choice, SR 10, to the north off of highway 83. The town of Sterling was on the way, with a grain elevator that looked like it had been in a war.

I think every state must have someone who collects junk and leaves it in their yard. Here’s North Dakota’s entry.

Once I turned west onto SR 10, a strong wind from the east helped me move along quickly.

Twenty miles later, I was there.

First impressions of Bismarck were excellent. The town is attractive and has a good mix of things to do and see. As I arrived, I noticed a “Big Boy” restaurant across the street. The drive-in lane was backed up to a degree that only Chick-fil-A would appreciate. Not sure what the attraction was, but if the food is worth that wait, I’ll have to come back and try it. One thing that didn’t happen in Bismarck this afternoon was rain. The 65% and higher chance of thunderstorms turned into partly cloudy skies and a bit of wind. I would have been better off to have left Linton at 10:00 and wouldn’t have gotten wet at all.

I rode about eight miles around town, with a stop at a walk-up Dairy Queen for a Blizzard. The North Dakota Capitol is in Bismarck, which I checked off the list.

Nearby was a statue from 1910 honoring Sakakawea, Lewis and Clark’s interpreter.

It was a low-key afternoon\evening for me. The weather now is actually what they predicted for eight hours ago, so going anywhere is not worthwhile. Tomorrow I’ll go north to follow the Missouri River a little further or head west and work my way towards Dickinson. The weather forecast might have some influence on my choice, but I’m not sure if I can believe them anymore.