Watford City, North Dakota

Did we say this before? Today was the best day so far. The weather was great and cycling fast (that is after the first 25 miles where we climbed).

We cycled through parts of The Little Missouri National Grassland. To quote the Forest Service “…where pristine vistas inspire the imagination; where rugged, unspoiled beauty of the Badlands invites exploration; and where the sights and sounds of the wide, rolling prairie stimulate the senses.” However, they missed one big “where”: where Joe and HP took lots of fantastic pictures.

Heading north we stopped in Grassy Butte for quick refreshment. Like most towns its size, they have one “do it all store.” This one sold plumbing and automotive parts as well as light groceries and snacks. The owner, Don Trotter told us that the coffee was free. He said “that some things in life should be.” Next he offered us some of his wife’s home made cake. He said that despite the fact that he tries to sell pastries, she is always bringing in a cake to share. HP asked Don about rattle snakes. Don showed HP a 5 foot skinned snake and said that it came from his farm. He had a “live and let live” philosophy about snakes. In fact, the snake kept his farm free of mice. However, he got a new dog and things changed. The dog and the snake decided that the farm was not big enough for both of them. The dog lived but the snake didn’t. Thanks Don, you made our day and we enjoyed your coffee and your wife’s cake. BTW, before leaving we did spend some money.

If the Grasslands weren’t enough we next cycled into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was even more spectacular! We dropped down into the park and then had to climb out. However, that did not distract from our wonderful day. In the Park, Joe asked the Ranger where he could photograph buffalo. The Ranger gave Joe a harsh look and said “buffalo don’t like bicyclist.” He went on to explain that buffalo have poor eyesight and when they see a bicyclist they think it is competition. Joe joked that he was fast but the Ranger quickly gave him a reality check. He said that “buffalo can run up to 35mph and they can get that fast in just 2 strides. While Joe still took some buffalo pictures he made sure that Jeff was always between him and the buffalo.

Just check out all of our photos at the link below. While words cannot describe this wonderful place, perhaps the photos can give you a taste of its beauty.

HP was stopped along the highway by Tony Baltes. Tony knew HP from our blog and was also looking for Joe and Jeff. Tony and his wife are driving to Oregon where he will cycle the Lewis and Clark trail in reverse ending up in Ohio.

For those into pure cycling stuff, when we turned north we caught a tail wind that had us moving at 15-25 mph for about 30 miles to Watford City.

Click to view today's Photos
Click to view an overview Map of our trip
Click for a detailed map of today's ride