Crossing into North Dakota with overnight stays in Medora, Richardton, Mandan, Napoleon and Gackle

July 1, 2023

Being the driver and the navigator leaves little time for the blogger. Hence the delay in posting an update. Here’s a recap of the last several days solo driving with Verne, with a rendezvous each day with Rob beginning in Jordan then Circle and an epic last camp in Montana at Makoshika State Park in Glendive. Then into North Dakota with an overnight in historic Medora, camping in Schnell Recreation Area, a Bureau of Land Management Camp in Richardton, a quick overnight in Mandan and then camping at City Park in Napoleon and then a rest day after a “short’ 38 mile ride to Gackle. I’ll write more about Rob’s rides in his blog later today. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already been following at robsride.blog.

Billings to Jordan through Round Up and across to Rt 200 to find Rob.

Most of the stretch of Rt 200 in Montana between Stanford to Circle contains views for miles of this seemingly straight byway. There are undulating hills that taunt the riders from up to five miles in the distance!

Our sparse spot for the evening in Jordan, MT- we set up the shower and provided our own “warm showers” for three cyclists Rob befriended along the route. I was excited to have a good 50 amp charge for our next leg of the journey!

Adventure Cycling put out an alert warning cyclist along the Northern Tier that there is substantial construction on Rt 200 between Jordan and Circle. They were not kidding. They advised flagging down a pickup truck to support the transport over the almost 20 miles of chewed up roadway.

A pilot car or truck will escort the traffic one way through the construction due to the hazards created by the large road construction equipment. This is standard practice on these remote high speed roads.

Horse Creek RV Park in Circle was our destination on the other side of the construction. The park provided a much needed laundry stop. The view was quite lovely.

I was ready for an adventure the next morning, as Rob readied for his last leg of riding in Montana – I went on a mini adventure of my own.

On the road for two days now, I have watched boats trailered by trucks pass me coming and going along Rt 200. There’s a lake on conservation land not too far from Rt 200.

One thing I have discovered on this trip is just how far I am willing to go out of my way to find a spot or just to satisfy my curiosity. Folks in these parts think nothing of driving 50 miles to go for a boat ride!

And then there’s the dinosaur draw – I’m a fan of Jurassic Park and World and just the idea of being around these behemoth creatures fills me with a sense of awe.

The road to the National Wildlife Refuge, which is almost four miles through this orange clay. The birds sounded splendid on this overcast early afternoon day.

Made it! I doubt any other RIVIAN would have made the attempt – Verne was thrilled to have a quiet moment along the waterfront of Lake Peck. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the 1.1 million acres, which is nearly the same surroundings as encountered by Lewis and Clark on their expedition in 1805.

Our last night in Montana we spent at Makoshika State Park – I have had my eye on this destination for over a week and had hoped it would work out for us to stop here. The park is the largest state park in Montana, and I have watched introductory videos made by the park manager Ranger Riley Bell. I drove straight to Glendive and followed the signs to Makoshika. I got the last site available, and as I was walking back to Verne – I spied Ranger Bell. Had a bit of a fan moment and he indulged me with a selfie!

Makoshika features badlands formations and fossil remains across the 11,538 acres. The park has two levels of camp sites the higher elevation can be reached after navigating a little over two miles of switchbacks to an elevation of 2,415 feet.

Just when I didn’t think the day could be any better, I met Deb from Minnesota! She was contemplating a hike to a bench that we could spy up high on an outcrop.

Well, we did it. WE CONQUERED THE STEEP CLIMB, and even though we didn’t sit on the bench – we held on tight for a long distance photo shoot from far below!

Crossing into North Dakota with overnight stays in Medora, Richardton, Mandan, Napoleon and Gackle

Medora was founded along the transcontinental rail line of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883. A Frenchman, Marquis de Mores built a meat packing plant after seeing the potential for great wealth in the cattle trade. He named the city after his wife, Medora von Hoffman.

Theodore Roosevelt fell in love with Medora in the 1880’s and invested in bison and cattle ranches.

Roosevelt later would revisit the area as president and local hotel was renamed the Rough Riders Hotel. Rob and I had dinner there to celebrate his 1,400 miles on the bicycle!

From fine dining to remote camping on Bureau of Land Management property at Schnell Recreation Area a few miles off Old Highway 10 along a steep dirt road. Rob was a trooper and navigated into our spot like a pro.

After Rob set out for his 80+ ride into Mandan, I found my way to Assumption Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery. The monks are talented and incredibly friendly!

I spent almost two hours at the monastery and St Mary’s Church. My heart and soul felt renewed and blessed.

Napoleon, where he found me lounging by the pool and enjoyed a refreshing dip himself.

We left for Gackle late morning on July 2 and Rob is in need of a rest day – so we will be here for two nights. I’ll sign off now, knowing I have so much more to share. I’ll save it for Rob’s Ride Blog later. Thanks for all your well wishes and support!

Keeping the rubber side down, Julie and Rob