No, of course “Bismarck” does not just refer to something you eat (a jelly doughnut). It is the state capital of North Dakota and, with 73,622 people, the second-most-populous city in the state. But both the doughnut and the city are named after Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), a Prussian statesman who was the First Chancellor of Germany. Thursday’s (9/21) 43.5-mile ride took me from Steele, N.D. to downtown Bismarck. More about that–my fastest ride so far on this trip–in just a minute.

Doing a little research on Bismarck and its name led me to some interesting facts relating to the power of a name, and a railroad, in this part of the country at the time the transcontinental railroad was built. The Northern Pacific rail line reached the Missouri River at Bismarck in June 1873. When it was founded in 1872, Bismarck was originally named Edwinton, after Edwin Johnson, Chief Engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway. The next year, however, the Northern Pacific Railway caused the town to be renamed Bismarck, in honor of the German leader, as a way of attracting German settlers to the area, and also German investment in the railroad.

Towns were named Bismarck in other states as well–Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and West Virginia all have cities named Bismarck–and townships also have that name in Michigan and Minnesota. Oklahoma had a town called Bismarck, but it changed its name to Wright City during World War I.

In comparison to the less-than-perfect ride I experienced yesterday, and the perfect ride of the day before, today’s ride was a mixed bag of highs and lows. The route was flat, with a nice shoulder and virtually non-existent traffic until I got close to Bismarck–all high points. Wind conditions were also favorable, and I found myself frequently in my highest gears, hitting speeds over 20 MPH with not much effort. It was my fastest ride on the trip so far–I covered the 43.5 miles of today’s ride in only three hours. The lows? Well, the weather turned rainy, and I got pretty soaked over the course of about an hour. But then the rainclouds parted, and the sun came out. Air-drying in the sun on a bike is not so bad. Other than my shoes, I was pretty well dried-out by the time the ride was over. Here are a few photos showing scenery along the way, once the rain had cleared.

In Bismarck, I headed to Larson’s Cyclery, where I met with the owner, Lance Larson. I was referred to Lance by our friend Barbara, who through her family and friends has some great connections in North Dakota (among other places!). In addition to the referral from Barbara, I was very impressed by testimonials for the bike shop on the internet, including one authored by a cross-country cyclist who landed in Bismarck needing an emergency repair. Lance, lacking a spare part needed for the repair, used a part from his personal bike to complete the job. And then he didn’t charge the cyclist for the repair but asked only that they ship the part back when they were done with their ride. Amazing customer service! I had a great chance to visit with Lance and talk about bikes and biking and can attest that he is clearly quite passionate about his calling.

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve grown increasingly concerned about weather conditions and lodging availability in the days ahead, as well as potential weather-related road closures along the way as we move into October. I’ve also recently learned that the Adventure Cycling route into Anacortes, WA, my intended endpoint, has been closed for an extended period this summer due to forest fires along the road and continues to be subject to unexpected closures due to wildfires in the area. After a lot of careful thought, and consultations with Melissa at Adventure Cycling and my esteemed advisors back home, including my Chief Navigator Trudi, I’ve reached the bittersweet conclusion that I should park my bike in Bismarck for the winter and resume my cross-country trip to the west coast at a later date.

I believe I have covered more than half my route to the Pacific and can probably complete the trip in about six weeks. The route from Bar Harbor, Maine (where I started) to Bismarck by car is 2,088 miles, and from Bismarck to Anacortes is 1,305 miles. These distances are calculated using a route that is not the same as the route I took (which carried me through Canada and made use of the Lake Michigan ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee), but I think there were also aspects of my route that were longer than what it would be following interstate highways in a car, and so these distances are not a bad approximation of the progress I’ve made compared to what lies ahead.

This was not something I knew about in reaching this decision, but in looking at my bike, Lance noticed the rear wheel had a wobble in it, leading him to fear that something in the hub might be cracked or damaged–possibly a casualty of the rumble strips I needed to ride over along I-94 earlier this week. In any event, this is a serious problem that will need attention before I am able to continue the trip. I have now entrusted my bike to Lance to check it out and make sure it is road-ready for the next phase of this adventure. Lance does not have a large shop and lacks the space to store bikes, and so I’m especially appreciative of his willingness to keep my bike in the coming days. Here he is in his shop with my bike, after I removed all of my saddlebags.

And here is Larson Cyclery, located only about a half-mile from downtown Bismarck, with all of my bike bags parked in front of the shop.

And so, I will be heading home to the Twin Cities this weekend but leaving my bike behind in Bismarck. I haven’t been home in nearly three months, and it will be wonderful to be together–in person–at home with family and friends again. It seems there is no better way to appreciate all we take for granted at home than to be away for a while.

For the time being, however, on Friday (9/22), I had an unexpected opportunity to get together with Kathy and Tony, two dear friends of ours from the Twin Cities who were passing through Bismarck and enjoying some birding opportunities along their way to Yellowstone National Park, where they will be the last guests of the season at a cabin in the park before it closes for the season. Having the chance to see Kathy and Tony was like a homecoming before I’ve actually made it back home! Here are a couple photos of them during and after our breakfast at the Brick Oven Bakery in downtown Bismarck.

As the weather turns increasingly cold and unpredictable, it is I think for the best that I am now pausing this bike adventure for a bit. The Adventure Cycling route west from Bismarck includes a stretch on I-94, and I received a message from Kathy later in the day on Friday, as they crossed the border to Montana, indicating that they had encountered heavy fog and rain, and (apparently due to more road construction) at least 18 miles of two-lane two-way traffic on I-94 with no shoulder. I will make sure to check out the status of that stretch of road before resuming my journey!