Saturday, 5-25, I rode back to the Saw and Bike shop in Dickinson to get my tire pressure checked before riding 40 miles to Medora, N.D. (pop. 112). I had a small headwind and for most of the day was on a stretch of Old Highway 10 with very light traffic. There were a few hills, but nothing too painful, and the beautiful wide vistas stretching out to a low horizon in every direction made it a very pleasant day to be out on a bike.

I passed through Belfield, N.D. (pop. 800) early this afternoon, where I stopped to sit in some nice wooden chairs in front of the Cowboy Inn and have a snack. There are many long stretches of road in this part of the country where there is nowhere to sit and rest, and you need to seize these opportunities when you find them.

I noticed this “No Jake Brakes in City Limits” sign as I was coming into Belfield. I’ve seen a number of “No Engine Braking” signs here and there on my travels but had never seen a reference to “Jake Brakes.” I looked up the term and learned that the “Jake Brake” is a type of engine braking mechanism that is installed on some diesel engines to slow the vehicle. The first company to manufacture the braking system was Jacobs Vehicle Systems, hence the name “Jake Brake.” Engine braking is sometimes frowned on in populated areas because it is noisy. According to Wikipedia, Jacobs claims that the term “Jake Brake” on signs prohibiting engine brakes violates their trademark and discriminates against Jacobs-brand products. So now you know, in case you should ever come across one of these signs yourself.

I didn’t see much evidence of the North Dakota oil boom we began to read a lot about nearly 20 years ago, but I did see this rig quietly pumping away not far off the road about eight miles west of Belfield. I learned that oil production in the area has slowed in recent years, and in 2021, New Mexico surpassed North Dakota as the largest crude oil-producing state, after Texas.

Highway 10 turned into a gravel road about two-thirds of the way into today’s ride, and my Adventure Cycling map once again directed me to the shoulder of I-94. It was a nice smooth shoulder, and the hills on the interstate are not as steep as on secondary roads, so it was not a bad experience.

One positive of the route along I-94 east of Medora is that there is a rest stop with a “scenic overlook” at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center that is part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which was established in 1978, is the only national park named after a person. The park honors Roosevelt’s commitment to conservation, which was inspired by his experiences in the North Dakota Badlands as a young man. Roosevelt credited his experiences in North Dakota with his later success in life, including his rise to the Presidency. He was 24 when he arrived in Medora the first time and came to Medora a second time following the death of his wife and mother, who passed away on the same day, Valentine’s Day, in 1884. After their death, Roosevelt lamented that “the light has gone out of my life.”

I took a few photographs of the “painted rocks,” but they are a poor substitute for seeing them in person and I highly recommend you do this if you are in the area.

I met a couple of interesting folks who came up to me as I was relaxing on a bench at the visitor center. First there was Noah. Noah attended a small Christian college in Missouri where he played baseball. After college, he entered training for the park police force. Noah said the fishing in the area was fantastic. He was out with a colleague from work a couple weeks ago fly-fishing on Camelback Creek when his friend caught a 16-inch rainbow trout. Noah helped him land the fish, also got to help him eat it.

Next, I was greeted by Ruth, who lives on a small farm in the area. She grew up in Belfield, where her dad was the only plumber. She has two adult children who both live in Minnesota. She loves the area and told me she had just been at the Dakota Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Medora, which she recommended I attend. Duly noted! Ruth majored in English and French and has also taught these subjects.

Ruth told me the buffalo that roam the park are allowed to go where they please and will wander around the visitor center on occasion. As you can see in the photo below, there is evidence to prove this.

As I left the visitors center and headed back onto the freeway, I heard what sounded like a lot of birds screeching. Soon, however, I realized that I was hearing the chattering of hundreds of prairie dogs, who popped their heads out of their holes long enough to check me out.

Although I noticed prairie dog holes for the next couple miles, my attention was mainly on the weather, which appeared to be deteriorating rapidly. It was sunny and 65 degrees at the visitor center, and I lazed around there for close to an hour, thinking the next eight miles to Medora would be a cake walk. But then I started to see evidence of a storm, and it appeared to be heading my way–even though nothing like this had appeared on any of my weather apps.

Sure enough, about five miles east of Medora, it began to rain, and got a lot windier and much colder. As soon as I got to Medora, however, the rain subsided, and there was sunshine ahead. I looked back over my shoulder and saw this beautiful double rainbow. Yes, I had gotten a bit wet, but the rainbow was a nice tradeoff.

I’m staying at the Rough Riders Hotel in Medora, where I ordered the Bison Osso Bucco at the hotel restaurant, Theodore’s. As you can see in the photo below, the sky was completely clear as I left the restaurant. Stay tuned for more about Medora tomorrow.