I’m going to North Dakota and I am unreasonably excited about it! For years I have been stuck at 48 states visited (and for real, not just airport states) BUT the final two were ND and Alaska, and no disrespect to North Dakota but Alaska needs to be my 50th. But the opportunity to get there was shattered ten years ago when my original ride on the Northern Tier route was scuttled by a heat wave I wasn’t interested in riding through. But now… I’m doing it. With a bike. And buffaloes.
The Adventure
Heavily car aided. Very heavily. Like, mostly.
Starting and ending in MSP (there for a work thing)
All camping
Brompton riding daily
Crossing the state TWICE
Urban camping in Fargo!
Theodore Roosevelt NP! Buffalo! Camping! Riding!
Finally getting wheels down on the Northern Tier bicycle route!
Rest stop car camping in the very friendly sleep-in rest stops of ND!
Did I mention the 49th state visit?
Itinerary
Day 1
Car rental
Camping in Fargo and Lindenwood Campground
Biking into town for dinner and all the Fargo nightlife I can handle
Day 2
Pre dawn departure
Gain an hour driving across the state into MT
Camping at TR NP at Cottonwood Campground
Buffalo herds nearby and sometimes they saunter into camp?
Day 3
Half day at TR NP to cycle a bit
Drive back across the state
Lose an hour coming back into CT
Rest area about halfway to MSP
Day 4
Pre dawn departure
Get back to MSP and fly home
Gear
Rental car
Brompton
Camping gear that fits in a checked suitcase - going with basics and adding "luxuries" if I can since this is car camping
Stove a must - likely buying fuel in MN or ND
Weather
Not as cold as you’d think for fall
Hoping for dry, preparing for not
How much biking?
It really depends. The idea here is to get a sample, not make miles.
Seeing TR NP at the speed of bike
Experiencing Fargo and its… bike infrastructure?
