From Dickinson, ND to Glendive, MT 
From Dickinson, ND to Glendive, MT
Ending Mileage: 
Day of Travel
Departing From
Destination
Distance (in miles)
Distance (in kilometers)
Departure Time
Arrival Time
Total Travel Time
Average Speed (in mph)
Average Speed (in kph)
I spent the night with two new friends Ken and Jim that I have met as a result of this trip. Ken has to work but Jim has the day off. The rain doesn't let up this morning. Outside the ground is wet, wet, wet. The Weather Channel is pretty clear that the rain will continue for another two or three days. My plans to head south through the Dakota Badlands is going to have to be abandoned. Weather in Montana should improve tomorrow. The choice is clear: head west to get out from underneath this weather pattern.
Jim is very clear that I am welcome to stay until the weather lets up. I gear up, pack the bike and head off in a moderate rain shower.
Making my way out to Interstate 94 is a wet affair. There is a lot of standing water. Internally I make a deal: 100 miles is my minimum acceptable travel distance for the day (that will get me to Montana) and if the weather improves I want to shoot for Billings.
On the interstate, the rain increases. It is really wet and only 52 degrees when I went through Dickinson. It is really cold and wet. I drive a little faster than I might like in part to minimize the number of semi trucks that pass me. These trucks throw up a tremendous amount of water and mist. You are showered by their passing not to mention temporarily blinded. Anytime I am passed, I back off on the throttle and sometimes even brake to make their passing happen as quickly as possible.
I pull off at Beach, ND for a sandwich and to warm-up. Sitting next to me is a farmer. He tells me that despite all the rain the fast few days the crops in the ground are essentially lost. The rain is too late. The crop yield will be so low that it will be uneconomical to harvest. In recent years, the profitability of his land has declined to the point that he has invested in harvesting equipment and now makes most of his money by leasing the equipment out to other farmers. The equipment follows the crop harvests from Oklahoma to Alberta each year. The thing he says that is really memorable that in a $4.00 box of cereal, perhaps four cents goes back to the farm. As consumers, we could probably double the amount the famers get and not notice it in our pockets at all. The problem is the imbalance between farmers with a low degree of organization and the food processors / manufacturers that are highly centralized and organized. Another example of capitalism in operations -- perhaps not in our long term best interest. But then capitalism doesn't really address the future to any great degree.
Back on the road headed west, the rain is worse than before. In the summer of 1969, I spent a month with my best friend Tim and his family. Tim's Dad was a schoolteacher and they would spend the summer in Minnesota at their lake house. The travel from San Diego to Minnesota took about two weeks and was a time for camping. The trip back to San Diego that year took us through the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We camped there. I pull of at Medora for gas. This is the entrance for the park. Through the driving rain, I get a hint of the beauty of this region. I am really sad that I won't get to spend the day in this area renewing memories of that great summer.
There are big puddles in the roadway even on the interstate. When I splash through one, I manage to get water into my boots. My gloves are no match for the downpour and gradually begin to absorb water into the insulation. My hands and feet are cold. The falling rain stings as it hits my face. I'm miserable this is by far the worse riding day of the trip.
I cross the border in Montana with my goal now being set as the town of Glendive, MT. About five miles out of Glendive, the rain lets up and I can see a hint of blue sky. If I wasn't soaked, I would continue down the highway. But I am just too cold and too beat up by the ride today. I take shelter in a Days Inn Motel for the evening.
Keep reading: Whats up in eastern Montana?
Depart Dickinson on Interstate 94 heading west.
Arrive Glendive, MT
(c) 2001 Thomas N. Engler Revision Date: 06/20/2001
