I finished Montana and made it about 3 miles into North Dakota to the town of Beach today!


I don't know about you, but I didn't have a very favorable opinion of North Dakota. I came in to North Dakota on I-94--yes, I was riding my bike on the interstate highway...more on that in a minute--and I could tell as soon as I crossed the state line: the North Dakota road was fantastic! It's the best road I've ridden since I started this adventure. The vehicle lanes were very smooth concrete and the shoulder was very smooth asphalt. I hope the first few miles are representative of roads throughout the state. If so, I'm going to like North Dakota.

I have a confession to make: I would prefer to ride on the interstate highways in Montana versus state highways or county roads. Most of what I've ridden in Montana is state highways, with a few county roads thrown in as well. The speed limit on all paved roads seems to be 70 mph for passenger vehicles and 65 mph for semi trucks. But the state highways are all two-way traffic and the shoulder is anywhere between non-existant and about six feet wide. Meanwhile, the speed limit on the interstate highways is 80 mph for passenger vehicles and 70 mph for semi trucks. That 5 or 10 mph speed difference is negligible as far as my safety goes. But the wide shoulders and one-way traffic (with two lanes) makes a big difference to me. I feel much safer riding the interstate.

OK, on to a more fun topic: trains! I started riding this morning about 11 miles SE of Circle, Montana. About seven-and-a-half miles into the ride, I encountered the largest railcar graveyard that I've ever seen. There was a nearly continuous line of 19.9 miles of railcars. There would be short breaks every once in a while to allow a cross-road to get access to the highway or for a farmer to access his fields. But the breaks were usually only two or three railcars in length before there would be another long line of railcars.


Like the road, the line of rail cars disappears into infinity.

A short break in the line allows a local road access to the highway.

And on...

...and on...

...and on.

Another short break to allow access to the fields.

And on some more.

As you might imagine, many of the railcars had graffiti on them:

I wish I had taken graffiti pictures earlier because there were a few that were very artistic and beautiful.

I also got passed by a BNSF coal train:


So today was "trains" day. Enjoy!

Comments

  1. KimberAugust 27, 2025 at 5:03 AM

    I'm very visual. These pictures are awesome!!!!
    I cant imagine how it must feel to have those vehicles raging past you. God be with you. ❤️

    ReplyDelete

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