Phew! Today was a better day than yesterday. I made up my missed miles from yesterday, clocking in with 88.5 miles, which is today's 75-ish miles plus the 13 more I still had planned for yesterday when I threw in the towel. I didn't quite make it to Bismarck; I think I'm about 6 miles short of getting to the western edge of the city. But that's okay.

I also met another cross-country cyclist today. Tim Reinoehl is westbound from Bar Harbor, Maine. Today was day 29 for him, so he's cruising along nicely. Since he lives in Oregon, he's going to deviate from the standard Northern Tier route through Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. We chatted roadside for 10 or 15 minutes today, comparing notes on our journeys. Tim had a super-positive outlook and he was very easy to chat with. We traded contact info and we're now following each other on Strava.

I didn't take very many pictures today, but I still have a few to share with you.

Through much of North Dakota, I've been on Old Highway 10, which parallels I-94. I concur that it has been very scenic and I've enjoyed the route. It's been a lot of rolling hills of agriculture lands, but also some badlands and bluffs.

A few miles east of Dickinson was the Red Trail Energy ethanol plant. With all the corn grown in this area, I wasn't too surprised to see an ethanol plant.

This roadside historic marker was a bit weathered and a little hard to read (especially the first third):

"The Yellowstone Expedition 1876, organized to quell the hostile Sioux, marched from Fort Abraham Lincoln May 17, 1876 and camped 3 miles southwest of Hebron on May 22, 1876. Custer's route intersects this highway a short distance east of this marker, continues west, entering Montana near Beach, North Dakota. The trail extends to the banks of the Little Big Horn River where Custer & a portion of the 7th Cavalry were annihilated by hostile Indians on June 25, 1876."

I was routed onto I-94 for quite a few miles today. One rather lengthy stretch had rumble strips that were a challenge for cyclists; they nearly spanned the full width of the shoulder. The only rideable option was the foot to foot-and-a-half on the right edge. With weeds growing over the edge of the shoulder, I didn't have a lot of room. I had to really focus, which was mentally tiring.

For a mental break from the rumble strips, I pulled off the interstate into a rest area. Since all my liquids were warm, I was really hoping to get a cold soda. Denied! All three machines were Out of Order. Coincidentally, Lailla was on the interstate just a couple miles behind me (which I didn't know); I came out of the rest area building to see her standing beside my bike. She had a cold Coca-Cola in the cooler. Hooray! Lailla to the rescue (again).