After last night’s dinner (I had the Fatty Burger), I slept like a rock. Except for waking up with a cramp in my swollen left calf that nearly sent me through the ceiling of my tent. Dang that hurt.

Nine hours of semi-restful sleep later I awoke to bid farewell to Peter and Gregg as they headed east. An hour later I was heading west after a healthy breakfast of two pop tarts. I had 45 miles to go until the next store in Bismarck so what could go wrong.

I munched on Gardettos snack mix from time to time as I negotiated the curving rolling hills.

More and more crops are giving way to cattle ranches. I looked forward to Twin Buttes that was indicated on my map. They weren’t twins (one was bald, the other covered in vegetation). And there was McMansion in between them. Location, location, location.

The picture makes it look like Uluru but it’s not a tenth they size.

My destination for the morning was the trauma center at Sanford Hospital in Bismarck. Before going in I stopped at a sub sandwich shop for second breakfast. I was handed a scratch off card and won a second sandwich.

I walked into the ER and there was no line. After getting a room a nurse told me that the place filled just after I came in.

I was given a Doppler ultrasound on both legs. The doctor poked and squeezed my calf trying to find some area of sensitivity. Nothing. The ultrasound showed no DVT. The doctor told me to wear a compression sleeve on my calf and sent me on my way.

After buying the sleeve at a nearby sporting goods store, I decided to press on to New Salem for the sole reason that it was only 23 miles away. A nurse said the area was part of the Badlands but I looked it up. This area is topographically similar but much too green. One massive cattle ranch after the next.

To get there I crossed the Missouri River. Woot!

The ride featured significant climbing but I kept at it and arrived in New Salem at 6:30.

Once in my tent I realized that I intended to ride only as far as Mandan which is across the river from Bismarck.

When I left camp this morning I expected to lose a day to my schedule. Instead I gained about a third of a day.

Miles today: 81.5

Total miles: 2,245.5

Posted on June 20, 2018 by rootchopperPosted in Any Road to the Pacific Northwest