Day 92 - ending at Bowbells, ND - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

August 14, 2023

Day 92 - ending at Bowbells, ND

Day 92 - Powers Lake, ND to Bowbells, ND

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Sleeping with the heater in the tent last night was wonderful. I was up at 6:04am, but left the heater on until the sun's warmth arrived. Posted yesterday's report, then packed up. I drank the can of Coke I'd been given last night, then left at 10:04am. The Food Barn was close and that was my next stop.

Today's destination is the town park in Bowbells, North Dakota. I don't know how this town got its name, but it seems to me their town symbol should be bells tied together with a bow.

There's a short bike path in Powers Lake, and I used it to get to ND-50. I followed the GPT routing today and the first section was on this highway. The wind was from the west and I was going east, so that part was good. The paved shoulder on this section of ND-50 is too narrow to ride on, so I was riding on the highway, pulling off as necessary.

Noon arrived and I certainly hadn't gotten very far. Only 3.7 miles.

At 12:39pm, I left the highway for a ride on the seven mile "Auto Tour" of Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge. The gravel in this road is good for bicycling, though there are a few hills steep enough that I had to walk. This road goes past and around what's known as pothole lakes. I saw lots of birds, butterflies, and grasshoppers as I went along. At one spot there were trees providing shade on the road, which made a good spot for a break.

There's a lookout tower built in 1936 by the WPA beside the road, up on a hill. I arrived there at 2:48pm, and walked up the stairs 50 feet to the viewing platform. I could certainly see the views farther there. It was a downhill ride from there to the Visitor Center. I signed their log book, picked up a few brochures, then followed the road to the nearby highway, ND-8. Going north on ND-8 would get me to Bowbells. I got started on this highway riding at 3:31pm. There were a few hills to begin with and then the highway flattened out - as flat as an Illinois road. I was making very good time now. At 4:00pm I passed a 'Bowbells Welcomes You' sign. Bowbells was still 12 miles away!

I actually arrived in Bowbells at 5:12pm. I rode through town and passed the park where camping is supposed to be. The park has pavilions, a playground, a swimming pool, but I didn't see any spots for camping. I decided I needed to talk to someone in town. Google Maps listed one restaurant open in town, so I went looking for it. It was on the edge of town and when I finally found it, there were no cars there. The gas station/convenience store in town - Farmers Union Oil Company - closes at 6:00pm, and it was now 5:30pm. So I quickly rode back there. I asked the deli worker about camping in town. She said it was in the park and told me exactly where. With that settled I ordered supper. I was trying to decide between a crispy chicken sandwich or a grilled chicken sandwich. She said I could have both of them because she was going to throw them away in 15 minutes, due to date expiration. I couldn't hold two sandwiches so just took the crispy chicken one. I grabbed a few other items then ate quickly before they closed. At 5:55pm, I took my cookie and Butterfinger bar to the picnic table outside to finish eating there.

I went back to the park and did find the campground, right where the deli worker had said it was. There are electrical boxes, but none of them work. Looks like they're in the process of being rewired. I got the tent set up, then rolled the bike over to a pavilion in the park to charge its accessories battery. I also sat down there and charged this phone as I worked on pictures selection. It seems to be the same about this time every evening, I can hardly stay awake. I laid down on the picnic table bench for a short while, then was good to go.

This camping area is actually quite nice even without electricity. The bathrooms look almost brand new. I put $10 in their donation box for tonight's stay. I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep tonight, because I have a few more miles planned for tomorrow than I've done in a while. Tonight's low is predicted to be 59F. I consider that just about perfect.

It's a good thing I didn't try to go to bed before 10:00pm. Their 10:00pm siren just went off. It is loud! I noticed they have a siren at 6:00pm also. It'll be interesting to see what time the siren goes off in the morning.

Jeff

Spent: $21.94 plus $5 (breakfast) + $12.95 (supper items) + $10 (camping donation) = $49.89