62 miles

We decided not to take a rest day, but we got a nice early start and rode through the park a little before setting out. I am writing this now two days later which feels like a lifetime away—I haven’t had time to journal lately. I’ll do my best to sum up what I remember…

Back in the park, I saw a bison, grazing right by the roadside. It looked up when I got near—I hadn’t seen it right away. I stopped and we looked at each other for a while, which was a crazy feeling. It was roughly the size of a car. I know they can be dangerous, and either way I didn’t want to disturb it, so I just stayed put. At first, I wasn’t sure how I could continue down the road without getting closer to it. When Danielle caught up, we waited for a little while, until we were able to flag down a passing pickup truck, which let us ride alongside, with the truck as a shield. 

Beyond that, prairie dog town was mesmerizing. It’s so fun to watch animals with complex social organization, like us. We stopped at the Medora post office on our way out of town and I mailed home a few lbs of stuff. So much more room in my bags now for all the peanut butter Snickers bars I am putting away daily.

It was extremely hot. I don’t remember much else from the ride, but I do remember that. Along the way, we spotted a gas station called “Creative Energy”, which I found funny. We were on Old Highway 10 almost all day, which seems like it gets more bikes than car traffic. I suggested to the shop clerk that they consider getting a bike pump for us. She didn’t pretend to think it was a good idea, but she was nice.