381: NoDak Northern Tier Adventure Preview

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

I’m going to North Dakota and I am unreasonably excited about it! For years I have been stuck at 48 states visited (and for real, not just airport states) BUT the final two were ND and Alaska, and no disrespect to North Dakota but Alaska needs to be my 50th. But the opportunity to get there was shattered ten years ago when my original ride on the Northern Tier route was scuttled by a heat wave I wasn’t interested in riding through. But now… I’m doing it. With a bike. And buffaloes.

The Adventure

Heavily car aided. Very heavily. Like, mostly.

Starting and ending in MSP (there for a work thing)

All camping

Brompton riding daily

Crossing the state TWICE

Urban camping in Fargo!

Theodore Roosevelt NP! Buffalo! Camping! Riding!

Finally getting wheels down on the Northern Tier bicycle route!

Rest stop car camping in the very friendly sleep-in rest stops of ND!

Did I mention the 49th state visit?

Itinerary

Day 1

Car rental

Camping in Fargo and Lindenwood Campground

Biking into town for dinner and all the Fargo nightlife I can handle

Day 2

Pre dawn departure

Gain an hour driving across the state into MT

Camping at TR NP at Cottonwood Campground

Buffalo herds nearby and sometimes they saunter into camp?

Day 3

Half day at TR NP to cycle a bit

Drive back across the state

Lose an hour coming back into CT

Rest area about halfway to MSP

Day 4

Pre dawn departure

Get back to MSP and fly home

Gear

Rental car

Brompton

Camping gear that fits in a checked suitcase - going with basics and adding "luxuries" if I can since this is car camping

Stove a must - likely buying fuel in MN or ND

Weather

Not as cold as you’d think for fall

Hoping for dry, preparing for not

How much biking?

It really depends. The idea here is to get a sample, not make miles.

Seeing TR NP at the speed of bike

Experiencing Fargo and its… bike infrastructure?