At some point in the past couple of years I realized that I had ridden in all of the Lower 48 States EXCEPT North Dakota. This had to be remedied. Also, I didn't want to just touch my toe down in the state; I wanted to get the full experience. So I contacted the ND Dept of Tourism, got their maps and travel guides, and I also bought a book about tourist attractions in the state. I planned a route that brought me into the state at Fargo, went north and west to Williston, then south to Dickinson, and then further south into South Dakota. I also noticed on maps that US Route 52 goes from my neighborhood all the way to Fargo, ND, and beyond, running to the Canadian border. I planned to run 52 nearly all the way to Fargo.
I told my buds about the trip, and several guys volunteered to come along for all or part of the trip. Wes Ripley likes to visit towns named Ripley, and there is one on 52 in southern Ohio, so he signed on for the first day or so. He rode to my house the day before our July 12 departure. Dale Ueber and Bill Morgan joined me the next day when I got to Indiana. And Jeff Stewart met the three of us in Williston, ND. A real moveable feast.
Wes and I left out the 12th. I apologize that I didn't take any photos that day, possibly because that stretch of 52 is very familiar to me. I know Wes has I picture I took of him in front of the Ripley, Ohio, welcome sign, so maybe he'll post that up. US 52 runs north from NC into Virgina at Fancy Gap, then crosses the New River and continues on to Wytheville, and over two mountain ranges to get into Bluefield, West Virginia. Then it runs through the coal country part of southwest WV, in the Hatfield-McCoy trails area, and then runs up the Kentucky border to Huntington, WV. Then it crosses the Ohio River into Ohio, and it runs alongside the river all the way across the state to Cincinnati. Ripley is about 50 miles east of Cincinnati. We checked out Ripley that Tuesday afternoon, and we spent the night across the river in Mayfield, KY.
The next morning Wes left for home early, and I got an early start toward Indiana. I was supposed to meet Bill and Dale in Lebanon, IN, at 11 am. We all got there early, and right at the same time. Good omen!
We spent the night in Dixon, IL, and crossed over into Iowa the next day. North of Dubuque, we got detoured around and lost 52 , but the locals gave us a scenic way to get back to it.
Here are a couple of shots overlooking the Mississippi Valley.
On through Minnesota, we stayed in Buffalo, west of Minneapolis. The next day we rolled into Fargo.
One of the attractions at the Welcome Center was the wood chipper from the Coen Brothers' movie "Fargo", the one in which Steve Buscemi gets mulched. A real class act.
After a night in a 1 star motel of my choosing, we headed across the state to Williston. The northwest part of the state is covered with oil wells, and they were still drilling. Halliburton had a big presence in Williston. We spent the night in Williston, and Jeff met us there. The next day we went to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is mostly Badlands, but it also has Bison and prairie dogs.
Okay, I gotta take a break and mow the yard. More later.
I told my buds about the trip, and several guys volunteered to come along for all or part of the trip. Wes Ripley likes to visit towns named Ripley, and there is one on 52 in southern Ohio, so he signed on for the first day or so. He rode to my house the day before our July 12 departure. Dale Ueber and Bill Morgan joined me the next day when I got to Indiana. And Jeff Stewart met the three of us in Williston, ND. A real moveable feast.
Wes and I left out the 12th. I apologize that I didn't take any photos that day, possibly because that stretch of 52 is very familiar to me. I know Wes has I picture I took of him in front of the Ripley, Ohio, welcome sign, so maybe he'll post that up. US 52 runs north from NC into Virgina at Fancy Gap, then crosses the New River and continues on to Wytheville, and over two mountain ranges to get into Bluefield, West Virginia. Then it runs through the coal country part of southwest WV, in the Hatfield-McCoy trails area, and then runs up the Kentucky border to Huntington, WV. Then it crosses the Ohio River into Ohio, and it runs alongside the river all the way across the state to Cincinnati. Ripley is about 50 miles east of Cincinnati. We checked out Ripley that Tuesday afternoon, and we spent the night across the river in Mayfield, KY.
The next morning Wes left for home early, and I got an early start toward Indiana. I was supposed to meet Bill and Dale in Lebanon, IN, at 11 am. We all got there early, and right at the same time. Good omen!
We spent the night in Dixon, IL, and crossed over into Iowa the next day. North of Dubuque, we got detoured around and lost 52 , but the locals gave us a scenic way to get back to it.
Here are a couple of shots overlooking the Mississippi Valley.
On through Minnesota, we stayed in Buffalo, west of Minneapolis. The next day we rolled into Fargo.
One of the attractions at the Welcome Center was the wood chipper from the Coen Brothers' movie "Fargo", the one in which Steve Buscemi gets mulched. A real class act.
After a night in a 1 star motel of my choosing, we headed across the state to Williston. The northwest part of the state is covered with oil wells, and they were still drilling. Halliburton had a big presence in Williston. We spent the night in Williston, and Jeff met us there. The next day we went to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is mostly Badlands, but it also has Bison and prairie dogs.
Okay, I gotta take a break and mow the yard. More later.
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