On this particular day I had a tentative interview scheduled with my friend, Chris, the pesky reporter, and in no small way this commitment loomed over my day's ride. I hadn't noticed it but up until now the only thing I had to do each day was find a motel, and usually that could be put off till the very end of the day. A day without a schedule, frees one to think about all sorts of other things. I called Chris from the first phone I encountered, and I was to call him again when I had a better idea when I would be arriving. As it turns out, there was not another phone opportunity until I arrived in Bismarck.
The day's ride was somewhat unremarkable. The weather was mostly cloudy, meaning the landscape was not brightly lit, the wind was strong from the northwest, which meant a quartering tailwind for the first half of the day, but then a headwind for the second half. A strong wind also covers all other sounds along the road, and has the effect of isolating you further from your surroundings. It also masks the sound of approaching cars, so it is easy to get surprised.
Another frustration was that what I really wanted to do was keep heading east, but there is this huge river called the Missouri, which must be crossed at Bismarck.
And so I slogged on to Bismarck, in a somewhat grumpy state of mind. Getting a motel room was not even very simple. Usually there are only two or three choices and you can see them all from one spot in the center of town. A small city like this has dozens of possibilities which are spread all over the place. After searching and discarding what I found, I eventually found a good one in a central location. I quickly connected with my interviewer, and he must have somehow understood how hungry I was, because I very soon found a huge plate of Chinese food before me and instantly all was well with the world. He interviewed me while I was in a feeding frenzy, and by the time all my food was gone, his deadline was past, and so I would make my debut on Tuesday, rather than Monday.
During dinner I decided that there was enough to see and do, to warrant a layover day, and as it turned out there were a number of errands that needed attention. This was the best spontaneous decision I had made in weeks.
Not on the road tomorrow,
Dennis
P.S. Babcock and Turner reached Mandan (on the west bank of the Missouri River) late and were forced to sneak into Bismarck, as described in a letter dated July 15, 1896 at Banner House, Bismarck, N.D. :
Dear Chas-
Reached Mandan last evening for supper but could not cross the Missouri until after the watchman had left the railroad bridge. When we got across it was too late to go into the P.O., but this morning I got a stack of mail and must spend all the forenoon answering and getting off the P.I. letter. In regard to the P.I., I have seen only the first letter and don't know as any other was published--I have sent three all told. Our meters show 83 miles for yesterday. We lay off this AM all the more willingly since it rained last night and the roads will not be dry before afternoon.
...
Will