In 2008 Steve and I went to North Dakota to ride CANDISC. This is one of my favorite acronyms, which most rides have, and stands for Cycling Around North Dakota in Sacajawea Country. I’ve always had an affinity for the Native American people and culture so it was special to be riding in a part of the country where so much of their history had taken place. Also, while I had seen the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, I’d never seen the Badlands of North Dakota.
The night before the ride was to start, after a nice meal put on by the organizers, we pitched our tents and settled in for a good night’s sleep, as we had to be up, packed, and on our way early in the morning. A good night’s sleep was not to be had as a thunderstorm moved in bringing with it heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds. Fortunately, the morning dawned clear and sunny and we were able to get our gear, wet tents and all, packed and to the luggage truck in time for a quick breakfast and an on time start.
We have always managed, being friendly and outgoing (dare I say gregarious?), to meet other riders with whom we make friends and with whom we end up spending the week riding, having dinner, seeing the sights, and in general just having a nice time. I am still in touch with several of them. This ride was no different.
While standing in line for dinner (the local residents had spent the weekend fishing and had caught enough walleyes to feed the group of cyclists passing through town—they were delicious) the night of the first ride we met a very nice lady named Connie with whom we struck up a pleasant conversation. We discussed the previous night’s thunderstorm and she told us she had been so worried that she had slept with her bicycle helmet on. We all had a good laugh and, as Connie was riding the ride alone, we invited her to ride with us. She accepted our invitation and we had a very nice week in her company. We actually met Connie and her husband, Darren, in Colorado while on our TransAm bike ride in 2010 and they had us in for a very nice dinner. In fact, my girlfriend, Lee, and I met Connie and Darren for dinner on a trip to Colorado to see my kids and grandkids this September, so our friendship has lasted over 10 years now.
But I digress. CANDISC did not go across state but instead covered 380 miles of the western part of the state, going through Garrison (and Ft. Stevenson State Park), Hazen, Beulah, Killdeer, Medora, Belfield, Hebron, and back to Garrison (I’m not sure on the order). At Medora we entered Theodore Roosevelt National Park and rode through the beautiful Badlands, which truly are spectacular.
The Badlands were the highlight of the ride but we also rode through a lot of beautiful prairie and farmland. One day we rode past acres of blooming sunflowers (see photo below).
It was another great ride and another great friendship made.