DAY 25--Goodbye Montana, Hello North Dakota!

Had a dark and drizzly morning. The route we thought we were going to follow ended up on dirt roads, so we back-tracked and rode most of the 72-mile day on the interstate instead. We had a stiff headwind and slight uphill grade all day, with rain off and on, so it was challenging and tiring. Eventually we found a frontage road that afforded us nicer views and no traffic.

We rode into North Dakota in the early afternoon! The terrain started out with low rolling farmland filled with flax and sunflowers. This gradually gave way to the Badlands--lovely multicolored layers of rocks. We had hoped to camp at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but we were told that all of the tent sites were under water, with more rain expected overnight. Instead we stayed at a motel run by the Teddy Roosevelt Foundation, in Medora, ND. The town is essentially a tourist town, with a lot of little shops and eateries, but no public library. We did find an excellent place for dinner, the Cowboy Cafe.