Day 5 of our Dakotas trip began after a quick coffee stop with us heading to Medora, ND. There we arrived at Dakota Cyclery to pick up our bikes I had arranged for us with Jen, the owner of the shop. Such a pleasant experience, Jen made sure we had everything we would need including detailed instructions of a great riding area and how best to get there. She had us test our fit via the alley and made adjustments as needed. Highly recommend Dakota Cyclery!!

We made a quick pass through the small town to acclimate ourselves with our bikes then headed out toward our destination. Riding out of town had us using a greenway path, but soon we were on Interstate 94 for a quick 3-4 minutes from onramp of one exit to offramp of another. Although not legal in many parts of the US it is legal in ND if there are no connecting roads available, and in this case there wasn’t. It was a short segment and weren’t many vehicles to pass us, but was still weird.

Once on the directed road the quietness and beauty of the surrounding area along with spinning tires was all we heard and could see. Simply beautiful to be riding on a smooth road with canyons on both sides of the valley and clear blue sky. The three of us chatted, told stories, and laughed as we pedaled along. On our way back we got an extra treat we had hoped for, a long freight train on the tracks running along the road, and the conductor even honked the air horn for us. Was great!!

Once back in town, we found a small coffee shop to have a refreshing beverage and have lunch before heading for a drive to the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We drove through the park to see the scenic views and wildlife before heading out on a hike that had us climbing from the bottom of the canyon to the top, then along the rim before descending back down. The views were amazing, even spotted a herd of bison on the valley below. The scare of the hike though was near the beginning as we heard the distinct sound of a rattlesnake as we crossed a small bridge. Needless to say, after the initial shock, we moved along quickly.

As we left the park, we were greeted to another up-close view of a bison herd, eating grass on both sides of the road and even some stopping on the road to gawk at vehicles and the people inside.

Day 6 of our trip took us to Medora again, this time to the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park is divided into three segments: north unit, south unit, and ranch. Each part is unique and different, and was very evident as there was more wildlife and different views in the south unit. Such large and vast prairie dog towns, large herds of bison, and even wild horses roamed in this part of the park.

We climbed to the highest peak of the park and had a few laughs while enjoying the view. As we left the TRNP, we stopped at the quaint Medora again for lunch and a refreshing beverage before setting out back to South Dakota. We stopped along the way, however, for a climb up White Butte. The sky was cloudy and a bit hazy, but we could still see for miles in all directions from the peak. From this vantage point, you could get a better sense of just how flat ND is, and although on 337’ of elevation gain, it’s the state’s highest point.

From here was the three-hour drive back to Rapid City, but along the way we had to do a u-turn to get a couple pics of the dummy in the police car… Seems the “city” of Amidon, ND in Slope County placed a patrol car on the side of the road with a well dressed dummy to discourage speeding, very creative.

Ready to start another day.

Full album of pictures: https://photos.destinationsawait.com/The-Rough-Rider