Author Archives: scottluria

Belle Fourche to Carstens Cottages, South Dakota. Tuesday, August 3, 2021 How great that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical is coming to the silver screen. I found myself in my own heights today, the Black Hills. My hoped-for distant view of them rising from the plains never materialized, it was too hazy or smoky. Their hulkContinue reading “In the Heights”

Buffalo to Belle Fourche, South Dakota Monday, August 2, 2021 I stayed at the Tipperary Motel last night and was on the road before 6 AM. At White Butte I had noticed my first sagebrush, a real sign I was in the West. I picked off a leaf and crushed it, just love that smell.Continue reading “It’s a long way from Tipperary”

Bowman, North Dakota to Buffalo, South Dakota Sunday, August 1, 2021 This entry is going to be short, I need to get to bed early, tomorrow is a huge day. Today was just 47 miles due south, recrossing back into South Dakota, en route to the Black Hills. I was just as happy to sayContinue reading “Before we came”

Amidon to Bowman, North Dakota Saturday, July 31, 2021 OK, today I climbed the highpoint of North Dakota, my eighth highpoint on this trip, exactly 12 weeks after the first one, Campbell Hill in Ohio. On that day, I promised to explain why I was so fixated on highpoints. As today’s is the last newContinue reading “This whole highpoint deal”

Dickinson to Amidon, North Dakota Friday, July 30,2021 My good buddy Frank sent a link to a great webcomic called xkcd (worth checking out if you’ve never seen it) when he saw where I was headed next. It’s a map of the many US towns named after more famous places. Yup, it’s true, today’s rideContinue reading “Sweet New England”

Glen Ullin to Dickinson, North Dakota Thursday, July 29, 2021 This will be my final day on the Adventure Cycling Lewis and Clark Trail, and it gave me a sweet sendoff. Bittersweet, I guess, since I will not be following their routes again for some time. I woke up early, saw I had a favorableContinue reading “Hidden gems”

Bismarck to Glen Ullin, North Dakota Wednesday, July 28, 2021 OK, let’s see if we can get this party restarted. I’ve licked my wounds long enough. Got out by 6:30, threaded the streets of Bismarck, and crossed the Missouri for the last time; now I am really entering the West. Blessedly, things were easier today.Continue reading “Once more unto the breach”

Bismarck, North Dakota Monday-Tuesday, July 26-27, 2021 Yesterday marked exactly 100 days on this ride. Presidents are often evaluated on how they did in their first hundred days, and I did some evaluating too. 4461 miles, so averaging 44.6 miles per day, even including all of the zero days and other diversions. Some challenging moments,Continue reading “The first 100 days”

Stateline Resort to Bismarck, North Dakota Sunday, July 25, 2021 I have a little sleep monitor on my Apple Watch, which measures my hours of total and deep sleep. Curiously, I had my deepest sleep last night, in a hot tent with a cooling breeze. Something about air-conditioned rooms interferes with restful sleeping for me.Continue reading “Sink the Bismarck? Bismarck almost sank me!”

Mobridge, South Dakota to Stateline Resort, North Dakota. Saturday, July 24, 2021 Again, the residual of the storms meant that I didn’t get going until after eight. That’s too late when there’s this much heat and sun. The hilliest part was in the beginning when it was relatively cool, but by the time I hitContinue reading “So North Dakota”