Day 21: Beach to Richardton, N.D.

Today’s route took us through some rolling hills, beautiful scenery, and a series of small towns in western North Dakota. We kicked off with a large breakfast at the diner in Beach before we headed east. Our route today mostly followed the 94 corridor again, though we had just a brief stretch on the actual interstate. Aside from that stretch, we were on Highway 10, which is a very quiet county highway that we’ll follow most of the way to Bismarck, another 80 miles east of here.

Ever since we left Circle, it seems as though we’ve been spotting more touring cyclists heading the opposite direction. Since we’re following the official Adventure Cycling route religiously, it’s no surprise to see other cyclists. But, we couldn’t figure out why we were seeing so many fewer when we were up on the hi-line in Montana. This morning, we saw a younger man approaching us, with two older folks shortly behind. He was coming from Boston, headed for Seattle. We asked if he was with the other two, and he turned and saw them apparently for the first time, even though they were less than 1km behind him, and had also started in Boston. We all met in the road and talked about what was to come. We had a lot of climbing to come, and our overall elevation today was close to some of our days in the mountains. After we reached Medora, we were riding adjacent the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We stopped at a scenic vista to see sweeping views of the Badlands there, the “Painted Canyons” as they were described.

After getting off of 94, we continued on rolling hills through fields, and through the small city of Dickinson. We had thought about staying in Dickinson, but decided to push on to Richardton. I had read in other tourist’s blogs about a Benedictine abbey that hosts touring cyclists. This morning, I called them and was put in touch with one of the monks here, Odo, who told us we were welcome to stay. When we arrived this afternoon, he showed us to a room in the basement. At dinner time, he came to bring us up to the dining hall, where we ate with the monks (fish, it being Friday). After dinner, he took us into the beautiful church they have here and showed us all of the features. They have an electric organ and I asked if one of the monks is also their organist and he said, “yes, one of them is,” then proceeded to play us a short hymn on the organ. He said he has been a monk here for 60 years, and the organist at the church for 68, as he grew up in Richardton before joining the Benedictines.

The Abbey has a beautiful view off the back of the hill, which you can see in the photos below. We’ll get to see it again at our silent breakfast in the morning before we head east to Bismarck, where we’ll stay tomorrow night.

By the numbers:
Miles traveled: 88
Total climbing: 2840 ft.
Monasteries passed: 2
Glasses of iced tea consumed: 5
Westbound cyclists spotted: 3
Eastbound cyclists passed: 1
Types of fried fish for dinner: 2

 Photo of the church at Assumption Abbey. This is also the parish for Richardton.

 Rolling hills this morning out of Beach.

 View from behind the Abbey.

 Bear sculpture at breakfast. There could be a lot more bear photos on this trip. We are using discretion.

 Painted Canyons in TR NP.

 Arriving at the Abbey.

 View of the canyons from 94.

Odo showing us around the church. 

 This was the sign we assumed was for the Abbey. It was actually for another monastery just outside of Richardton.

 At the TR NP entrance in Medora.

Climbing on 94 alongside the NP on one side and National Grasslands on the other.