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North Dakota route 83.
I want to ride from Minot ND to Garrison ND (AMTRAK to the start of CANDISC).
Route 83 is the direct route. Does anyone know if it is safe to ride? If not are the county roads paved in ND? |
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#2
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North Dakota route 83.
In article ,
Ed Culp wrote: I want to ride from Minot ND to Garrison ND (AMTRAK to the start of CANDISC). Route 83 is the direct route. Does anyone know if it is safe to ride? I don't recall any problems when I rode a month ago (except winds). The Amtrak station in Minot is in the low part of town so your trip will begin with a nice climb through town. From memory: there is a Cenex gas station in Max; but I think that's the only place to stop for food or water between the outskirts of Minot and Garrison, so provision yourself accordingly. When I looked at maps of the Dakotas, I noticed plenty of towns and did not expect to feel isolated. What I didn't know is that (a) the maps were showing every single community in the states, and (b) most of those places were very small. North Dakota has only four cities with more than 25 000 people; South Dakota has only two, and the capital city is not one of them (Pier 14 000 people). A town whose population is in the double digits is not likely to support even a gas station. So I quickly got in the habit of buying food and drink whenever they appeared, and came to prefer the larger roads just because they passed through more towns. If not are the county roads paved in ND? Short stretches are paved but piecing together a route can be a challenge. You can get the county road maps showing the road surfaces in detail: http://www.dot.nd.gov/road-map/county-base/index.html (The Divide County map includes a key to symbols used. Note that they have many ways to say "unpaved road" :-) . While I'm at it I'll give the URLs for the corresponding service in other states of the upper midwest: SD: http://www.sddot.com/pe/data/map_county_pdf.asp MN: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/tda/html/counties.html WI: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/...countymaps.htm NE: http://www.nebraskatransportation.or...countymaps.htm IA: http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdfview/counties.html Some of the states provide maps specially for bicyclists, incorporating things like the heaviness of traffic flow; see e.g. iowabikes.com , www.dot.state.mn.us/sti/map.html , etc. dave |
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North Dakota route 83.
"Ed Culp" wrote in message ... I want to ride from Minot ND to Garrison ND (AMTRAK to the start of CANDISC). Route 83 is the direct route. Does anyone know if it is safe to ride? If not are the county roads paved in ND? Ed: I would venture a guess that it would be good riding conditions for you. About 50-55 miles total. 39 or so on Hwy83. To be certain give Val's Cyclery in Minot a call. 701-839-4817. Nice people, nice shop. May even get a gear lift or whatever you might need. Hope you have a great time!! Mike |
#4
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North Dakota route 83.
Ed Culp wrote: I want to ride from Minot ND to Garrison ND (AMTRAK to the start of CANDISC). Route 83 is the direct route. Does anyone know if it is safe to ride? If not are the county roads paved in ND? I took a CAR trip down the entire lenth of US-83 from the Canadian Border to the Mexican border. US-83 is one of the last of the blue-highways that has not been replace with an Interstate highway; there is not even one close. Road-Trip-USA has an online version of their guidebook section for this road. It is one of the best online road guides I have come across. I had a copy of it on my trip and the further I went the more respect I had for the guide. Check out the following site: http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/roadtonowhere/roadtonowhere.html On my trip I took the side trip out to Garrison which is a small community that is on Lake Sakakawea (correct spelling). Nice little community. Be sure too bring a fishing pole as they claim the Walleye fishing is great. There is also nice state park on the lake there that could be good for camping. US-83 is a two lane road almost all the way across the country (except in some towns). One exceptions is south of Minot, where it is a four lane divided highway for a fair distance. As you could guess, wind could be a problem for you in the Dakota's. My overall impression was that US-83 traces the western edge of the agricultural region of the US. If you have the patience you can learn a lot about what makes the US work on a trip down this road. Denis K |
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