DAY 5 HIGHWAY 83

Left the hotel this morning headed north on Highway 83. Five hundred miles later stopped for the night in Bismark ND on highway 83.

There was actually a lot more to the day. We skirted bad weather watching several storms all around us, while crossing Nebraska, South Dakota and into North Dakota.Highway 83 follows the land up and down along the rolling hills of the prairie past grasslands, farms, cattle ranches and small towns. Stopped for lunch in a little dinner and I was listening to the owner talk to a table full of farmers about what kind of alfalfa they were planting this year. At one point we rode by real Nebraska cowboys on horseback rounding up cattle.

On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha
You can listen to the engine moanin' out it's one note song
You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do
When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing there to do
And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through

Bob Seger

The road just went on and on shirt sleeve weather with grasslands as far as the eye could see, the ride interrupted a few times by very short stints on the interstate. Other than the interstate you could count the bikes we saw with two fingers. I understand sometimes there is a need to hurry down the road to get to a destination but they are missing so much of what makes this country so incredible. A slower pace and our stops at small markets frequented by locals always leads to great conversation with both sides learning about the other.

My favorite way to ride when time allows is always the backstreets of the country.