Day Ten – Medora ND to St. Cloud MN - Miles: 552
Another day of a decent amount of miles with not much great scenery. When we were walking the town the previous night we looked at our targeted breakfast spot and decided we could do better. We also thought we should get as early of a start as possible since we would be losing an hour as we traveled east. So, we picked a spot in Dickinson ND; The Dakota Diner. It was just ok. After breakfast we stayed off the interstate riding on old highway 10 into the town Richardton ND where we stopped at the Assumption Abbey. This massive Abbey traces its beginnings back to 1882 when Fr. Vincent Wehrle, a Swiss monk volunteered for assignment in America and ended up in the Dakota territory. A monastery was established in 1893 and construction began at that time. At first it was smaller buildings and eventually by 1910 the huge Abbey was completed. We stayed on old highway 10 as long as we could but we hit a detour on the other side of Hebron. We ran on I-94 until we exited to view the huge Dairy Cow affectionately known as Salem Sue, in where else, New Salem ND. Salem Sue is a giant fiberglass Holstein cow built in 1974 and is 38' tall and 50' long. There is small driveway leading up to the cow which sits up on a hill that provides visibility for many miles. We were alone when we arrived but one other car came up with an older couple and their daughter who were visiting after many years of being away. We were happy to act as their photographers. It was not only windy up on the hill, it was rather cold, so we kept much of our gear on as we walked around to get the best pic. We stayed off the interstate staying south of Bismarck and following the Missouri River. We made a stop at the Hazelton Boat ramp where we were once again the only ones there. It was only 11:00 so we were making good time. We rode another 120+ miles and stopped at Pheasant Lake still in ND for a brief snack and to stretch our legs. Another 100 miles and we were in SD close to the MN border and made our last stop at the Nicolette Tower. The observation tower honors Joseph N. Nicollet, the French mapmaker who explored the Coteau Des Prairies in the 1830's. The 80' tower was finished in 1991 and on a clear three states are visible. Believe it or not we climbed to the top and took in the view. We got to the hotel and walked to dinner at Pantown Brewing where we had their pizza. Like the day before the riding was good but nothing epic. We had never been in St. Cloud before and while we didn't see much the Brewery was good and what else is needed?
