Life On A B-I7

Route

• Bismark, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 10
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): NA

Notes

• NA - Not Available
• After waking with the birds, I went back to sleep until 7 AM!

My favorite time of day is first light. That’s when the birds wake up and start to chirp. They are instinctively observing Brahma Muhurta time.

The General Sibley Campground where I stayed last night is beautiful. It sits along the banks of an old course of the Missouri River. The river now runs a couple miles west of here. General Henry Hopkins Sibley served in both the US Army and the Confederate Army. General Sibley served for 28 years in the US Army and saw action in three campaigns against Native Americans. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and served as Colonel and eventually Brigadier General. He was known for innovation. He designed the Sibley tent, which was a standard used by both the Union Army, and the British Army. In his later years, he served as an advisor in Egypt, helping to build fortifications on the Nile River.

The Sibley Tent is a conical design with a central pole that telescopes down to a tripod. It’s about 12 feet in diameter and 16 feet high. It can comfortably accommodate 18 soldiers. it would make my little backpacking tent look slightly inadequate.

Speaking of tents, today is a rest day while I wait for my new tent to be delivered to the central post office here in Bismarck. I’m going to get a motel tonight so I can get cleaned up and then Monday night, after picking up my tent, I’m going to come back to the Sibley Campground for one last night. Getting from Bismarck to the campground is a pleasure. There is a 6 mile long paved bike path that goes directly to the campground entrance.

It was a glorious morning! Camping doesn’t get much better than this. The field repair on the tent is holding, but I’m anxious to get the new tent in my hands. The new tent is a two person tent designed specifically for bike packing. It will be a lot more comfortable than this one. I now know I’m too old for this sort of tent.

Today’s Song: Life is a Highway Rascal Flatts.

Itinerary / Maps