Day 32-Bismarck,ND to Washburn,ND (46/1,423 miles)

My grandfather used to have a plaque at his cabin that read something to the effect that, "Indian men went hunting and fishing while Indian women did all of the work. White men thought they could improve upon that system! "

Mandan men did some fishing but their big thing was hunting. Along with their domestic chores, Mandan women did the hard work associated with farming and with cleaning and preparing the hides and meats of the buffalo and other game that the braves would take down.  Mandan men could have multiple wives and polygamy was the norm.

Most of the Mandan earth lodges that Lewis and Clark encountered in the upper Missouri River Valley had been abandoned.  The Mandan population was decimated by a smallpox epidemic three decades earlier and the surviving Mandans migrated north along the River.  (My guess is that they went north to distance themselves from their enemies, the Teton Sioux, to the south.  It certainly was not a climate-driven decision!) By the time Lewis and Clark arrived the Mandan population was only about 1,200.  

The photographs above are from a re-creation of a large Mandan village that was located near the present day town of Mandan. Local Sioux told Lewis and Clark that the village had been abandoned for about 25 years.

Lewis and Clark finally stopped for the winter of 1804-05 at the end of October near Washburn, ND, where they hastily built a fort across the River from two Mandan and three Hidatsa  villages.  Upon their arrival, Mandan Chief Sheheke-shote (White Coyote ), whom Lewis and Clark called "Big White", famously told the Corps of Discovery, "If we eat you shall eat, if we starve, you must starve also."

Fort Mandan became a popular hangout for the Native American neighbors over the course of the bitterly cold winter that ensued.  The Native Americans shared their food generously and many of the men of the Corps of Discovery became close to Native American women.

This a replica of the fort near the site of Fort Mandan. 

Lewis and Clark employed a French for trader who had been living in one of the Hidatsa villages,Toussaint Charbonneau, to serve as a translator on the upcoming leg of their journey. 

Upon learning that she was a Shoshone, a tribe they knew they would encounter on the eastern edge of the mountains,Lewis and Clark permitted Charbonneau to bring along one of his two Indian wives, 16-year old Sacagawea.  Sacagawea gave birth to the couple's son (Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, whom Clark nicknamed Pomp) at Fort Mandan in February 1805.  Lewis later described Charbonneau as a man of no great virtues, but Sacajawea would prove herself valuable to the expedition.

The above statue of Sacajawea and Pomp is located near the North Dakota State Capitol. 

 I have decided that Fort Mandan is an appropriate spot to end the first year of my Lewis and Clark bicycle journey. I look forward to resuming and completing my journey in 2017! My wife has assured me that if she eats this winter, I shall eat also!

Day 31-ND/SD State Line to Bismarck, ND (81 / 1,277 miles)

As it winds on its southerly course through the Dakotas, the River is bounded by highway1804 on the east and highway 1806 on the west. The numeric designations, of course, are the years in which the corps of discovery passed through the Dakotas on their way to and from the Pacific ocean. Unlike other parts of the Lewis and Clark Trail there's no chance of getting lost in this area!

Traveling upstream, Lewis and Clark could usually only travel 11 to 13 miles a day in this region.  With their journey well documented by multiple journals, each little community along the River is able to pride itself on its own unique piece of Lewis and Clark history.

The town of Pollock, South Dakota, pictured above, is the site at which Lewis and Clark court martialed a private for uttering "mutinous expressions". He pled not guilty but was convicted and sentenced to 75 lashes and  "discarded" from the expedition, which meant he had to return to St. Louis on the keelboat the following spring.

My sag driver has been uttering mutinous expressions about wanting to return home on Monday!  Despite my preference to continue riding, I have decided not to "discard" her.

Lewis and Clark enjoyed considerably better relationships with the Mandan tribe they encountered in this area than with the Tetonic Sioux.  They camped near the campground we stayed at last night and according to Clark, "those Indians Stayed all night, they sung and was very merry the greater part of the night."

(Backup) Day 30-Mobridge,SD to ND (57 /1,296 miles)

South Dakota, I forgive you for all the headwinds, cold and rain. You are magnificent in ways I never could have imagined.

Big Muddy, I was wrong about you all along!

Hello, North Dakota!

Day 29-Gettysburg, SD to Mobridge, SD (52 / 1,241)

On the road I am riding through central and north central South Dakota I can normally look 360° around me and see no trace of another human being. Imagine how startled I was a few days ago to hear two loud shot gun shots that appeared to be coming from the very near the road. I stopped and looked around, but saw nothing. A couple of days later in an equally remote region I saw this sign!

I'm not sure what "road hunting" is, but I am concerned that, unlike livestock, bicyclists are not a protected species! :-)

When Lewis and Clark passed through this region they saw many large, grass-covered mounds, the interiors of which were accessible by a cave-like door.  These Arikara lodges were dwellings for up to 20 people and were constructed with cottonwood logs, willow branches and grass.  The Arikawa were farmers who grew a variety of crops, including corn, beans, squash, sunflowers and tobacco. 

These subterranean lodges provided protection from the fierce winter winds that blow across the high plains.

Bicycle touring with a support team is luxurious!  No longer am I rolling into any campground or isolated area I can find close to the trail, putting up my tent, and eating dinner - often consisting of a Clif bar, a couple of cans of sardines, and, for dessert, an apple.   No longer am I collapsing into my sleeping bag immediately after dinner to dictate my daily blog entry, and usually falling asleep in the middle of my dictation.

These days I simply pull over to the side of the road, place a call to my driver who meets me at the designated location. I am then transported to an outstanding campsite in the best campground in the area.  Sometimes we go out for dinner at a nice steakhouse. More often, my driver/cook prepares an elegant meal for me and we take a leisurely walk along the river with our dog. Finally, we sit by a bonfire before retiring to the ultra comfortable, queen-size bed in our RV.

No more hard boiled eggs for breakfast at the first gas station I come across the next morning. These days my cook/driver prepares a nutritious breakfast and drives me to the starting point for that day's ride.  On occasion, my driver/cook even delivers lunch to me on the road.

And you wonder why my mileage is down a bit this week? 

Day 28-Fort Pierre, SD to Gettysburg, SD (59/1,189)

My Buddy Big Muddy has had a stunning change of character! The upper Missouri River is pristine and gorgeous in and around Pierre.  The water is still warm and I took a refreshing  moonlight swim off the sandy beach next to our campsite near the Oahe Dam.  This is a photo of the reservoir north of the dam.

Just outside of Pierre there is a buffalo interpretive center.  Moments after this photo was taken my presence triggered a stampede of hundreds of bison thundering across the plains.  It was a magnificent replica of a scene that Lewis andClark undoubtedly witnessed many times.

Buffalo were a vital source of food, clothing and shelter for the Native Americans in this region and a source of food for the Corps of Discovery. 

I rode past many sunflower fields today.  It was fascinating to watch countless flowers in the endless fields turn to face the sun as it moved across the sky.

Day 27-Lower Brule to Fort Pierre (60/1,130 miles)

Traces of smoke from forest fires in western Montana have engulfed this region creating a haze that lingered most of the day. This kind of haziness was likely common around the time of  ExpeditionDiscovery when fires raged uncontrollably.

Lewis preyed upon the fear and respect that Plains Indians had for fires in his passive-aggressive sTrump speech In which he warned Indians that the "great father" (President Jefferson) could destroy them and their tribe in the same way that, "fire destroys and consumes the grass of the plains."

Saw a real cowboy herding cattle on his horse today. This is something I have seen before here in S.D., which prides itself on rodeo competition in much the same way that Minnesota prides itself on being the "State of Hockey". Sad to think that with evolving technology this could be the last generation for that job.

The River, which is not at all muddy in these parts, does a 180 degree turn just above the Big Bend Dam.  Clark complained that at the bend his crew had to travel 30 miles around a long peninsula that was only a mile wide.  The keelboat was too big to portage.  My hardships pale in comparison to theirs, but at least the Corps of Discovery did not have to trek up and down steep river bluffs like I did throughout my ride today.

We are camping near the mouth of the Bad River in Pierre.  This is the location of one of the most hostile confrontations Lewis and Clark had with Native Americans.  The Teton Sioux Tribe that inhabited this region at the time has a reputation among French fur traders as being very hostile in their attempts to control commerce on the River. According to a captive from another tribe they were aware of the expedition and intended to annihilate the entire expedition upon their arrival in what is now Fort Pierre.  Not surprisingly, the chiefs reacted badly to Lewis's  sTrump speech.

A very serious standoff ensued with Lewis and Clark threatening to put their heavy artllery to use. A very ugly battle in which the Indians would likely have ultimately prevailed was averted when an elderly chief, who was himself embroiled in a power struggle within the tribe, intervened on the side of peace.  

South Dakota roadkill is a little different.

Day 26 - Chamberlain, SD to Lower Brule, SD (35/1,072 miles)

Lewis &Clark had Sacajawea (who joined the expedition in North Dakota in the winter of 1804-05) and Lewis's dog Seaman along on the expedition.  For Stage 2, I have my wife Sheila and our dog Russell sagging for me in our RV.

Great first day back on the trail with temperatures reaching 97° this afternoon!  Most of the ride was through Indian Reservations along the River. we are camping tonight near the Big Bend Dam, which is where local Native Americans forced a premature end to the reenactment of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 2004. 

As I rode through the reservations today I thought about Thomas Jefferson's hope and expectation that Native Americans would be successfully integrated into larger society as settlers moved west into the newly acquired American territory.  

One of the primary objectives laid out by President Jefferson for the expedition was to befriend Indian tribes along the way.  The area in which I will be traveling tomorrow proved especially challenging in that regard.

I think Jefferson would be disappointed and saddened to see the state of affairs in regard to Native Americans in this region today.