Washburn, ND to Pick City, North Dakota- Day 26- 47.64 mi.

For an instant, it is 250 years ago, I am standing in a Native American earth lodge. I am in the exact center. I stand in wonder, looking around at the 18 member family that lives there and their possessions. Just as quickly, I am still standing in the exact center of the same 40 foot Native American lodge, but all that is left is the depression that marks where the lodge once stood. What a strangely wonderful sensation and a unique opportunity. This was my feeling at the Fort Clark Historic Site we visited today. Later this day, I actually did stand in a reconstructed earth lodge at the Knife River Indian Villages. As I walked into the actual earth lodge, I was struck by the coolness, and even assumed that the parks department had air conditioned it for comfort. When I asked the ranger that question, I was told that this was the actual temperature of the lodge without any air conditioning, quite remarkable since the air temperature outside today was over 100 degrees. We had left Washburn as early as possible, considering the expected high temperature in the afternoon. We biked about 20 miles to the Fort Clark Historical Site that I mentioned above and spent nearly an hour looking around there. We biked on to Stanton, had lunch at Glo’s Kitchen and then continued on to the Knife River Indian Villages. We biked on to Pick City with a great tailwind, but searing heat. The second half of the ride was definitely the hilly half but we made it in pretty good time considering the sightseeing we had done today. After a fix at the local ice cream shop, we biked to our campground at Sakakawea State Park, pretty much worn out.

Seventh Grade Question: Name one Native American tribe that built and occupied the earth lodge we saw.

-ClarkWheel