Day 55, July 14, Hazelton, ND to Bismarck, ND.  It was a slow start this morning.  I was not moving well after another hot night in the campground.  I packed up and headed to the a local truck stop to get some coffee and found a breakfast sandwich.  About 8am, I headed toward Bismarck and had another tail wind up Route 83.  I made great time for the first leg to the little town of Moffit.  When I turned west the road got hilly and rough.  I met several cyclists going east and conversed with them.  The route got hilly again on the way in to Bismarck but I kept a good pace.  I have been very lucky to have 3 of 4 days in North Dakota with wind.  I kind of ran out of gas as I neared Bismarck but still made 45 miles in 4 ½ hours.  On the way in I passed a place called Twin Buttes probably formed by the Missouri River eons ago.  The Fairfield Inn is  right on the route, but I got to the motel too early and had to wait for 2 hours for a room.  I went to the UPS store and got a box to ship some gear home.  I have used my stove and cooking gear 3 times.  I also brought a few too many clothes that I haven’t used and I want to get as light as possible for the mountains.  I explored downtown Bismarck and found the old Great Northern station (now a Mexican restaurant) and the Blarney Stone Tavern.  I am taking tomorrow off and sleeping in after 12 straight days of riding.  There is much to see in Bismarck.  I think this was a lot of treaty action and interaction with the Native American tribes.  Sitting Bull was here as well as Gen Custer before his Last Stand.  I may have more after tomorrow’s sightseeing.  Mileage for the day was a “short” 49.67.