The Passenger Princess Wanted to Go Shopping. So We Rode 185 Miles

The route we took from Williston to Tioga and back for a day of riding and shopping

The Passenger Princess loves boutiques.

And honestly, I get it.

Boutiques usually have something the big box stores don't: something different. You're not walking into the same handful of stores everyone else shops at and seeing the exact same clothes everywhere.

That matters when you live in a smaller community like ours.

We're sitting at roughly 30,000 people, which means our shopping options aren't exactly endless. We have a handful of stores, and when everybody is shopping at the same handful of stores, it doesn't take long before you start seeing the same clothes everywhere. And the Passenger Princess has no interest in showing up somewhere wearing the exact same thing as three other women.

Fair enough.

A few years ago, we found out about a little boutique in Tioga, North Dakota, called Farmer's Daughter. We made the trip over, she found some things she loved, and it quickly became one of those places she remembered.

Recently she said to me: “We really need to get back to Farmer's Daughter.”

Well... Today we had time.

And the weather is still cooperating. That combination doesn't happen forever around here.

We're getting late enough into the riding season that every decent riding day starts to feel like borrowed time. Eventually North Dakota is going to do what North Dakota does, the temperatures are going to drop, the snow is going to fly, and the motorcycle is going to spend a whole lot more time sitting in the garage than I care to think about.

So we had a choice.

We could make a trip to Tioga so the Passenger Princess could do some shopping.

Or...

We could ride the motorcycle to Tioga so the Passenger Princess could do some shopping.

Kill two birds with one stone.

She gets her boutique trip. We get a motorcycle ride in. Everybody wins.

So we pulled the Road Glide out, got geared up, and decided there was no reason we couldn't turn a shopping trip into a damn good day.

What started as a trip to a little boutique in Tioga turned into a 185-mile loop through western North Dakota.

We hit the road around 10 a.m. and headed east on Highway 1804 out of Williston. It was a little cool when we left, but by the time we got to Tioga, we were both ready to peel off a few layers. It's about 36 miles to the Tioga turnoff, then another 13 miles north.

And bam... we're in Tioga and parked in front of the store.

As soon as we parked, the Passenger Princess spotted a cardigan in the window.

“Ooh, look at that cardigan,” I heard through the comms.

I knew exactly how this shopping trip was going to go.

I’m not sure how long we were in the store, but two cardigans, two shirts and a vest later, we walked out $300 broker than when we arrived.

As we walked out of the store, she spotted a coffee shop and said, “C’mon, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

I will never turn down coffee.

Now we're walking around Main Street with our coffee, popping into just about every store we pass.

Whatever. She doesn't get to do this very often, and it's pretty rare that I have the patience for it, so I figured I'd let her have her day.

Besides, I had a feeling she probably wasn't going to talk herself into buying much more.

Once she was done looking around at everything she wanted to see, we decided it was time to get some lunch. There's a little Chinese restaurant in Stanley that we enjoy every once in a while, about 20 minutes away, so that's where we headed.

With lunch over, it was time to decide which way we wanted to go home. We could head north and then west toward Powers Lake, or go south and west toward New Town.

We decided to head north. We haven't been that way yet this year, so it would give us some new scenery for a change.

We left Stanley and headed north on Highway 8 for roughly 17 miles before turning west onto Highway 50 toward Powers Lake.

As soon as we turned onto Highway 50, something changed.

Grasshoppers.

Harvest is in full swing, and the grasshoppers were lining the road. And let me tell you, those little bastards hurt like a son of a bitch when they hit you at 70 mph.

So for the next 50 miles, it was grasshopper after grasshopper hitting legs, helmet, hands... nowhere was safe. But that's just part of riding out here on the backroads of western North Dakota this time of year.

Once we got past Appam, ND we headed South on highway 85. From here its oilfield traffic and road construction all the way home.

It was a pricey day of shopping, but the ride made it worth it.

If you ever find yourself in Tioga and your Princess needs a break, stop into Farmer's Daughter. You might regret it, but she won't.

Until we see you on the road again... Live Life With an Attitude.