Day 46: A Hard Earned Night's Rest at a Motel on the Rez

Watford City, ND (to Bismarck, ND to Watford City, ND) to Wolf Point, MT

Miles biked today: 1.9 (woot!)
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1800.4 (yessss!)
Max speed: 12 mph
Miles travelled by car today (gross): 440 (approximate)
Miles travelled by car today (net): 90 (approximate)

What a hullaballoo today was! First things first, I updated yesterday's post. Also, sorry there are so few pics today. :( We'll try to do better in the future!

Yesterday, when we rolled into Watford City, we were seriously disappointed that there was nowhere available to stay. After 7 straight biking days, we sorely needed a rest day, and after the 101 degree day of biking, we didn't want to camp in the sweltering heat (a low of 77 degrees for that night) and we certainly didn't want a camping rest day. Add to that the fact that we were told, a) there are no hotels available for the next 70 miles or so, no matter what direction you go in; b) there's road construction resulting in no shoulder for the next 30 miles; and c) (from the mouth of an EMT) the ride is dangerous even for the trucks and he's been called to the scene of several fatalities recently, we decided to try to get out of town in a car.

Trouble was, Watford City doesn't have a car rental place. They have a U-Haul shop, and we stopped by (no on there) and called (no answer) and left a message (no call back), so that was a bust. We heard that the Napa Auto Parts in town has a car that they rent, but they wouldn't do point-to-point (meaning we'd have to return it to Watford City, defeating the purpose of the rental).

We thought we just might have to bike to either Sidney, MT or Williston, ND, both about 60 miles away on busy, heavy construction roads, and go to the car rental places there. We called both Sidney and Williston's car rental businesses, and none of them even had a single car available until mid-July. That's how busy these oil boom towns are. Nuts.

So we devised a plan! We'd rent the Watford City car, drive to the airport in Bismarck (about 3 hrs away) pick up a rental car there, drive both cars back to Watford City, return the Napa Auto Parts car, and drive the Bismarck car through Montana. And that's exactly what we did! The only challenge was that car rental places are unwilling to let people drive their cars to other towns (point-to-point) around the 4th of July holiday (for whatever reason), so we could only get the car if we promised to take it to Missoula, where the Bismarck Avis had promised to send a car soon. Deal! I wanted to see Missoula anyway.

We had a long, tiring haul today, and learned that every road in western North Dakota is either closed or under serious construction (not exaggerating). We almost didn't make it back to the Napa before they closed, and they were holding our bikes hostage!

Anyway, we are now in Wolf Point, Montana in a lovely, climate controlled motel on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. I plan to sleep very well tonight. We have a bit of a schedule to keep (car must be to Missoula by 3 p.m. Saturday), but I think we'll still have time to see some sights and get a bit of rest.

Not sure if we'll resume biking after Missoula or figure something else out. I think we need a few days of rest before making any decisions, and I think we might try to stick around Missoula until after the 4th. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Day 45: Badlands!

Killdeer, ND to Watford City, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 64.5
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1798.5
Max speed: 32.5 mph
# of times we said "WOW!": 74

We left Killdeer this morning to forecasts of high heat, high humidity and weak breezes. The plan was to go 20 miles west on route 200, and then head north on 85, since 22 was apparently washed out. Since, distance-wise, it was 6 of one, half dozen of the other whether we went north on 22 or north on 85, we decided not to try to cross another closed road. We figured that would be easier.

We were wrong. Again.

The first 20 miles of the ride on route 200 was pretty nice. It was hilly and the shoulders were narrow, but we had gotten used to that yesterday, so no big deal. Plus, it was early enough in the morning that it wasn't too blazing hot.

Remember, now, that we had decided to take 85 to avoid the washed out 22. Well, 85 was crazy from road construction. We had to ride 35 miles on 85, and 27 of those miles were filled with various types of road construction. Sometimes the construction resulted in no shoulder for us to ride on at all. Sometimes it meant that we could ride along the shoulder happily while a mile-long line of cars and trucks had to wait for the lady to turn around her "stop" sign to "slow." Lots of people yelled stuff at us from cars and from construction vehicles, mostly about how nuts we clearly are. One passing truck had a passenger that shouted "GO HAWKEYES!!" at us, pumping his fists, since Dean was wearing his Iowa Hawkeyes biking jersey.

We stopped in Grassy Butte for lunch. It was HHOTTTT, so we lollygagged a bit. We made lots of jokes about grassy butts. Grassy Butte was a very cute, and very tiny town. The gas station attendant (did I mention we were eating at yet another gas station) was talking to a local about the influx of oil boom transients. They are not much appreciated, except that they always pay for what they buy, which is more than he can say for the locals.

After lunch we pressed on, and much to our surprise biked right into the badlands, at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. W-O-W. The badlands were more amazing and beautiful than I could ever describe, and way more breathtaking than our pictures could ever convey. Seriously, the pictures don't do them justice, but I'm posting some just the same.



It was broiling hot, so when we saw the visitor's center for the park, we veered off course, just so we could walk around the air conditioned visitors center, pretending that we might buy something. We actually were interested in the birdwatching books, but books are heavy! We each bought a sticker instead, and stuck them on our bikes.

After leaving the visitors center, we had to climb an impossibly steep and impossibly long hill. It was our first "walker" for several weeks. Tractor trailers just blew past us as we crept up the hill. We actually appreciated the breeze they brought us. When we were near the top, I suggested we take a short break. We stopped, but too late. Dean started hyperventilating, and he got really dizzy. It was some kind of heat exhaustion, and he didn't really get over it until well after we arrived into Watford City.





Speaking of which, when Dean and I have a hard day's ride and are climbing lots of hills, we often joke to each other at the crest of each hill, "And now for the long, slow descent into (goal town)." It's never a long, slow descent. But about 7 miles outside of Watford City, we crested a big hill, and way down at the bottom was our destination town!!! YAY! We said, "And now for the long, slow descent into Watford City!" and it was finally true.

When we got into town, every motel said "No Vacancy." When our destination was Killdeer, everyone along the way warned us that the hotels would be booked. When we mentioned our goal of Watford City, no one said boo about it, so I figured there'd be somewhere to stay. No such luck. Watford City is worse than Killdeer. It was absolutely crazy. We ended up having to camp at the "tourists RV park," which they should consider renaming "Brightly Lit All-Night Park of 47 Million Mosquitoes." Too long?

Anyway, by the time we checked all the motels and found a place to set up camp and rode back into town for dinner and back out of town to do laundry and then back to camp, it was well after 10 p.m., and our signal was patchy, hence the short post that this is replacing.

Tomorrow we hope to rent a car that will get us across most of Montana. Between both of us having knee problems, general road and weather fatigue, predicted headwinds, and terrible road construction and truck traffic for 100 miles out of Watford City, we just want to get the heck out of here. We hope to get a few days (at least) rest, get some miles in by car, and maybe (or not) get renewed vim for the bikes. But for now, we are in serious need of a break. Whew! What a day.

Day 44: North Dakotan Schadenfreude

Hazen, ND to Killdeer, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 60.0
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1734.0
Max speed: 30.5 mph
# of time zones crossed: 1 (we are in Mountain time tonight!)
# of minutes the "45 minute wait" took at the Cenex gas station: 1
# of 18-wheelers encountered per mile of riding: 9 (our guess is appx 550)
# of 18-wheelers that threw rocks at us from 70 mph: 12 (ouch!)

Right before I woke up this morning, I had a dream where I was actually waking up at my parents' house. I got up, put on jeans and a cute shirt, put on makeup, fixed my hair and went downstairs. There I found my whole family plus Dean's family. It was a beautiful day and we were all just hanging out on the back deck, talking. It was really nice.

Then I woke up, and I was in the "Roughrider Motor Motel," the least fine establishment in Hazen, North Dakota. I greased up my padded shorts, put on my cleanish bike top, slung my dried out hair into a ponytail, and once again climbed on the bike, sore butt and all. SIGH.

After yesterday's debacle, we really needed a perfect bike day. We didn't get it, but we did get a major improvement on yesterday. I'll take it!

What I've found interesting, is the devilish gleam in the eye of many a North Dakotan when delivering (often totally incorrect) bad news to us, with a note of gen-u-whine sympathy in their voices. Today alone, we heard:

"Oh, Killdeer, huh? Terrible hills out there."

"The wind is going to be really, really bad today."

"Killdeer's an oil boom town. You'll never find a place to stay, not even a place to set up your tent."

"Oh those tractor trailers are horrible on route 200 by Killdeer!"

"The place is so busy that if you even want to just buy something at the gas station, it's a 45-minute wait."

"If you want to avoid Killdeer you'll have to go the long way, because 22 is washed out."

"Oh, if only I could take you there in my pickup. Too bad I'm working."

"Killdeer is an oil boom town, so it's really expensive."

All of this was said in just a little bit too kind of tones, as if to say, "You poor things," but I got the feeling everyone warning us of woe was really enjoying themselves.

We left Hazen expecting a terrible day (after a few conversations with locals), and by the time we were 25 miles into the day, we were sure we'd have to do at least 90 miles to get past horrible Killdeer, with nowhere to stay the night and no food to eat. That is, assuming the tractor trailers didn't mow us down first or the wind didn't blow us over.

The first 30 miles of the ride were an absolute delight! The wind wasn't exactly with us, but it wasn't against us, and we rode along at a nice clip. We stopped for lunch at the Saddle Sore Saloon (so appropriate!) in Golden Valley. We had a lot of fun with that.

After those first 30, the wind picked up (side wind) and we had a harder time getting up the hills. It's true that it was hilly for North Dakota, and the hills were steepish, but they were all pretty doable. And is was windy, but the wind wasn't a headwind, so that was okay. And there were a ton of tractor trailers, but they gave us room. The ones that spit rocks at us couldn't help it, but those rocks sure did sting!

We decided to get to Killdeer and at least try to get some food since there were no other nearby towns, and try to figure out if there was a place we could stay. The very moment we got into town, we saw a campground with free spaces, which is where we're staying. Dean went to the (dreaded 45-minute wait) gas station to get us Gatorades, and came out a minute later. We set up the tent, had some lovely showers, and went to get promptly served and reasonably priced dinner.

Anyway, tomorrow we hope to get about another 60, but as ever it will depend on the weather and terrain and such. The laptop is losing charge and we don't have a strong signal, so I'll have to upload pics tomorrow, and be grateful that we could even post tonight!

Day 43: Having 3rd and 4th Thoughts

Washburn, ND to Hazen, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 32.8
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1674.0
Max speed: 25.5 mph
Wind speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: blowing Southeast
Our direction: dead West

It was a hard slog today. On days like this, I think of the trip as our magical misery tour. We were tired, the wind was really strong, and I was having some pretty severe knee pain. We had planned to do 60 miles today, but at 6 mph, we'd end up riding 10 hours. And we were hating life in that wind and cold, so we cut it short.

We were both pretty bummed today. It was supposed to be sunny and warm, but it was cloudy and cool. Dean said that we haven't had a decent weather day since Wisconsin. I say we had some nice days in Minnesota, but I agree with the general sentiment. It's been cold and rainy and windy and gross the entire time we've been in North Dakota, with the exception of a rest day we took in Fargo, two weeks ago. Every day has been a fight and a tough slog, and, as Dean said a few days ago, "I'm tired of slogs."

Today was the first day since the first week of the trip that we seriously considered packing it in. We spent some time today discussing our options. We could take the train to the west coast, or to the mountains and climb the rockies on the bikes. We could rent a car, or a U-haul. We could press on. We haven't really made up our minds. For tomorrow, we're riding again. I think we're going to see if the weather turns in our favor, and if we start enjoying the ride again. Wind is supposed to be even stronger tomorrow, so we'll see.

After all, this is a honeymoon and a vacation, and if we're not enjoying it, we should stop and find something we will enjoy. Right now, the trip is no fun. I'm still homesick, Dean still hates the bad weather. Tomorrow we slog on, and think on things some more. We've really appreciated all your comments so far. Thanks!

Day 42: (from) Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', (i've got a) RAW HIDE!

McClusky, ND to Washburn, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 47.9
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1641.2
Max speed: 24.0 mph
# of new species spotted: 1 (antelope!)

Today was a surprisingly good day. I say surprisingly because we woke up to dark skies and rain. Last night, we were a bit worried, because the sky kept changing colors -- it was a weird green, which made us worry about tornadoes, then gray, then purple. Very strange. Dean hopefully said, "purple skies at night, sailor's delight!" But it was not to be.

We had breakfast at the McClusky gas station (you'd be surprised how many meals we eat at gas stations). The lady at the register saw our clothes and said, "You do know it's raining, right?" Yep, we knew. I laughed at myself a little when I chose the breakfast burrito over the ham and egg sandwich because the burrito had more calories, more carbs and more protein. After practically a lifetime of dieting, it feels strange to purposefully pick the heavier option, but 500 calories gets you a lot farther than 350!

There was only one decent-sized town on our route today -- Mercer -- and it was only 13 miles into our ride. We are rarely hungry that early in (maybe only if we've been climbing mountains), but since it was the only stop, we rolled into town. We thought we could just buy a sandwich or sandwich supplies to eat later on. Alas, there was no grocery store and the only restaurant was closed (well, it was only 10 a.m. and most taverns aren't open that early). So we had to move on. We decided to take an off-route detour to Turtle Lake. It was just about halfway into the ride, and seemed to have a restaurant, so going 4 miles off course didn't seem like a huge deal.

I'm really glad we decided to take the detour! Turtle Lake was home to Rusty, the two-ton metal turtle, and the cafe we went to was great. It was a very cute town. At the restaurant, there were some Red Cross workers. It looked like Turtle Lake offered a Red Cross shelter for flood refugees.

All yesterday we had no signal, so we based our decision to travel to Washburn on the distance (looked to be about 50 miles on the map) and the size of the town (medium-sized, for North Dakota). Small towns often have nowhere to stay overnight, and there were no cities around, so Washburn seemed like our best bet.

While we were at the cafe in Turtle Lake, we had a signal on the phone, and checked for lodging options in Washburn. Nothing! Oh, no. Camping? Nothing. I did a google search and pulled up the Scotswood Motel, but when I checked the map, it looked to be in Beulah, more than 30 miles away. We called the RV park, just to see if they maybe allowed tent camping, and they didn't. But Dean asked about motels, and it turns out the Scotswood was, in fact, in Washburn, but that there was just another one in Beulah. Phew! We called and made the reservation. This is just an example of why it's annoying to have to go off the ACA route.

We pressed on in the sprinkling rain. It wasn't too bad. Wind was calmish and it wasn't too cold. A little ways after Turtle Lake, we saw our first antelope! They ran along with us for awhile, which was cool.

We've been seeing a lot of little planes in the sky in North Dakota. We guess they're crop dusters? We're not sure. I never have time to grab the camera, aim it, zoom, etc. to take a photo of it in the sky when we see it, so when we passed the airport today I took the opportunity to grab a few shots of the planes on the ground.

As we rolled into Washburn, we saw a sign for the "Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center." We went over there to try to figure out what an Interpretive Center was. Unfortunately, it cost $7.50 each to go in, and we don't have that kind of dough to throw around. Instead, we just took some pictures outside. But if anyone can figure out what an Interpretive Center is, please let us know!

We checked the map, and it seems like if we're willing to do three 60+ mile days, including one night camping in the badlands, we can make it to Montana in three days. Weather permitting, of course! I hope we can make it!

Day 41: The rolling hills of ... North Dakota?

Fessenden, ND to McClusky, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 56.6
Total miles biked on trip: 1593.3
Max speed: 26 mph
# of birds that saw giant targets on our heads: 2
# of times we successfully dodged bird “bombs”: 2
# of drive-by soda offers: 1
# of hills climbed (each dubbed “Mt. North Dakota” by us): 26

We started out from Fessenden this morning with a song in our hearts. It was beautiful, warm (but not too warm), and clear. There was a little bit of wind, but for the first 15 miles or so, we weren't going against it. We sang and rode together down the very empty road, having a grand time. When we had almost gotten to our first turn, a pick-up truck slowed down and the driver shouted at us, “Do you need a cold water or pop?” We said no thanks, but it was nice of him to offer!

We turned south, and the wind was against us. It's also when the hills started. We climbed hill after hill after hill today. I am trying to think of it as good practice for the Rockies. And even though the wind was against us, it was pretty mellow.

At around 30 miles in, we stopped for lunch at the Dairy King in Hurdsfield. When we walked in, every single person turned to stare at us. I think they are not used to having strangers in. We had a nice lunch and eavesdropped on everyone's talk about the flooding in Minot (pronounced “my knot,” rhymes with, “why not?”) and the surrounding areas. A lot of people are blaming Canada for the flooding, since the water is flowing south from Saskatchewan. We heard people in Fessenden and Hurdsfield talking angrily about Canada, and the news reports constantly remind viewers that Canadians are not to blame. There's still a lot of anti-Canada sentiment around here, and in Fessenden they were saying that they wanted to flood Saskatchewan in retaliation. Weird.

After lunch, we headed west again. A little ways in, a dog started chasing us. We have dog repellent (pepper spray, more or less), but I never want to use it unless it's really necessary. My year living in Thailand (where there are a ton of mangy dogs) taught me that dogs will stop chasing you if you stop, and there's nothing to chase. So we stopped and the dog stopped chasing, but kept slowly approaching, barking, wagging his tail madly, clearly having the time of his life. Dean shouted, “Go on! Go home! Bad dog!” and his wagging tail slumped, he hung his head and lumbered home. I felt bad for him. He wasn't really a bad dog. :(

A few miles farther down the road, we encountered bird bedlam. Three hawks were fighting each other in the sky. Screeching and soaring and diving and biting each other – it was crazy. Another kind of bird (not sure what kind) kept following Dean. There were two together, and one kept flying back and forth, seeming very interested in Dean. We thought it was cool, and we were watching it fly alongside (above) us, and soon I shouted, “Look out! It's POOOPINNNG!” Dean swerved and avoided a direct hit, just barely! Then it flew off, clearly in defeat.

So we climbed hills and we climbed hills and we climbed hills some more. Everything hurt. Numb fingers, sore muscles, knees, thumbs, butts, feet … everything. I don't know why today was so hard – I guess we're out of practice on hills. But anyway, we're here and fed and we've washed our laundry (for free!) and we're ready for another day on the road tomorrow. I think we'll be in North Dakota another week.

We're both getting homesick. I am definitely the worse of the two – Dean's just bored of North Dakota, but I am really homesick. I want to see our house and our families and our cat and wear makeup and play roller derby and take naps eat healthy, normal-sized meals and all do the wonderful at-home things you can do. I miss you all!

Day 40: Deep Fried Snickers and a Ride Called "The Cliffhanger"

Carrington, ND to Fessenden, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 39.2
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1536.7
Max speed: 20.5 mph
# of calories consumed at the Wells County Fair - appx 6,000 (rough guess)
# of minutes it took to clean our wallets at the fair: 42
# of insistent carnie "barkers" we had to fend off: 3
Pixie dust spread on the Tilt-a-Whirl: 0, b/c the Tilt a Whirl is broken

We had a pretty ho-hum ride today from Carrington. There were no towns where we could stop to eat (though we did stop in Sykeston, which is quite the ghost town), and it was a cloudy, windy, and slightly rainy day. We no longer trust the weather forecasts at all. But we still read them religiously, with lots of hope in our hearts.

Minot is just getting worse and worse, as are the surrounding towns, which means we will not end up going to Rugby, even though I really want to go. There would be no way out other than to either backtrack (undesirable) or head for Canada (we don't have our passports ... and you need passports for Canada now!). But it looks crazy in Minot -- it's the top story on every newscast. I think they evacuated early enough that people are okay, but it looks like there's a ton of damage. :( This is the worst flood they've had in recorded history.

We rolled into Fessenden today at around 1 p.m. in the rain. Luckily, the one motel in town had a vacancy, and it is right across the street from the fairgrounds. We got cleaned up, took a nap, and then headed for the fair. It was pretty fun. We were big news around the fair, having come all the way from Maryland. We saw all the prize-winning animals and jams and flowers, etc. We visited the Wells County Museum and saw the old one-room schoolhouse. After 4 p.m., the rides opened. I really wanted to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl and the crazy spinny ride but they were both out of order, so I took a few turns on the "Cliffhanger," the whole time muttering to myself, "Please don't break. Please don't break." It didn't. Phew! Dean and I had a hearty fairgrounds lunch, consisting of nachos, a burger, two sausages with onions, a caramel apple and a deep-fried Snickers bar (split between us, not each). I do not recommend deep fried candy bars to anyone, ever. Ugh. We also got to see the pet show, which was really cute and fun (see bunny wearing earrings, left).

We are going to head back later to see if the Tilt-a-Whirl in in business. Tomorrow we head southwest (against the wind) so that we can steer clear of the flooding. Thanks for continuing to comment! We love reading them!

Day 39: In Which Dean Hits a Skunk

Cooperstown, ND to Carrington, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 48.8
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1497.5
Max speed: 22.5 mph
# of dragonflies that kamikazed onto our faces: 3
# of skunk bumps: 1

Man oh man was it ever a beautiful day today! I can't say it was an ideal day for biking, since it was a bit windy and that slowed us down, but compared to the past 3 or 4 days, it was wonderful! We loved seeing the sun shine again!

North Dakota is still pretty boring, landscape wise, but we saw a few new species today. There was a pretty bird with a yellow head that we saw a lot. The picture I took is blurry, but I had to zoom to 40x to get it. We couldn't get close to one without it flying away, so I had to zoom, zoom, zoom. They were beautiful, though. We also saw three yellow and black snakes in the tall grasses just off the roadside. We chose not to stop and photograph them .... I'm not sure that they were harmless. There were also TONS of mallards -- I mean hundreds of mallards, on just a 49 mile ride -- and there was also a species of duck we didn't recognize, but recognized enough to know they were ducks. They were yellow. Quack quack!

A little ways down the road, Dean was happily watching the ducks. I saw that there was a very recently dead and quite large skunk in the road, so I veered out of the way. Dean was hypnotized by all the ducks and didn't see the skunk. I soon heard a thunk, followed by "ewwww!" Dean had rolled right over that giant dead skunk. Gross! He thought it was pretty funny. :) It was the size of a medium dog.

We stopped for lunch at the Wicked Step Bar in Glenfield, which was closed. But they let us eat the sandwiches we had bought that morning (anticipating that there may not be a place to eat in Glenfield) at the table in the adjacent convenience store. We had a lengthy talk with the world's most outgoing 10 year old boy and his grandfather. That kid could talk the hind leg off a mule. It was pretty fun, and his grandfather had lived in Virginia Beach awhile and was pretty interested in the trip.

Carrington is bigger than Cooperstown was, but still pretty small. We had the "exploded pig sandwich" for dinner. It was really good! We are staying at the Chieftain Motel tonight. Lots of things around here are Native American themed, and we are very near some Sioux reservations.

Tomorrow we had planned to do a longish day, but we quickly learned that there's a county fair less than 40 miles from here, so we're going to do that. County fair!

Day 38: Virginia, the STATE?!?!

Cooperstown, ND

Dean and I looked out the window this morning, and the trees were sideways. The wind was blowing HARD, and it was raining. We just couldn't do it. We checked the 10-day forecast, and starting tomorrow, it should be sunny the whole time, with the exception of this Sunday (scattered thunderstorms). That was all we needed to know. We took an unplanned rest day. It was nice. We just hung out in town, walked around, read books, etc.

Not much to report, other than a quick funny exchange. Dean was cleaning the bikes outside, and I was inside reading. Some locals who live at the motel where we're staying started asking him about the bikes and the trip (I overheard). They thought the whole thing was totally nuts. When they asked where we started and Dean said, "Virginia," one of the guys said, very incredulously, "Virginia .... THE STATE?!?!" I think they thought it was a terrible idea! But they were still impressed.

We heard from several sources yesterday and today about the flooding in Minot. It's top story on the news tonight, and over 11,000 people were evacuated. We are trying to come up with an alternate route that will still take us through Rugby, since I really want to visit the geographical center of North America. It's right on the way to Minot, though. We'll see how going off route in North Dakota treats us -- it's known in the bike touring world for being a tough state, since towns with services are far apart. I hope the weather is as good tomorrow as is predicted!

Still in love!

Day 37: The North Wind Doth Blow

Hope, ND to Cooperstown, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 30.1
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1448.7
Max speed: 32.5
# of other cross-country bike tourists we met: 3

First things first, we took no pictures today, so I'm decorating today's post with old pictures from other days that we didn't use, for one reason or another.

Today was a tough day for biking. Somehow we managed to avoid the rain all last night, and the tent was still pretty dry when we packed it up. Right after we hit the road, the rain started. Winds were coming out of the northeast at 20-30 mph, meaning that heading southwest would be optimal. We spent 10 miles heading north and 20 going west, but the 10 north took longer. While it was mostly flat, and we can beat 20 mph on a flat surface with the wind on our side, we spend the 10 miles heading north doing 4.5 - 6 mph, and every push felt just as hard as a steep hill. The wind was brutal and bitterly cold. My toes went numb and my ears were really hurting from the wind whipping and the rain.

We were very grateful to finally reach Cooperstown. After the 20 miles mostly west, when we weren't going too much against the wind, Dean suggested going another 30 to Pekin despite the rain. However, we would have to turn north right outside of Cooperstown, and when I saw that on the map, we were both really happy to just stop here. However, tomorrow rain and 30 mph winds from the north are predicted again. We might take a rest day, or we might just deal with it, even though 30 miles could take us over 6 hours on a bad wind day. We're going to just make the call tomorrow.

When we went to dinner tonight, we were approached by a couple in windbreakers who asked, "So are you crazy cyclists, too?" We are, indeed, as you know. They were west-east cross-country cyclists (Bruce and Dana). In the booth behind us, also in a windbreaker, was Mike, another west-east cyclist. They were all doing Northern Tier, too. They had some great stories, and all gave us their blog addresses, but when I tried to go to their blogs, neither address worked, or else I would post it here. And, for future reference, the giveaway that someone is a bicycle tourist is windbreakers. :)

They helped alleviate our fears about the Rockies, but apparently the Cascades are pretty tough. Most of the Rockies are no worse than a 5% grade, and we did worse than that today at a river break. Fingers crossed that we can cross the Rockies okay.

Aaaanyway, that's about all from today. We're hoping for warm temperatures and still winds tomorrow, despite what the weatherman says. I tried to post yesterday's video again, but got more errors. I think it may just be too large to post. Ok, rest time!

Day 36: The Rule of Three

Fargo, ND to Hope, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 69.0
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1418.6
Max speed: 25.0
# of scenery changes: 1
# of raindrops that fell on us: 0 (so far)
# of raindrops predicted by the weatherman to fall on us today: 1 million (scattered thunderstorms were supposed to be around all day)
# of raindrops predicted for tomorrow: 8 million (heavy rain all day)
% chance we'll get lucky again: 4

Honestly, it was kind of a boring day today. We got out of Fargo pretty quickly and easily, and from then on it was just empty fields, the ubiquitous red-winged blackbirds, and an occasional tree. Basically, North Dakota looks just like how you imagine North Dakota looks.

We stopped in Arthur for lunch and got pulled pork sandwiches with a side of ground beef and beans. It was a weird but tasty side dish. A few people in Arthur were interested in the trip so we talked about it some.

We passed up an opportunity to stop in Page, ND for a snack and a bathroom break. Hope was supposed to be pretty close and we felt okay. Right after we left Page we could see the Hope water tower. We were so close!

Alas, we were fooled by the rule of three. I'm not sure if it's a real thing, but I saw a guy talking about it on the Discovery Channel. Basically, if you're stuck in a desert and you see something you want to walk to, the distance it actually is from you is three times the distance it looks. Apparently our eyes and brains can't really judge distance well after a certain point, and with no trees or anything to use for scale, we misjudge pretty badly.

The Hope water tower looked like it could be no more than a few miles away. It was definitely three times that, and we were flagging by the time we arrived. We should have stopped in Page for a snack.

Anyway, we are all set up here now in our tent. It's another tent in a city park night, but we don't have a picnic shelter and it's supposed to rain buckets all night long, and then more tomorrow. It's supposed to be heavy rain all day tomorrow and then more rain the next day, so we are planning two short days. If the weatherman fools us (like he did today -- it was supposed to rain but we've thankfully not yet had a drop), and it's clear, we'll double up the short days for one long one.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. It was just flat emptiness most of the way. I even took a video but can't upload it. I'll try to upload it here again tomorrow if I get a better connection. For now, I think we're going to just read and hang out in the tent. Battery on the laptop is going, so we'll have to go for now!

Day 35: Fargone

Fargo, ND

We had a great rest day today!

Last night we were just exhausted, after that band at the Cormorant Inn kept us up all the night before. We were falling down tired, but we wanted to check out Fargo. Apparently, it has a pretty happening nightlife. So we decided to take a quick nap before heading out to hear some live music. We woke up from our nap at 2 a.m. So much for that. We then went back to bed and slept another 6 hours.

Feeling very well rested, we started the day with coffee and puzzles. Fun! We walked around town, read books, and saw a movie (Midnight in Paris). Just a standard rest day, but they are so desperately needed!

Last night aside, we've been getting to bed later and later, and getting started later and later. It's bright out until almost 10 p.m., making sleep at 9 p.m. (our normal crash time) pretty tough. We're almost to the solstice now, and we're pretty far north. I guess we should just start riding later into the afternoon/early evening.

Tomorrow we're heading on through North Dakota. I'm hoping we can make it to Minot in 6 days and then do another rest day, but everything is so tied to the weather and the terrain that I'm not sure it's possible. The next 3 days are supposed to be rainy/stormy. Wish us sunny weather (in the 70s) and flatish terrain!

Day 34: A Downer in Downer, but Otherwise a Fine Day

Cormorant, MN to Fargo, ND

Stats!
Miles biked today: 47.9
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1349.6
Max speed: 29 mph
# of psi in my front tire: 25
# of psi that should be in my front tire: 90
Total # of Dean's flat tires, broken spokes, and chain losses on trip so far: 16
# of new wheels purchased to fix at least some of these problems: 1

Last night in Cormorant marks both the most expensive place we've stayed so far, and the worst. The water smelled bad and felt slimy on my skin. There was no noise insulation from the other rooms, and worse, from the band that played at their outdoor bar from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Then the drunks who were watching the band hung out, hootin' and holelrin' outside our door until about 1:15 a.m. Zero noise insulation. They played "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" at least three times. Awesome, Tin Willy. Also, their restaurant was highway robbery. I guess that's the kind of thing you can do when you're the only gig in town.

It was another beautiful, perfect day for a ride today. I didn't take a ton of pictures because I've already posted a ton of beautiful pictures of lakes and fields and farms. Basically all of Minnesota looks like a Bob Ross painting come to life, complete with reflective lakes and happy little trees.

A little ways into our ride, we noticed a farm that had fenced land for about a mile of our trip. On top of every single fence post was a different shoe. On all the telephone poles were 3 or 4 pair of shoes nailed on. It creeped me out, like some kind of serial killer's trophies. Dean thought it might be "hoo doo."

We stopped in Downer, MN for lunch at a biker bar. When it was time to get back on the road, we found that Dean had another flat tire. I checked the tube, and could only find a tiny pinprick in it. Later, when we got to the bike shop, we found a tiny sharp wire in the tire. Tire fail. This, added to the broken spokes, other flat tires, and chain problems, was pretty annoying. I think getting the new wheel was the right thing to do. The guys at the Fargo bike shop said they thought the wheel he had was not an ideal touring wheel.

Tomorrow we'll take a rest day here in Fargo. Given our 5 hours of sleep last night, that sounds good to me! Also, Happy Birthday (one day belated) to my dad, Roy! And Happy Birthday (right on time), to my nephew, Beck!

A Fargo Bison!