Today was going to be another tough one. In fact, most of us were awakened by the strong wind that started to blowing about 3:30am. Hot temps, STRONG headwind and 55 miles right into it! We started at the usual time, but because Corvin and I had kitchen duty, we were two of the last out of camp . . .

The dinner was a  big hit. It was the recipe he tried to make several week sago but they left the chicken component in the shopping cart in the store!!! 3 pounds of Angel hair pasta, peas, 4 pounds of chicken basted in teriyaki sauce AND 4 quarts of HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM. No wonder it was such a hit!!!

. . .on the way out of town I saw this rig. Not sure if it is a camper, boat or both!!!

We paralleled I-94 just about all day on Old Hwy 10. VERY little traffic . . . and nice riding. I saw this unique piece of art but was not sure what it was all about, a clock perhaps . . .too far away to tell . .

. . . but I eventually got closer . No clock, just a salute to what looks like cranes!

After 20 miles out first first town of Taylor was supposed to have have a C-Store but we found nothing . . . they are looking for Postal employees though.. Interesting because I always thought people were lining up to work at the PO . . .maybe not in Taylor, ND!!

Hot and dry we were looking for something COLD. The temp was already into the 90’s . . . another SLOWWWW 12 miles down the road was Richardson., pop. 525. Nothing open there either . . .

But they had a Benedictine Monastery (special place in my heart for them because they help shepherd me through my first eight years of school). . .

. . .  and an Abbey. As of December 2009, there were 56 monks in the community. Assumption Abbey has a dependent daughter monastery in Bogotá, Colombia: Monasterio Benedictino de Tibatí which runs the prestigious Colegio San Carlos. It is affiliated locally with St. Mary’s and when I rolled into town at 9:50am and notice there was a Mass at 10:00am, I parked Connie.

. . .  newly remodeled inside was lovely. A nice experience. (said a few Hail Mary’s too, about the headwinds . . .didn’t work!!)

. . . on the way to Hebron we went. Along the way was this really interesting e heavy duty mobile.  The source of power to turn it was the white plastic barrels that had been cut in half and acted as sails. Oh . . . it was turning today!!!

We finally found relief in Hebron, which was only 12 miles from the end of our ride. When I got off Connie I looked at the Garmin  . . . temp read 103 degrees.!!!

On the way out of time there was time for an ‘avant gard’ self portrait in the bank window!! About as artsy as I can get.

Pretty quiet on a hot Sunday afternoon in Hebron.Looked like the movie set for ‘American Graffiti’!!

As I was riding out of town I came upon the famous, Hebron Brick Company is the only manufacturer of brick in North Dakota and one of the most successful brick companies in the Upper Midwest. They say their ancient veins of extraordinary clay and state-of-the-art brick plant continue to yield a distinctive variety of colors and enable Hebron Brick Company to offer a wealth of options in fine brick.

While I was on the side of the road, Barb and Steve, from Albany, MN rode up heading west. They went to their daughters college graduated in Connecticut and decided to start riding from there to Washington State. Because of the bad headwinds in Illinois and Indiana they thought of hopping a plane, flying to Washington State and venturing west to east like us . . . but, they had the headwind today!!!

It was REALLY a tough day and everyone was beat by the time we got to Glen Ullin. We were supposed to camp at the High School but because of the heat, everyone is sleeping inside in the gym. AC . . YES. Most didn’t get in until late afternoon and the local Super Value grocery store closed at 2:00pm.

So . . . eating out tonight at one of the local bars and breakfast will probably be at the local Cenex which opens at 6:00am . . . lunch, maybe somewhere on the road as we head to Bismarck, our home tomorrow night!!

Oh yeah, and Corvin’s palate is becoming much more Americanized as he had no problem wolfing down this double hamburger, with double bacon!!! ( he had to look up though what a pickle spear was).

The school was not air conditioned but everyone slept better probably than we would have outside because it never really cooled down. Someone got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and discovered in the boy locker room there had been a hatch of thousands and thousands of flies. They covered a whole wall . . . black!!

Rod and David started hosing the fly’s down into the floor drain about 5:00am. Wade went out the nearby door, where there was an exterior light, and hundreds of flies dropped down onto his head!!!!  Denise had been alerted to the flies about 2:00am when, as she was sleeping on the stage in the gym, they started crawling all over her!!!! So . . . it was a short night for lots of folks . . .

Today would be a great ride! 55 miles but with a quartering tail wind and only a high of 90 degrees!!!! Onto Bismarck we go!!!

Like MT everything in ND is bigger than life . . . including their playing cars. Found this Queen of Hearts on the road outside of Glen Ullin . . . Queen Mary, reminds of my Smoochie . . . I miss you, wish you were along on this journey!!!

Lots of ranching still going on and not much agriculture yet . . .

Today we would ride our last chunk of Interstate. Rumor has it that this stretch had rumble strips across the whole shoulder and made it impossible to ride a bike. So, some rode an alternate route but most of it was gravel!!! Once we got on the Interstate at Glen Ullin. this is what we found. The strips were right in the middle of the lane. Not bad and plenty of room on the outside.. . .

. . . but within two miles the strips widened, taking just about the whole lane. Luckily there was space on the right to still ride, although the higher brush kept banging into our panniers.

. . . the truckers were courteous and usually moved over to the other lane. there wasn’t much traffic and the temps were in the low 70’s. So it made for a very nice riding experience. Seems like the first one in weeks. In fact, Corvin and I did not exit when we were supposed to and rode on the Interstate for another 6 miles to New Salem.

On the Interstate though, you need to keep and eye out for the ‘dreaded eighteen wheeler, delaminated, steel belted, radial tire’. Like gators’ they love to lay in the weeds, just waiting for a rider to come by and then spring out to give them a flat tire . . .

. . . they seem to reproduce too and soon these smaller ones . . .

. . . become punks like this one, splaying out it’s harden steel wire !!!!

. . . some lay coiled, just waiting to strike!!!!

When we exited at New Salem we got a close up of the ‘Big Cow’ we had been seeing for miles as we biked along the Interstate. ‘Salem Sue’ the ‘Worlds Largest Holstein Cow’. Constructed of fiberglass, in 1946, for a cost of $40,000, it has been drawing tourists off the road for years. There is even a look out one can drive up and survey the landscape. I passed.

We took a break in New Salem at Tellman’s Market, the place to be in New Salem, before continuing on Hwy 139 to Mandan and Bismarck. Just outside of New Salem, I saw this ‘Rain for Rent’ operation . . . guess the drought is bringing all kinds of ‘entrepreneurs’ out of the woodwork.

I guess they deliver these empty, fill them with water . . .

. . .  and pump it out onto the crops!!!!

. . . no problem following the road today, it goes on forever!!!! . . .

. . . this birdie looked very peaceful . . . like it was sleeping.

As we entered Mandan, I saw my first corn . . .  certainly won’t be the last as we travel through MN and WI !!!!

We rode a nice bike path all the way through Mandan and Bismarck to our home for the night, General Siblley Park. Lots of space and trees, and we have the whole place to ourselves!!!

We are back in the Central Time Zone and Allison is back with us after having left for five days to be part of her best friends wedding.

Life is good!!!!

There was a BIG surprise last night as a thunder storm rolled through the campground starting at about 2:00am and lasting until about 4:00am. First rain we have had since Washington state. FUN!!!

It would have been a shame to leave Bismarck without seeing the State Capital. Rod, Doc Mike, David and I decided to head back downtown and tour the facility.

As we rolled out of General Sibley Campground we came upon what we in the forestry business call . . . a severe pruning job. Yikes!!!!

Still cloudy this morning because of the storm but there was this shaft of light shining through a hole in the cloud. Nice!!

Right across from the Capital was the RR Republican Center . . . close proximity makes for easy lobbying !!!

Connie strikes a pose in front of the Capital. Same type of construction she and I found when we were in Tallahassee, Florida on the Southern Tier two years ago . . . not traditional!!!

The original Capital burned down in 1930 . . .

. . . and what didn’t burn, they dynamited!!!

. . . and the ‘new’ look to the Capital building rose from the ashes . . . hard to even compare this one to Wisconsin’s (third highest dome in the world!!!)!!!

There is an observation deck on the 18th floor offering a good view of the front lawn . . .

. . .in 2007, 8,966 North Dakotans set the Guinness Book of World record for performing Snow Angels !!!!

Quite a view from the top . . . I think I can see to Minnesota!!!

. . . there was a gallery on the main floor of some of the more famous North Dakotan’ . . . including TR . . .

. . .as well as Lawrence Welk, Louis Amour, Angie Dickenson and Bobbie Vee. Many more from the business world and sports!!!

On the way out we were going to head to coffee . . . but as I looked down on my gear I saw the bungees had come loose and one of my crocks was gone  . . . my only off the bike shoes!!!!

. . . I struck off to retrace the route I had taken to the Capital and in the gutter near the RR Republican Center lay my Croc. Yippee . . . I looked up and could have sworn I saw old Ronnie wink at me and say, “So long, partner . . . “

We had a BIG climb up out of the great Bismarck area . . . you can see the Capital dominating the skyline.

Things have gotten A LOT greener the last several days and there is actually water in some of the ponds . . .

. . . and A LOT more corn. Although, a lot of it was not, ‘Knee High by the Fourth of July’ !!!!

Since the four of us were late leaving Bismarck this morning because of our touring the Capital, when, at the half way point of todays 47 mile ride,  we came to our DO NOT MISS turn on Moffit Rd taking us to Moffit and onto Hazelton, there sat Allison in her ‘office’ making sure we and the others had not missed the turn!!!!

Soon down the road there were these beekeepers working with new hives. There didn’t seem to be any crops around. Got to do some research on how and where they place hives . . .

. . . Hwy 83 didn’t seem like much of a Memorial Highway to honor one of the most famous North Dakotans. Of course the last several generations probably have never heard of him  . . . “And Ah One, and And Ah Two” . . . .

Some of the gang were still hanging at the C-Store in Hazelton finishing late lunches, checking email and pushing the fluids!!!

Corvin took a ;short cut’ from our camp at the Hazelton City Park to get too the store. He is going to need to clean up the bike before we get to Fargo where he will probably be getting a new front hub bearing, new chain, new cassette !!!!!

Quiet night in Hazelton, but when we woke the wind was blowing. Forecast was for quartering headwinds and showers in the morning.

Right next to our campsite was this ‘Cannonball’. Evidently  sandstone pebbles rolled along the bottom of the river picking up sediment and minerals until they got this size or larger. The biggest one found was over 1,500lbs!!! The process is called concretions and only happens several places in the world!!!

The sky was ugly to the south of us  . . .but there was a rainbow . . .good luck? Not to be  . . .

. . . we started in the dark (with the change to central daylight time now) and the eastern sky was red. ‘. . . red sky in the morning, sailors take warning’!!

Lots of lakes and ponds along the way . . . some had water

. . .  some did not !!!

. . .  along the way I saw what looked like cows ahead but as I got closer they were combines. The sign said, ‘Dinosaurs of he Prairie’. FUN!!!

Most of the morning and early afternoon it rained intermittently, at times there was quite the lightning show too. Not many photos taken . . . too wet!!!

Little house on the prairie . . . long forgotten. Would be interesting to know the story . . .

. . . in a VERY lonely setting.

The sky broke and the sun appeared  as I rode into Gackle. There was this sign asking, If I needed Hope? I had hoped earlier for better weather and a good line around the scattered lighting  . . . and it all worked out!!!

Nothing new showing at the Krieger . . . this feature has been playing evidently since last November. Once again, the rain today did not amount to much, LOTS of wind, some lighting and only about .008 inches!!!

I was the first to arrive at the ‘Honey Hut’ our home for the night. Operated by Ginny and Jason, who are bee keepers! They live here in Gackle for three months of the year and the remainder in Northern California.

Sweet setup for one for two cyclists as they travel through on the Northern Tier. They started the ‘Honey Hut’ in 2012 when they notice lots of bikers coming through Gackle. They found out bikers need four things: a shower, laundry, lodging and wifi. They supply all four to 150-200 cyclists a year. There is a separate entrance to the basement apartment,

. . . where there is a bathroom, shower refrigerator and WIFI !!!  SWEET!!!  Matt was already here when I arrived. He spent last night in Napoleon on his way to Minneapolis

 

No kitchen facilities at the ‘Honey Hut’, so we went out for pizza. Eight pizzas later, it was time for our map meeting but not before celebrating Allen’s 70th Birthday. Ginny, of the ‘Honey Hut’ had baked it for us. THANK YOU GINNY!!!!

David had kitchen duties tonight so he handles the flame . . .

. . .while Allen supplied the lung power . . .

 

. . . and neatly cut it into 15 pieces!!!!

Quiet night in Gackle. Everyone left their bikes unlocked tonight . . . there is no crime in Gackle!!!!

Allison slept on the Honey Hut’s kids trampoline. Things were fine until the mosquitos’ started attaching her. She grabbed her her single person tent, slid into it with her sleeping bag and had a great nights sleep!!!

Part of the ‘latter morning crowd’. We changed the start of breakfast to 7:00am so we didn’t need to use headlamps in order to see when making our breakfasts and lunches!!!

The ‘Honey Hut’ backyard . . .

. . . things were quiet in downtown Gackle on the roll out of town. The C-Store closed at 5:30pm last night . . .when the streets pretty much rolled up for the night!!!!

Today it would be 65 miles of STRAIGHT road . . . follows the section lines for, Yes, . . . 65 MILES!!!!

Just like in WI, the seed manufacturers are getting ready to show off their best products under actual field growing conditions!!!!

. . . it was fun to watch this guy maneuver this boom sprayer around obstacles on the field edges. Quite the driver. With those wings, it looked like if he could have reach lift off speed he would have taken off!!!!

Just outside or Marion, we met Julie and her Dad , Bill, from Ithaca, NY. They started in Maine and are heading for Washington. In a quick 5 minutes we try to pick each others brains on the best restaurants, campsites and mosquito reports!!! WI and MN sound bad . . .there has been a lot of rain and the mosquitos are the size of ‘Blue Birds”!!!

There were no towns on todays route but Marion was just a mile off route, so we took their advice and wheeled ‘Off for a Stretch’ !!!!

We have seem some ponds like this that are so green it looks like you could walk across them. I felted sorry for these little ducklings who were frighten of me and swam out into the thick of it!!!

David, Doc Mike and I were the first three to arrive at the Marion Community Café, the place to be in Marion, pop.127.

. . . David and I had the Salad Special of the day. Yummy . . . haven’t had this many veggies in one setting for weeks. By the time we left, Anne Rod, Corvin and Hugh had joined the table.

On the way out of Marion I spotted this mailbox . . . another Wally. I could be related to him!!!

The only change in elevations we would have today were the two river valleys we crossed. From the People’s River in Mt to the Missouri River in ND they all have a descent to the river bottom and then a climb back out again. The bigger the river the wider the valley. This was the James River that provided welcome from . . .FLAT!!!

. . . and ND DOT has a sense of humor!!!!

. . . some nice pastoral setting along the way today near homesteads but most was corn or soybeans . . . miles and miles of corn and soybeans . . .

Nice mailbox at the Ova’s . . .

. . . Mr Pelican in one of the ponds we passed that had water in it.

One more river valley to drop into, the Sheyenne . . .  looks like a big climb out of it first thing tomorrow morning!!!

We are staying at one of the Sheyenne County Recreation Areas. They just put in new pit toilets last week and there is a water hydrant. No showers but a babbling  brook nearby  that many of us used to take a quick dip!!!

Denise and Hugh are cooking tonight and the closest town is 15 miles away.

Allison arranged with a volunteer, Lori, a fellow cyclist, to come out and get them and take them shopping . . . nice!!! She was the local barber for twenty years and lives out on a ranch. THANK YOU LORI !

Typical results from our nightly shop. The yellow back is full of things that need to be on ice!!!

Predicted rains got us on the road early today as we headed 72 miles to Fargo and a layover day!!!  Yippee!!

Right of the campground we had a 6% mile long uphill through a construction zone. Those North Dakotans are so darn friendly . . . only a minimum $80 fine for speeding though a constructions zone. In others tastes the fines is hundreds of dollars and in some jail time is an option!!!!

On the way out we saw the bridge where Doc Mike almost got sucked down into the abyss as he waded out to take a birdbath into into what tuned out to be muck. Almost lost his shoes!

As most riding days there was the yin and the yang today. High humidity meant LOSTS of low level clouds, a blessing because it shielded the direct sun and made for a cool morning ride. Darn right pleasant . . .

 

. . .the yan, part of the road, relatively new paved, had NO SHOULDER. Hwy 46 seemed to be a major connector and had LOTS of traffic. Although North Dakotans are generally very courteous and move over into the other lane and give you a wide berth when passing, it was still many miles of ‘blue knuckle riding!!! A special note about the grain haulers later . . .

. . . so darn polite, North Dakotans post which routes should not be plowed during the  winter!!!!

Our first pass through town was Enderlin where most of thee gang pulled over to the local C-store for liquids. The road is awash with grain hauling trucks riding to and fro. Evidently the main elevators do not have enough room to store all the grain from last years harvest so much of it is kept on the local farms in bins.

The grain haulers are EXTERMELY courteous to bikers, either pulling into the other lane when passing you or if there is oncoming traffic, they do not try to ‘squeeze through’ but you can hear them coming to a near stop behind you, waiting for the oncoming car to pass, and then starting up again from low gear. They really put the ‘professional’ in the phrase professional trucker. The timber hauling cowboys in WA and ID could really take a lesson  from their ND driving cousins.

The major hubs have been shipping grain all winter and there is now room for last years surplus so the trucks are moving it from the farms to the elevators. Enderlin is a major shipping hub with at least three large facilities (that’s all I could see form the road) HUGE elevators, all on the rail line . . .

. . .  as you can see this is a BIG operation.

One of the country commissioners who was at the Sheyenne River campground when we pulled in told me that Enderlin had a major soybean processing plant. This looked looked like it. The plant extracts oil from the soybeans for non-human use, Much of it goes into making the bottles for the bottle water you buy in cases at your local grocery.

Allen goes off route for a bit to get a close up photo of this old church . . .  nice setting

Soon I met Laurie and Brian from Minneapolis who were heading to Astoria, OR . . .

. . . in the special doggy trailer they had a dachshund named , Lupee, who was enjoying a free ride. You can barely see him through the screen Hope he can take the heat as they head west!!!!

I felt sorry for this little doggie who was fenced in his own 40 acre pasture and separated from his neighbors. He was right at the fence line, loudly sounding off!!!!

North Dakotan humor . . . w e are in the Land of “Fargo’ , don’tch ya know!!!!

. . . about half way into the ride we came to Kindred, a great place for a little lunch stop. The weather had been beautiful, the sky had now cleared, and the temps were now 95, on the bike. No problem though . . . still under 100 degrees, which seems to have become our new norm!!!!

Fifteen miles out of Fargo we came to our first real detour of the trip. Loup Loup pass had been closed due to Mother Nature, but this 2 mile road closure of Hwy 17 was man made. The flooding problems that Fargo/Moorhead experience in the spring periodically is being ‘fixed’ by the Corp of Engineers with this major 2 mile water diversion to channel water away from the cities. Folks in Kindred told us it is VERY controversial and in the news daily. Evidently MN does not want to get on board and pay their share. ‘Hey, What happened to that Minnesota nice’????

The last ten miles into Fargo were along University Ave but on a paved bike trail. It stared here out her in the country . . .

. . . not in MN yet but it looks like ND’s support the Twinkies!!!!

. . .mmmmmmm not sure of the colors on this one. I don’t think this model would want to put a copy of this in her portfolio!!!!

. . . about 1 mile down the trail I could see a car backed into the trail and a person pacing back and forth. Oh boy.  I thought it might be someone we passed on the road who didn’t appreciate the space we were taking up. Although we have been ‘coal rolled’ since MT, there have been a few unhappy drivers who had to slow or wait to get around us. Had we made someone mad e. . .  NOOOOOOOOOOOO, just the opposite! It was a ‘road angel,’ Julie. A retired programmer for Blue Shield and a fellow biker. She had passed us on Hwy 16 (giving us a wide berth), went home and filled up a small cooler with Gatorade and came out to wait for us at the trail!!! We had a nice chat as I drank the ‘Blue’, my new favorite flavor,  that was ice cold . . .

. . . soon Good Mike arrived and was chugging down a cold water. We talked biking for a while and routes around Fargo. When we left Julie, she was on her way to get more Gatorade and tie up with the riders behind us. At our ‘debriefing’  later, we realized that the “Gatorade Lady’ had found just about all our riders. Thanks again Julie for making our entry into the Fargo area so pleasant, and safe riding!!!!

There was a threat of severe storms all day and the chances intensified in the afternoon. Allison decided we should motel it to stay out of the rain that could be around for the next two days. We are staying at the  ‘No-Name Motel” literally. I think it had been a big Ramada or Holiday in but then evidently changed ownerships and became the Vista. It was sold again and now had no name  . . . evidently they are attempting to get a Baymont Motel chain accreditation but it has taken some time. In the meantime, ’ No-Name’!!!

They have strict 3:00pm checking time and here you can see some of the gang ‘patiently’ waiting for their rooms after what ended up being a 75 mile day . . .

. . . again when the  fifteen of us arrive somewhere . . .we sort of take over the place. Just like James Dean in the ‘Wild Ones’!!!

. . . but we did have Rod to entertain us with his ‘Road Find of The Day’ !!!!

A final checking of the rooms and we were in. The staff arranged it so  we all had first floor rooms . . . yes, no hauling stuff of stairs!!!!

Rod and I are roomies this time around, and we both thought the digs looked grand. Running water, a flush toilet and clean sheets who could ask for more. Actually I could. An hour later, after a shower, I had my laundry washed and dried. NOW, I WAS READY TO STRETCH OUT A BIT!!!

Time to explore Fargo!!! Some walked to a local BBQ spot and five us took a shuttle to Downtown which was a happening place. Right out here on the Prairie . . . who knew!!! Lots of restaurants and young people, loft type housing and social activities going on in fact, read all about it here: Fargo is Competing with Silicon Valley to Build a Startup Community  Bernie and Corvin when to an ‘authentic German Beer Hall’ and Mark, Allison and I went to a Mediterranean restaurant. We decided we should eat something we can’t really find on the road in towns of pop. 100-300!!!!

. . . they have B-Cycle program, making it easy to get around town. Thank you but we brought our own!!!

An interesting mix of old and new. Still got the old signage around town, but you can see the windows are new. ‘Big-E-Nuf’ overalls . . . that’s a hoot!!!  Shoe findings, had to look that one up:  shoe findings – Shoemakers’ tools and supplies, with the exception of leather.

At Café Aladdin, sounds exotic for Fargo, not really? There ended up being quite an assortment of ethnic restaurant’s . . . a sure sign of a young population. Mark and Allison had the Combo Plate with Falafel . . .

. . . and I had the marinated Chicken Gyro. yummmmmmmmmmmmm . . .

We had agreed to meet at the German Bier Hall for ‘One for the Road’ before hailing our shuttle for a ride back to ‘No-Name’.

When we go there Corvin was just having his ‘Kucken’ dessert, with two scoops. Both he and Bernie had had the schnitzel which Corvin said was very authentic.. We all had a German beer before we left downtown for the night.

Tomorrow will be a day of resting, laundry, eating and recreation. Many will have their bikes into the shop for repairs and some needed body repair and healing too . . . it had been a tough week.

Two have colds (which we hope they are not passing around) One had extreme nausea and need to be trucked from the campground yesterday morning, Mark got a shin splint after tripping over a chain two days ago and hitched a ride from John the Beekeeper to Fargo. He has been applying hot and cold to his ankle religiously, as per Doc Mile’s instructions, and hopefully will be healed by tomorrow. Two of our gang collided on the path on the way in yesterday. One ended up with road rash and hit the pavement hard on his helmet . . . the other suffered a bent front wheel which will either be re-trued or if bent too, bad will need a new wheel!!

. . . tomorrow more exploring!!!

Lots of running around Fargo today.laundry, bike maintenance, resting and EATING!!!!!

I missed the group dinner tonight because I went to church but headed over to Doolittle’s for a nice steak

. . . started with a nice ‘tini while perusing the menu . . .

 

. . .and settled on a smoked hanger steak, horseradish mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach, washed down with a nice glass of vino . . .

. . .followed by a nice flourless  chocolate cake with mango/strawberry sauce. Had to get a spoon to finish it off!!

Tomorrow we head for MN, my home state!!!!

It was hard to get out of the comfy bed with multiple pillows this morning but somehow we managed to be down in the breakfast room at the ‘No-Name’ motel by 6:00am. Allen sleeps better in his sleeping bag, so he slept on top of the mattress and spread, in his sleeping bag and using his own pillow!!!!

Soon we ‘snuck’ out of Fargo, south of Moorhead, and entered MN on 52nd St. No welcome to MN sign or fanfare and from the border,  things looked a lot like ND!!!!

. . . however the county roads here seemed to have fabulous shoulders. Good shoulder, no wind, overcast sky and no traffic . . .it was going to be a good day to be biking in Minnesota (did I mention it is my home state?) !!!!

. . . and a round about!!!!  The last round about I remember seeing was in Coleville, WA!!!!

MN treat their pets right. A Grand Suite for a single dog . . . $28/night. I checked!!!

. . . and we are starting to see some color again instead of just the green, green and more green from corn and soybeans!!!

. . . however I do love riding by wheat fields. Must have something to to with liking to have things orderly and in a row. The wheat grows so uniformly it always looks like the field just had a ‘flat top’ haircut. Butchy!!!!

 

. . .ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  she is sleeping. Beautiful bird.

Oh there is some elevation change in MN. Nice thing about it, is when you get to the top there is usually a turn, some woods or a farm. NOT 12 more miles of straight road as far as the eye can see!!!! (Like in ND and MT)

Our first village out of Fargo/Moorhead was only 6 miles down the road, Sabian. Unfortunately, is was 7:00am on a Sunday morning and nothing was open!!! On to Downer, the next town 15 miles down the road . . .

Not sure what this is all about . . . got to look it up!!!

We rode over Interstate 94 for the last  time as we head to the east coast . . .

Next town down the road was Downer. The Bar and Grill and the C-Store, both in the same converted storage garage were both closed . . . what a downer!!!

. . . there was a sign right outside Downer that was funny. Godfather . . .exterminating . . . cement overshoes . . .

. . . but it ended up being for pests (not the two legged variety)!!!!

. . .some farmers may have not have enough to do once the crops are in the ground and the tilling is done. This farmer must own land on each side of the road, for at least a mile, and has placed old boots and shoes on EVERY fencepost . . .

. . .he must have had some left over because he add extras to phone and utility poles!!!

. . . this was the third Town Hall like this we have seen in the last hour. All VERY orderly and neat looking. The Minnesota way!!!!

We saw several of Dewey’s trucks on the road this morning and here was his headquarters. I didn’t notice the logo on his trucks, but he has it on his corporate sign!!!!

We came upon the first what I consider to look like a typical MN lake. Middle Cormorant Lake . . . only 9,999 more lakes to see down the road!!!!

Right outside of Cormorant was the Covenant Lutheran Church which was having it’s Sunday 10:00am service outside.Nice weather and nice setting!!!!

In Cormorant, at mile 41, Mark and I pulled into the C-store for some Powerade and David and Corvin pulled into the restaurant. You know you are in tourist country by the price of snacks. Since MT, the Powerade (made by Cola-Cola) has been on what seems like a nationwide special, 2 for $3.00. In Cormorant it was 1 for $2.69 !!!!!

. . . across the street was the Cormorant Bottle Shop . . . a typical scene what you might see in WI or just about any other state, except MN until just a a month or two ago. You can see the OPEN sign illuminated which until recently would not have been the case on a Sunday because no liquor was sold on Sundays. It REALLY use to mess up emJay and my visits to MN if we rolled in on a Sunday and need some ‘hooch’. Sometimes we would forget to bring it from WI !!!! One time,coming up from her mothers in DSM, we had to double back 10 miles to IA to buy some vino when we realized we didn’t have any and it was Sunday in MN. Welcome to the 21st Century MN !!!

Things were running smooth until be got on Hwy 9 for the last 20 miles to Pelican Rapids, our home for the night. Two detours that we ended up riding through. The first was through a lake community that was getting a new road and sidewalk. The sidewalk was already in, so Mark and I rode on it for 5 miles until the pavement appeared again . . .

. . . that worked until we were 5.5 miles from Pelican Rapids when the road disappeared. The gravel was hard packed and ready for new asphalt and if one stayed on the side, the riding was OK. AND there were thousands of Monarch type butterflies flying 360 degrees around you to look at. REALLY nice and much better than mosquitos. Only downside is there were many cars cutting through on the road too and the dust was stifling. No wind, so it hung in the air a LONGGGG time.

. . .in fact I started coughing up _____ as I passed this rural mailbox. Funny last name!!!!

. . . but after 59 miles we landed in Pelican Rapids, out home for the night. EVERYTHIG here is all about the Pelican . . .

We are staying in the Sherin City Park, set up on the right side of this reservoir. Nice setting . . .

. . . with our own ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ . . .

. . . nice (even though, as usual, in these settings the bathrooms and showers leave a little to be desired)

. . . what may be the LARGEST pelican in the world, located at the spillway of the lake . . .

. . . even the local FD got in the act . . .

. . . with a Dalmatian pelican.

I wrote today’s journal entry in a McDonalds and there were two old boys sitting across from me talking what old guys talk about.  I heard them both say they were both 87 years old. When one of them left, the other tried to strike up a conversation with me. At one point he asked me if I was doing my homework!!!!!  . . . when I looked up I saw he had glasses that looked like coke bottles. I am 64 you know!!!!

Tomorrow is a short 39 miles to my sister Snaren, and her husband Bobs’, home where we will be spending the day swimming, cavorting and lounging. A mini-rolling layover day of sorts. Yipeee!!!

It was going to be a GREAT day. Only 39 miles to Karen and Bob’s house which would leave plenty of time to splash around in the lake . . .

. . . and what a way to start our the day riding along quiet lakes with no traffic . . .

We entered Otter Tail county home of Karen and Bob as well as 58,000 other happy otters and 1,048 lakes!!!!

. . . a typical ‘Mom and Pop’ resort that had it hay day on the 1950-70’s. Many of these type of resorts have been split up and sold of as individual cabins and properties. When we were kids we went to one near Walker, MN name Wi-Wi-Ta. Great memories!!!!

. . . a little library on wheels . . . yeah, a bookmobile!!!!

. . .a blast from the past. I’m sure in it’s day this is where the local fisherman hung out and swapped ‘tall tales’ regarding fishing.

. . . mmmmm, looks like we are out on the western front . . .

I met Jan, Cynthia and Missy out for a morning walk enjoying the quiet morning and cool temps.

Soon we arrived at the Phelps Mill, a must see in Ottertail County. The county took possession in the 1960’s and the facility is very well preserved. Three flours of wheat processing . . .

. . .all powered by a water turbine . . . as time went on an addition was added and a second turbine . . .

. . . amazing craftsmanship. Much of the machinery, including the elevator tubes were made of wood!!!!

. . . back on the road with 15 miles to the lake. You could smell tis guying coming on before you could see him!!!!

. . . sounds like a local issue in OT County. Will have to ask Bob what it is all about . . .

. . . which came first, the Dead Lake or the Dead Lake due to invasives????? Funny name for a lake!!!

Nice to be cycling along the birding trail. In WI we have one of these routes too in the northern third of the state. Brings in revenue to the local service providers from a non-motorized cliental (except for their vehicle of course which they use to drive from site to site)

. . . speaking of driving we soon wheel into the Karen and Bobs’ . . .

. . . they made us feel immediately ‘at home’!!!!

. . . my sister Roxanne had come up from the Mpls too so it was sort of a family reunion for us. They had snacks and food out ALL day, including lunch, afternoon goodies, dinner and dessert. The wine,beer and soda flowed freely too!!!!

David started on a sitting raft . . .

. . . so did ‘Good Mike’ who was also enjoying a Leinees’s beer from WI!!!!!

Denise decide to do some paddleboard yoga . . . and she didn’t fall off!!!!

. . .soon David graduated to the paddleboard . . .

. . . Wade was chilling an grinnin’ . . .

. . . soon the cover came off the jets ski’s and away we went . . .

Corvin and Dr Mike tearing up the lake. They used the yellow keys for the machines which allow them to go up to 70 mph!!!

. . . David got in the act too . . .

Bob brought out ‘Super Mabel’ for her maiden voyage. It is supposed to handle three adult size riders . . .

. . . the three WoJo’s were the first to give it a try . . .

. . . away we went

Bob pulled us with one of the jet ski’s and it was quite a ride . . .

. . .once Mabel planed off it was a wild ride . . . soon Karen and Roxanne said THAT’S ENOUGH AND BACK TO SHORE E WENT.!!!!

Wade, David and Mike then took a ride. Wade got flipped out and soon the plug from the air bladder popped pout and Mabel filled with water. Bob ‘towed’ the whole operation back to shore. We drained Mabel and soon she will be ready for a air refill and more fun!!!

It was time for dinner and Bob was the grill master . . . teriyaki marinated chicken breasts . . .YUM . . .

Karen gives the official ‘Come and get it’ . . .

. . with loaded potatoes, carrots, cheese bread and scmoodie with fresh fruit!!!!

. . . and Mark came back for seconds!!!!!

. . . dishes were cleaned up and soon it was time for our nightly map meeting regarding our route tomorrow. The first 20 miles would be to ‘get us back on track’ . .

Rod gave out a few awards . . .

. . . including a ‘scraper’ he found along the way as a thank you to Karen and Bob for ‘scraping’ something together for us to eat!!!!

We turned out 44th day on the road at Karen’s and Bob’s which marks the half way point of our 88 day adventure. We are at the half way mileage point too. Allison has been carrying candles to mark the occasion and the temps in her panniers has gotten so hot the zero melted!!!

. . .but she bought another one at Larry’s in Battle Lake. then  umbers were added to the brownie trifle Karen had made for dessert . . .

. . . and there wasn’t any left by the time we got done wit hit!!!

We had a GREAT time at Karen and Bob’s and it was a well deserved break off the bike and a GREAT way to celebrate our half way point. Thanks again to you two, and Roxanne for being such great hosts. We didn’t want to leave!!!!

Everyone slept VERY WELL last night as they scattered their pads and sleeping bags about the house. The only one to sleep outside was Allen, who is always more comfortable SLEEPING IN HIS OWN SLEEPING BAG, with his own pillow in his own tent.

Allison and I had kitchen duty today so we went shopping yesterday for breakfast and lunch goodies. No need for the French presses this morning because Karen has a 30 cup percolator. Wade is ALWAYS an early riser and was the first one down for the . . .

. . .  5:30am morning ACA tour ‘rush’. Easy to manage this morning with the ample counter space.  A nice change from trying to serve breakfast and lunch off a single picnic table . . .

. . . when I went to empty the percolator there was no coffee left!!!! I wonder why?????

. . . soon we all said goodbye, gave Karen and final hug and Bob a handshake and we were on the paved trail into Battle Lake . . . nice start to the morning!!!!

. . . we said goodbye to the ‘Big Chief’ who looks out over Battle Lake.  The name of the town and lake comes from the frequent Indian nation battles, between tribes, that occurred in the area . . .

. . . quiet in BL as we rolled through at 7:00am . . .

We are hoping as we roll further east we see more and more of these type of early morning, second breakfast, options . . .

. . . including ones like this . . .

. . . YIKES, who have it all!!!!

Saw this old bug on the way out of town, across from Larry’s Supermarket. Reminded me of the ‘bug’ I had in high school. many, many years ago  . . .

. . . I guess if you take the local ‘make up’ class . . .

. . . you can work wonders like this restoration!!!!

. . . nice scenery as we rolled west on Hwy 78. Plenty of time to look around because we had a headwind for the first twenty miles of the day and the last ten miles into Sauk Centre . . .

. . . too far off the road to get ‘inspired’ this morning . . .

. . and I had my own moment of ‘inspiration’ when as I passed the sign above the master link on my chain broke!!!!

. . . have never heard of that happening before, but I guess after 2,000+ miles on a 60 pound loaded bike, any thing can happen! A replaced link inserted and I was on the road again.

The middle 40 miles of todays ride was on the Lake Wobagon Regional Trail network, part of the MN ‘Rails to Trails’ program . . .

. . . nicely paved trails that were wide, paved and in good shape. WI could take a lesson here . . .

. . . and with trees lining the trail, they helped keep the headwinds to a minimum . . . nice!!!!

Corvin has become quite the ‘American junk food junkie” . . . he seems to live on Gatorade and chips. How many bags of chips can you see in this shot????

Soon we got West Union where I met Sue and her grandchildren Megan and Logan. We had a nice chat about touring and Sue was very interested in our adventure . . .

. . .I went in the store to get some Gatorade and met Florence, who at 93 years young, is still helping stock the shelves at the store she once owned. It’s still in the family and Florence still shows up everyday to help out. What an inspiration!!!!

. . back on the trail it looked like there had been a recent running race . . . Lover Boy and Hot mama . . . mmmmmmmmmmm

We pulled into Alexandria for a little break and found out about the Rhunestone. Evidently there is a theory that the Vikings discovered America early on and left an inscribed stone describing the whole journey. Evidently the theory hasn’t caught on nation wide, but the Chamber of Commerce is happy to provide you with a museum tour for $7.00!!!!!

After 72 miles, we finally reached Sauk Centre, our home for the night. Good Mike has a Bassett hound at home in Phoenix and quickly made friends with this pooch . . .

Sauk Center is the home of the US author, Sinclair Lewis. The town has a real ‘Main Street’ feel . . .

. . . with lots of GREAT murals

. . . oh yeah, you know you are back in the Midwest when you see meat raffles!!!!