Rest Day in Duluth August 6 - We are in Duluth, Blues festival this week end but we will be on our way to Wisconsin. I will have to go back to Minneapolis to pickup Dana for her trip to the Mayo Clinic. Bob Dylan was born here but grew up about 40 miles west in Hibbing. Did not get a chance to see Bob Dylan Way or take in some of the Bob stuff available in Duluth. More later.
Sandy Lake Campground to Duluth August 5 - We took off from Sandy around 8ish on brand new fresh asphalt brought to us with Obama bucks, federal economic stimulus funds. This was a pleasant change from some of the rough roads we encountered in the previous days in this part of Minnesota. We got off of the new road and onto a nice quite road pretty much to Carlton MN where we got on the Munger Bike Trail. I was having a good day riding feeling fairly strong and we all shot right into Duluth about 2 blocks from the Indian Point Campground along Lake Superior. The accommodations were not as nice as Grand Rapids or Sandy but served our needs.
Grand Rapids MN to Sandy Lake Campgrounds August 4 - We couldn't leave GR without breakfast at Dottie's Cafe. Don and Mary ate their the night before or at least noted its presence. Breakfast was very good at Dottie's and a there were several locals who spoke with us about our ride. One local had tried to do a cross country previously and on the same route as we are taking. His story was that we was jealous of us as he only made it to eastern Washington, got a ride to Spokane and left his bike behind as he had no way to transport. I believe he had some health issues associated with a fluid filled lung. He told us if he had know we were in town we could have stayed at his home!? Braden and another local struck up a conversation about the ride and some observations about travel in general. The local stated and confirmed my suspicion that Grand Rapids had no rapids. He also maintained that did Grand Rapids MI and Great Falls MN had no falls, either. After pancakes and other breakfast fare at Dottie's we headed out toward Sandy Lake. Yet another local (a guy with a fishing motif t-shirt that said "Gittin Any") told of a back way out of town that turned out to be a low traffic paved road that work out well for us. We stopped at a convenience store and heard that Art and Jon, our Maine friends, had been their the day before. This campground has earned 4 gold stars from our group. Everything at the camp was great and the camp host even delivered us with some firewood. We all cooked dinner at the campgrounds and turned in around 10 pm which is pretty much our normal time.
Pennington MN to Grand Rapids August 3 - A little longer ride today and it was delayed by a very heavy fog. We hung out in Pennington at a small grocery store for about an hour waiting for the fog to lift. The ride was very scenic through the Chippewa National Forest I believe with some tail wind. Don's sister met us at a small restaurant in Bena about half way and brought along some snacks for later which consisted of smoked salmon and whitefish, salmon spread and a pecan pie. From Bena we headed past Lake Winnibigoshnish to Ball Club and on into Grand Rapids. I haven't seen any rapids and this town is not to be confused with Grand Rapids, MI. Grand Rapids is the largest town we have stayed in in awhile, we sampled the Don and Mary's smoked salmon and went different directions into town for food, library public computers/wireless and other needs. Grand Rapids was a great town and the fairgrounds camping was outstanding, good showers, laundromat, clean with lots of trees and it sets next to a lake, mosquitoes were minimal. We liked this town nice amenities beautiful library, Art and Jon from Maine our previous riding partners had stayed there the night before.
Avay Up Nort Campgrounds (adjacent to Itasca State Park) to Pennington MN August 2 - We continue to have some nice cycling weather but did run into some rain today the most since we left Anacortes, WA. The rain wasn't terrible but did get shoes and socks wet. Once it quit raining the ride was very nice. We had lunch (BBQ) and saw Paul Bunyan with Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji. The ride was mostly dry and we ended up at a campground outside the tiny town of Pennington after about a 1/2 mile of ride on a dirt road. We enjoyed warm showers, laundry and a nice lodge in the basement of the camp office. Of note was the laundry, in order to dry our clothes it took two of us to get the dryer going. One to hold the dryer door switch and spin the tumbler and the other to push the start button. In the beginning we had three of us doing this one on the stuck tumbler, one on the door switch and the other hitting the start button. A nice little extra after a day of wetness. The place wasn't great but adequate for our needs and right on a beautiful fishing lake. Early to bed here, prior to going to my tent I fell asleep at the lodge in the only recliner I have seen since leaving Wichita, I nearly knocked Braden over to get to it. After a nap in the recliner in the "lodge" I and the others all went to our tents fairly early so the mosquitoes would not haul us off. These mosquitoes are nasty and plentiful up here.
Calloway MN to Avay Up Nort August 1 - Left Calloway and headed toward Itasca State Park famous for being at the headwaters of the Mississippi. The Mississippi is so small you can walk across it at this point. Itasca is also one of the most popular parks in Minnesota so we could not get a spot at the campground and ended up at the Avay Up Nort, we are definitely in Norwegian country here. We had a nice camping area at Avay Up Nort and the owner came by with firewood to tell us some Ole and Lena as well as Ole and Sven jokes. The owner also told us that his wife was 100 percent Norwegian and that he thought it would be fun to name the camp something catchy playing off of the Norwegian accent of the region, doncha know. We were joined by a motorcyclist, Keith from Philadelphia, who hung with us until it was escape the mosquitoes/bed time. Keith was headed to Idaho on his Suzuki and shared some touring stories of a car wreck and later ghosts at one of his camp sites. Eerie stuff, can't wait until morning to get away from the mosquitoes and down the road.
Moorhead to Calloway July 31 - We leave for Calloway with Jim and head out through some unpaved roads to Highway 10 and on to Calloway. Somewhere about 5 miles or so out Jim says his goodbyes to us, in addition to those we said back at the KOA. Jim is heading back to Detroit area and his job as a funeral director. Thanks for the good times Jim and I will enjoy sitting in the fine baby blue camp chair you sold me!! Biggest incident of the day was Braden's rapid tailwind ride past our turn to Calloway. I was sure Braden was never coming back until the border patrol stopped him at the Canadian border. Somehow he realized we were not with him and finally turned back. We got to tiny Calloway after a brief lunch in Hitterdal. Calloway had nice city park for camping and a brand new convenience store with wind turbines supplying their power. It rained and we all took a nap in our tents waiting out the rain. Some fixed dinner at the camp site and some ate at the convenience store. Everyone slept well and we had a little more rain.
Rest Day Fargo/Moorhead July 30 - Decided to rest and have some maintenance done today on Jim's bike and the support vehicle (Roger's Ranger truck). Prior to running these errands in Fargo Art and Jon bid farewell (the two from Maine who had ridden with us since Republic, Washington) to us. Art said a prayer for us and mentioned Dana in his prior regarding her upcoming visit to the Mayo Clinic. It was sad to see Art and Jon go but we knew they would be leaving us since their route to Maine will take them on a different path than ours to Washington DC. Hopefully we will meet up again with Art and Jon on BAK (http://www.bak.org/) or on a Prince Edward Island ride in the future. Also sad was Gary's departure, he decided to go back with Ardith to Wichita citing his previous shoulder injury as a factor. Our rest day group is now down to the original 6 of us plus Jim from Detroit who will ride out tomorrow with us and head southeast somewhere down the road.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
We are flying through ND thank you NW wind
Arthur to Fargo/Moorhead July 29, 2009 - We said goodbyes to our visitors again at Arthur and "blew into Fargo". Our first stop was to get some parts at the local bike store for Jim's bike, I got some shorts since I have worn out at least 1 pair. The camping location we had planned on was along the Red River in Fargo. Due to flooding we were told camping was no longer allowed at that location in Fargo. We crossed the river into Minnesota into Moorhead and are camping at the KOA outside of town. It is rainy and not the best conditions but we are taking a rest day so regardless of conditions a day of rest will be appreciated. Hello Minnesota!
Cooperstown to Arthur July 28, 2009 - We started off the day with all 21 or so of us biking out to Oscar-0 at the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Command Site. We were given a great tour of the site including a trip 60 feet down to the actual command center where the missiliers could have launched nuclear armed minutemen missiles if needed. This site is similar to those that surrounded Wichita. Since the end of the Cold War with the USSR most of these sites have been closed or abandoned. North Dakota decided to acquire this site as a historical attraction. The visit reminded me of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the cold war and Dr. Strangelove. Once the tour was over we had a good breakfast in Cooperstown and a fast tailwind ride to Arthur. Arthur was a nice little town with a town mall that included government offices, showers, a grocery store and other services. Many of last night's riders also stayed over in Arthur in the city park.
Cooperstown to Arthur July 28, 2009 - We started off the day with all 21 or so of us biking out to Oscar-0 at the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Command Site. We were given a great tour of the site including a trip 60 feet down to the actual command center where the missiliers could have launched nuclear armed minutemen missiles if needed. This site is similar to those that surrounded Wichita. Since the end of the Cold War with the USSR most of these sites have been closed or abandoned. North Dakota decided to acquire this site as a historical attraction. The visit reminded me of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the cold war and Dr. Strangelove. Once the tour was over we had a good breakfast in Cooperstown and a fast tailwind ride to Arthur. Arthur was a nice little town with a town mall that included government offices, showers, a grocery store and other services. Many of last night's riders also stayed over in Arthur in the city park.
Cooperstown Biker Rendevous July 27, 2009
On the evening of July 27 in Cooperstown we heard down town at the Oasis Bar and at the library too that more bicyclists had come into town. When we all got back to the City Park we found a good size group of cross country bikers. My apologies to those whose name I omitted or got wrong but I believe we had Tracy from Arizona, Maggie and Joe from New Hampshire (who knew our Art from a an experience at Art's bicycle shop in Buckfield, Maine) who were headed west and eastbounders Kali, Scott, Mark and Dan. This is in addition to Eli from NYC, Bob and John from NY and CA respectively as well as Art and Jon who have been with us since Republic, WA. There were 21 bikers in total. To top it off Mary's parents came up from Wichita to visit. It was an exciting time in Cooperstown. We all a great time exchanging stories and experiences, we even all got together for a group picture. The local Eco Devo person got wind of our numbers and stopped by to set up a special tour of a new historical site outside of Cooperstown which is a decommissioned missile site. Tomorrow the group is invited to a special tour of the missile silo. Here come the mosquitoes bedtime.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Latest from the road
Tolna to Cooperstown July 27, 2009 - Breakfast in Tolna was very good Belgium waffle, sausage and eggs. The cafe is supported by the city after Tolna lost its only restaurant. Favorable winds blew us past Petkin and on to Cooperstown before noon. Our bike group is growing we have young Ely from NYC who teaches in Portland OR, Tom from upstate NY and FL, John from California, Art and Jon from Maine and the 6 of us Kansans. Received my new ATM card and some bike shorts from home, have time to do laundry, catch up on this blog, and do a lot of other "housekeeping jobs". We are moving well through North Dakota we are still on schedule and will be in Fargo in two days. We will definitely take a rest day in Fargo before we move on to Minnesota.
Minnewaukan to Tolna July 26, 2009 - The local rock and roll band played until 11:30 p.m. for the town festival. We enjoyed Minnewaukan the walleye and pike fish fry and the great hospitality. After a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage at the local American Legion (part of the festival festivities) we were off to Petkin. As it turned out we stayed in Tolna which shortened our ride. I set out without real good directions and almost missed a turn but fortunately ran into the Smith's (Road Angels) from Syracuse, NY who had Adventure Cycling maps and got me on the right road. Their blog
is http://web.me.com/hsmith11/Site/Cycling_West/Entries/2009/7/26_Two_Eggs_Over%2C_Hard.html The route took me by a big Pow Wow event in Fort Totten and some exciting group fishing along Devil's Lake. Due to more services and food in Tolin a last minute decision was made to finish in Tolna rather than Petkin. Art from Maine missed the message and settled in Petkin, 7 miles down the road. I mention this because somehow Art was able to borrow the Cadillac convertible of the lodge owner in Petkin. I am sitting in the park in Tolin and Art pulls up in Cadillac trying to recruit us to come over to Petkin. As it turns out we stayed in Tolna and Art stayed in Petkin. Had an awesome pork roast and stuffing dinner from the local cafe. Those of us who stayed in Tolna hung out at the local bar, only water for me and told bike stories until bed time.
Minnewaukan to Tolna July 26, 2009 - The local rock and roll band played until 11:30 p.m. for the town festival. We enjoyed Minnewaukan the walleye and pike fish fry and the great hospitality. After a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage at the local American Legion (part of the festival festivities) we were off to Petkin. As it turned out we stayed in Tolna which shortened our ride. I set out without real good directions and almost missed a turn but fortunately ran into the Smith's (Road Angels) from Syracuse, NY who had Adventure Cycling maps and got me on the right road. Their blog
is http://web.me.com/hsmith11/Site/Cycling_West/Entries/2009/7/26_Two_Eggs_Over%2C_Hard.html The route took me by a big Pow Wow event in Fort Totten and some exciting group fishing along Devil's Lake. Due to more services and food in Tolin a last minute decision was made to finish in Tolna rather than Petkin. Art from Maine missed the message and settled in Petkin, 7 miles down the road. I mention this because somehow Art was able to borrow the Cadillac convertible of the lodge owner in Petkin. I am sitting in the park in Tolin and Art pulls up in Cadillac trying to recruit us to come over to Petkin. As it turns out we stayed in Tolna and Art stayed in Petkin. Had an awesome pork roast and stuffing dinner from the local cafe. Those of us who stayed in Tolna hung out at the local bar, only water for me and told bike stories until bed time.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Little City by the Big Lake
In case you missed it previously we have posted pictures on Picasa at the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kansasjack/BikeAcrossAmerica?authkey=Gv1sRgCIO0jfLJqPesIw#slideshow/5360340668505928402
Rugby, ND to Minnewaukan ND July 25, 2009 - We had a great day today cruising through the North Dakota countryside from Rugby. Two years ago Braden, Roger, Lynda and others from Wichita did the week long CANDISC bike ride and Rugby was one of our overnight stays so we were in familiar territory, we camped at the Rugby fairgrounds. The ride from Rugby to Minnewaukan (The little city by the big lake) was about 60 miles. It has been the consensus that today was one of best cycling days we have had in some time. Had a great lunch in Esmond. We are staying at the city park along Devil's Lake as Minnewaukan celebrates its 126th year. Part of the celebration includes a walleye fish fry tonight which we will partake of. As I blog away I hear the local librarian mention that there is concern that Minnewaukan could flood from Devils Lake so they are fearful that 127th celebration may not happen with the lake growing in size. In 3 days we will leave North Dakota and enter the great state of Minnesota.
Minot, ND to Rugby, ND July 24, 2009 - We left Sandy and Terry's after a breakfast of homemade egg, Canadian bacon and cheese muffins. Down the steepest hill in Minot to Railroad Avenue and out of the back of Minot. We had quite a few miles with no shoulder on a 4 lane highway, Route 2. We all had lunch in Towner a community we had camped in previously during CANDISC. After lunch Art and Braden went to the local park for a nap. Art reports he woke up much later in the afternoon and was abandoned by Braden who evidently woke and left him sleeping in the park. All was well however as we all reunited in the Cenex station at Rugby. There was some confusion where we would be staying but we all ended up at the right location-the fairgrounds.
Makoti, ND to Minot, ND July 23, 2009 - We arrived in Minot where Sandy of Minot (we met her on CANDISC bike ride in 2007) had graciously offered her house for the night. Sandy had left her home open for us and we started showering in shifts. Sandy's husband Terry came home but was aware of our visit and a great host. One of our group, Jim, while showering broke the shower head off. Jim came walking out of the shower with shower head in hand and handed it to Terry. Terry found the accident amusing, Jim on the other hand was very embarrassed. That evening we had a hamburger cookout and did our nightly stupid road treasure activity. All 11 of us slept at Sandy's on the floor, on couches and in spare bedrooms. We really appreciated the hospitality of Terry and Sandy and still a little embarrassed about the shower incident. Thanks again Sandy and Terry!
Newtown to Makoti, ND July 22, 2009 - We left Newtown at a reasonable good time after we had a great omelet breakfast that we prepared in our motel room. The day was pretty easy with more hills but good winds. We all arrived outside of Makoti at our favorite meeting spot the local CENEX station and convenience store. Upon entering Makoti a home sign said Makoti next 6 exits hard to believe with 139 population. Makoti had 6 streets. Makoti was small but had a beautiful city park with showers available at the Thrashers building out by the elevators. We had a nice evening at Makoti with very few mosquitoes.
Lund's Landing to Newtown July 21, 2009 - Gary's truck had a dead battery, Loony Lund said he had no jumper cables although everyone thought he did. We happily left Lund's Landing and headed for Newtown with lots of hills but a pretty ride along the banks of Lake Stephenson. We arrived in Newton mid-afternoon, ate and found a motel/laundromat. 5 of us stayed in one motel room but it was a big one with a stove, fridge, and usable shower. Most of did laundry, ate and made a visit to the local grocery store for supplies. Our biggest event here, other than clean laundry was to buy enough food for Art's morning omelet breakfast extravaganza. As I recall among other things he bought 3 dozen eggs and 3 pounds of bacon. Breakfast will be served at 7 ish.
Willison, ND to Lund's Landing July 20, 2009 - A strange day was about to occur. We left Willison, Jon and I from a mosquito free motel and the rest of the crew from a mosquito invested park. We all stopped at a local bike shop which was actually just a small part of an auto repair and tire center to see about spokes and tires. We fought mosquitoes and hills to get out of Willison. I ended up cycling alone and at around mile 19 I was nervous about directions and had no map. Somewhere around Lake Sakakawea I stopped at a house and spoke with the occupant about directions to Lund's Landing. We said I was going the right way but that I should be aware that the owner of Lund's Landing had a temper. I arrived at Lund's Landing to find a great spot with a patio, showers, nice view of the lake. Braden thought we had a great spot and was told by the owner to make ourselves at home since he was closed for a few days. We all fixed some food a the landing and were having a great time until the owner showed up. We looked around a bit and spoke to a few of us and then when Art walked out of the shower area with dripping wet laundry the owner snapped and went into a tirade about the cost of water, septic tank maintenance, etc. To avoid further conflict we departed to the adjacent campsite and spent a lot of the next two days about our encounter with Loony Lund. Our camp site had no water and lots of mosquitoes. Fortunately Braden and I went back to the person I got directions from earlier and were able to fill several solar showers and numerous water bottles to get us through the night. We all hit the tents early to avoid mosquitoes.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kansasjack/BikeAcrossAmerica?authkey=Gv1sRgCIO0jfLJqPesIw#slideshow/5360340668505928402
Rugby, ND to Minnewaukan ND July 25, 2009 - We had a great day today cruising through the North Dakota countryside from Rugby. Two years ago Braden, Roger, Lynda and others from Wichita did the week long CANDISC bike ride and Rugby was one of our overnight stays so we were in familiar territory, we camped at the Rugby fairgrounds. The ride from Rugby to Minnewaukan (The little city by the big lake) was about 60 miles. It has been the consensus that today was one of best cycling days we have had in some time. Had a great lunch in Esmond. We are staying at the city park along Devil's Lake as Minnewaukan celebrates its 126th year. Part of the celebration includes a walleye fish fry tonight which we will partake of. As I blog away I hear the local librarian mention that there is concern that Minnewaukan could flood from Devils Lake so they are fearful that 127th celebration may not happen with the lake growing in size. In 3 days we will leave North Dakota and enter the great state of Minnesota.
Minot, ND to Rugby, ND July 24, 2009 - We left Sandy and Terry's after a breakfast of homemade egg, Canadian bacon and cheese muffins. Down the steepest hill in Minot to Railroad Avenue and out of the back of Minot. We had quite a few miles with no shoulder on a 4 lane highway, Route 2. We all had lunch in Towner a community we had camped in previously during CANDISC. After lunch Art and Braden went to the local park for a nap. Art reports he woke up much later in the afternoon and was abandoned by Braden who evidently woke and left him sleeping in the park. All was well however as we all reunited in the Cenex station at Rugby. There was some confusion where we would be staying but we all ended up at the right location-the fairgrounds.
Makoti, ND to Minot, ND July 23, 2009 - We arrived in Minot where Sandy of Minot (we met her on CANDISC bike ride in 2007) had graciously offered her house for the night. Sandy had left her home open for us and we started showering in shifts. Sandy's husband Terry came home but was aware of our visit and a great host. One of our group, Jim, while showering broke the shower head off. Jim came walking out of the shower with shower head in hand and handed it to Terry. Terry found the accident amusing, Jim on the other hand was very embarrassed. That evening we had a hamburger cookout and did our nightly stupid road treasure activity. All 11 of us slept at Sandy's on the floor, on couches and in spare bedrooms. We really appreciated the hospitality of Terry and Sandy and still a little embarrassed about the shower incident. Thanks again Sandy and Terry!
Newtown to Makoti, ND July 22, 2009 - We left Newtown at a reasonable good time after we had a great omelet breakfast that we prepared in our motel room. The day was pretty easy with more hills but good winds. We all arrived outside of Makoti at our favorite meeting spot the local CENEX station and convenience store. Upon entering Makoti a home sign said Makoti next 6 exits hard to believe with 139 population. Makoti had 6 streets. Makoti was small but had a beautiful city park with showers available at the Thrashers building out by the elevators. We had a nice evening at Makoti with very few mosquitoes.
Lund's Landing to Newtown July 21, 2009 - Gary's truck had a dead battery, Loony Lund said he had no jumper cables although everyone thought he did. We happily left Lund's Landing and headed for Newtown with lots of hills but a pretty ride along the banks of Lake Stephenson. We arrived in Newton mid-afternoon, ate and found a motel/laundromat. 5 of us stayed in one motel room but it was a big one with a stove, fridge, and usable shower. Most of did laundry, ate and made a visit to the local grocery store for supplies. Our biggest event here, other than clean laundry was to buy enough food for Art's morning omelet breakfast extravaganza. As I recall among other things he bought 3 dozen eggs and 3 pounds of bacon. Breakfast will be served at 7 ish.
Willison, ND to Lund's Landing July 20, 2009 - A strange day was about to occur. We left Willison, Jon and I from a mosquito free motel and the rest of the crew from a mosquito invested park. We all stopped at a local bike shop which was actually just a small part of an auto repair and tire center to see about spokes and tires. We fought mosquitoes and hills to get out of Willison. I ended up cycling alone and at around mile 19 I was nervous about directions and had no map. Somewhere around Lake Sakakawea I stopped at a house and spoke with the occupant about directions to Lund's Landing. We said I was going the right way but that I should be aware that the owner of Lund's Landing had a temper. I arrived at Lund's Landing to find a great spot with a patio, showers, nice view of the lake. Braden thought we had a great spot and was told by the owner to make ourselves at home since he was closed for a few days. We all fixed some food a the landing and were having a great time until the owner showed up. We looked around a bit and spoke to a few of us and then when Art walked out of the shower area with dripping wet laundry the owner snapped and went into a tirade about the cost of water, septic tank maintenance, etc. To avoid further conflict we departed to the adjacent campsite and spent a lot of the next two days about our encounter with Loony Lund. Our camp site had no water and lots of mosquitoes. Fortunately Braden and I went back to the person I got directions from earlier and were able to fill several solar showers and numerous water bottles to get us through the night. We all hit the tents early to avoid mosquitoes.
Monday, July 20, 2009
A Day in the Life and finally a new state
Culbertson, MT to Williston, ND July 19, 2009 - Early this morning both Don and I had rattlesnake encounters. On the previous day's ride Jim had mentioned that he heard a rattlesnake along the road and he stopped to take a picture of the rattler. Neither Don or I was able to photograph our rattlers. My encounter happened as I was cruising along the shoulder and heard a rattle, I swerved out to the roadway and looked back to seek a rattlesnake along the shoulder. No bites or strikes but I was very nervous about riding close to the shoulder for the rest of the day.
Since the trip started we have stayed in motels only 2 or 3 times, mostly we have been camping in RV parks, national park camp grounds, city parks and other facilities. The process works like this, a day or two out mostly Braden, Don and Art confer on where we might camp the next night or next few nights. Considerations are safety, water, showers, food-essentially Maslow's hierarchy of basic needs. Once a distance and a suitable camp is identified we depart. At our destination we have a basic routine - drinks, rest break, set up tents, shower, hand wash bike clothes, hang clothes to dry, get some food and prepare for the next day. Usually we are in the tents by 10 p.m. Culbertson was no different, up around 6:00 a.m. have some coffee and breakfast. Braden usually has a pot of hot water so that we can make an instant oatmeal breakfast and some coffee (I use a small french coffee press, works well).
I didn't mention that riding into Culbertson we had a huge hill to climb, leaving Culbertson was much flatter but about 15 miles out we had hills and road construction. For more than three miles we were on unpaved roads with hills which took us to the state line. At the state line was a Montana casino but nothing else other than a welcome to North Dakota sign that we posed by for a picture or two. The ride on into Williston was hilly but we had some good wind pushing us from the southwest. Although we are happy to be moving along our decision to rest in Williston has changed, too many mosquitoes and the rest room and shower facilities have issues. Braden and Don rigged up the solar shower in the only usable restroom, I chose to stay at the Marquis Plaza and Suites. Our rest day instead will be a short riding day to New Town, ND.
Since the trip started we have stayed in motels only 2 or 3 times, mostly we have been camping in RV parks, national park camp grounds, city parks and other facilities. The process works like this, a day or two out mostly Braden, Don and Art confer on where we might camp the next night or next few nights. Considerations are safety, water, showers, food-essentially Maslow's hierarchy of basic needs. Once a distance and a suitable camp is identified we depart. At our destination we have a basic routine - drinks, rest break, set up tents, shower, hand wash bike clothes, hang clothes to dry, get some food and prepare for the next day. Usually we are in the tents by 10 p.m. Culbertson was no different, up around 6:00 a.m. have some coffee and breakfast. Braden usually has a pot of hot water so that we can make an instant oatmeal breakfast and some coffee (I use a small french coffee press, works well).
I didn't mention that riding into Culbertson we had a huge hill to climb, leaving Culbertson was much flatter but about 15 miles out we had hills and road construction. For more than three miles we were on unpaved roads with hills which took us to the state line. At the state line was a Montana casino but nothing else other than a welcome to North Dakota sign that we posed by for a picture or two. The ride on into Williston was hilly but we had some good wind pushing us from the southwest. Although we are happy to be moving along our decision to rest in Williston has changed, too many mosquitoes and the rest room and shower facilities have issues. Braden and Don rigged up the solar shower in the only usable restroom, I chose to stay at the Marquis Plaza and Suites. Our rest day instead will be a short riding day to New Town, ND.
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