Day Thirty-six

Rugby, North Dakota – the geographic center of North America. Chuck gave me a scare today, and I thought I might not make it to Seattle by the end of July. But I definitely will. It’s true, I’ve had a few slow days and had to cut a few days short because of the heat, but I’m not really off schedule. As long as I do at least 55 miles a day, I’ll get there on time.

I did not sleep well last night, and I’m not sure why. Now that we have the mattress and blanket, I’ve been sleeping well in the tent, but it did get really chilly last night. I wasn’t really dressed for it, so that may have been the reason. I had hoped to see the other bikers before I left, but they weren’t up yet. I was on the road at 6:00, straight into the wind. It took me 2 ½ hours to make it to Esmond. Mitch had told us the restaurant in town was really good, so I was definitely ready for breakfast at that point. I had a little trouble finding it, but someone driving by helped me. I walked in and Chuck was sitting with one of the locals. I told him about something weird I had seen as I was approaching Esmond. “At first it looked like a big bird swooping around looking for a mouse. It just kept swooping up and gliding down. Then as I got closer, I thought it was a plane.” Without missing a beat, Chuck asked, “Then did you think it might be Superman?” That started one of our giggle fits.

I’ve had a lot of good breakfasts on this trip, but this was one of the best. We shared an order of pancakes, 2 eggs over easy, hash browns and toast. The pancakes were so good, I thought I was dreaming. They were light and fluffy and just melt in your mouth yummy! After that big breakfast, I needed to sit for a while, so I blogged while Chuck wrote music again. I can’t wait to hear what he’s writing!

I got back on the road, leaving Chuck to chat with the locals. They were interested in my bike ride, but not enough to make donations this time. That’s OK! We had a great breakfast in Esmond. The next stop was Rugby. I had hopes of making it to Towner, but it wasn’t looking good. I was so tired today, and definitely feeling it. Rugby was the end of the line for me. 60 miles today, not bad! We went to the only place in town that was still open for lunch: Pizza Hut. Not my first choice, but we had a pasta bake and some beer, and I felt better. There were some more cross-country bikers there, on their way to Philadelphia. We told them about the road closure near Fort Totten and they appreciated that.

We found a cheap campground and set up. I did some laundry and showered while Chuck took a nap. We found a great sandwich shop in town and got something called a Little Richard for dinner. It was a veggie panini with just the right amount of spice. A nice change from all the fried food we’ve had! I can’t believe I’m still awake. Time for bed!

Day Thirty-five

Today was a lot of riding straight into the wind. I did not sleep well at all last night, unfortunately. It was a small bed, not really big enough for both of us, so Chuck let me have the bed and he took the couch. But I couldn’t get comfortable. I got up at 5:30 and was on the road by 6:00. It was actually chilly this morning, and I needed my leggings and jacket. Right from the beginning, the wind was in my face. Chuck and I had agreed to meet for breakfast in Warwick.

Riding was slow, but I plodded along. I saw another deer and this time it ran along next to me for a while, leaping like it was on springs, and then finally it turned towards the road and ran across the road right in front of me. I noticed that it had an unusually long tail, almost like a golden retriever.

Chuck drove past me and went on to Warwick. A little while later, I got a text message from him: “Not much in Warwick except cell phone service.” We decided to have breakfast in Fort Totten, and actually ended up having a really cheap meal at a casino. $2.50 for make-your-own waffles, and they were so yummy! I got back on the road and it was a ROUGH ride to Minnewaukan (it means Spirit Water). It was very pretty going by Devils Lake, but I guess they have their hands full with the lake trying to spill its banks. They truck in gravel to make the roads higher, and it’s just a constant battle. The ride to Minnewaukan was full of 20 mph winds from the west, small shoulders, gravel trucks and flying gravel hitting me in the face.

Everything changed when I got to the town, and it turned into an extraordinary day. First, I ran into two bikers, a husband and wife, who were on their way to Bar Harbor. She was very excited to have lobster, being from Iowa. They couldn’t really understand why I was going east to west, but I explained it was just the way I had to do it. They advised me to avoid the ACA route around Williston, due to oil trucks. I recommended the Lodge we stayed at in Pekin and also the Bunkhouse in Dalbo.

It had taken me a long time to get to Minnewaukan, and Chuck was getting worried. While I was chatting with the Iowa couple, he called my cell phone. I had a little trouble finding the camp site, but Chuck found me with the car. I followed him back to the park, where he had already set up the tent and mattress. That man is a saint. I was craving a beer, so I changed my clothes and we went into town to see if the bar was open, but it was not. We stopped at the grocery store, where the mayor of Minnewaukan works (and perhaps owns it) and got some lemonades and ice creams. We asked when the restaurant and bar open, but they couldn’t really tell us. I guess they just open when they feel like it, but it’s usually around 4:00. It was only 2:30, so we went next door to the library to use their computers. They were having a book sale, so I got a cookbook called “Almost Vegetarian” for one dollar! I was very excited and can’t wait to get into it when I get home. I checked my e-mail and Facebook, and then we headed back to the park to work on my blog and have a lemonade. I was eating my rice crackers when one of those little critters that looks like a cross between a chipmunk and a woodchuck popped up. I threw him a cracker, and he snatched it up and nibbled away happily. Chuck said he looked like me when I have one! Well, they are my favorite crackers in the whole world. Hope I can find some more….

Another biking couple pulled up to camp for the night. I was very excited to talk to some fellow bikers. They were from California, on their way to Maine. They have a blog, so I got their card and I’ll check it out when we have internet again. We chatted for a while, and I invited them to join us at Miller’s Pub & Grub, now known as Rick’s, when they opened, but they declined. They had some leftover rotisserie chicken that they were going to have for dinner.

I read my book for a while, took a shower (yay) and we headed over to Rick’s. It was nice inside, and Rick was a very cool guy. Earlier, I had noticed that one of the doors was smashed. Not broken in, but the glass on the door was broken. Rick said someone had tried to break in the day before by smashing the door with a baseball bat. He said he had the whole thing on video tape. Even the guy peeing in the parking lot. I said, “That’s great! You have his DNA!” He replied, “Sorry, CSI North Dakota, this ain’t” Apparently, they knew who it was from the video anyway, so he’ll get a slap on the wrist, but that’s about it. But I whispered to Chuck that we should be sure to lock up the bikes tonight.

We looked at the menu, and it was the typical story. 99% of the options were meat, and the rest were fried. They had “beer battered jumbo shrimp” and that sounded good, so we ordered that with a baked potato. Rick said he had just put the baked potatoes on, so it would be another hour or so. We said, “That’s fine, we’ll hang out and have some fried mushrooms while we wait.” He asked, “Do you want a regular baked potato or twice baked?” We went for the twice baked, since it sounded good. The mushrooms weren’t bad, and we chatted with a man next to us from Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. He said he was 52, but he looked 10 years younger than that. He was interesting to talk to. His girlfriend had two kinds of cancer: brain cancer and lung cancer, so he really had his hands full. He worked long hours at a company that builds fire trucks.

The food came out and looked great…until I dug into the potato. It had bacon in it. I really didn’t expect that, but they’re all about the meat out here! We asked if we could have another one without bacon, and they were happy to oblige. The shrimp were awesome and the salad was tasty too. I went into the kitchen to shake Rick’s hand, and thank him for one of the best meals we’ve had on the trip.

When we got back to the park, there were more cross-country bikers, also headed east. Wish I could find someone heading west that I could ride with! This was a father and son team. Just amazing people. We really enjoyed talking to them and comparing notes about the trip. The father’s name was Mitch, and he gave me a donation for my ride. I really hope we can keep in touch with these people after this ride is over. I feel like this ride keeps getting better and better. Chuck and I are just amazed by it all.

Day Thirty-four

Did you know the second tallest structure in the world is in North Dakota? It's a TV tower, and we were able to see it, from 12 miles away. Pretty impressive...as far as TV towers go.

Today as I was riding, I looked down at my legs and did not recognize them as mine. My legs aren’t shaped that way! My legs don’t pump the pedals at 20 mph for mile after mile! But they are…and they do. We have no idea of the changes we are capable of. (Oh God, she’s going to get all philosophical now….) It’s true, if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that I have the power to change things in my life. I used to think that unhappiness was my lot in life. That’s not true for anyone!

We start out in this life as happy human beings. If that changes along the way, it’s because WE changed it. Change it back, please! I’ve realized that I have powers I never dreamed of. I have the power to make a difference in this life, and help people. This bike ride is evidence of that. Years ago, I never would have thought I could ride a bike across the United States. Now I know I can….wow, what else can I do? I’ve also realized that I have the power to make people smile. That’s a big one!

It’s a pretty cool world out there, full of cool people. I’m going to try to meet as many as I can, and when I find them, I’m going to keep them in my life. For example, I have two awesome friends from my past: Kevin and Gino. I let distance come between us, and I didn’t keep in touch with them. My friends are so important to me, I don’t want to let that happen again.

Anyway, today was a very strong day on the bike. I got an early start, at 6:00, and happily discovered a Port-a-Potty behind the school in Hope. I had an excellent night’s sleep, so I was ready to ride! Chuck said he’d meet me in Cooperstown for breakfast. I got there at 8:00 and had a fabulous breakfast of a pancake, two eggs over easy and homefries. The coffee was the best we’ve had in a long time, too. We met some great people there, and one of them bought our breakfast and gave me a little extra too.

My destination for the day was Pekin. There was a place recommended by the ACA called the Prairie View Lodge. I flew down the road to Pekin. I think I averaged 20 mph because I got up to 30 a few times. It was an incredible ride. I love getting an early start! It was nice and cool, and all the birds were busy gathering their breakfast. I saw my first North Dakota deer, too. The beauty was just incredible; have you ever felt like you were inside one of your dreams? That’s how it was, like I was living a dream I had once, where I was surrounded by waving fields and rolling hills, a few lakes and healthy, strong, beautiful trees.

We stopped at the Lodge and told them what we’re doing. They said they could give us a discount as a donation. They gave us a room, which doubles as their office, for half price. We drove to Tolna and had lunch at a place called the “Friends and Neighbors Café”. Grilled cheese and mashed potatoes, and Chuck got a rhubarb malt (malts are popular out west). It was SO yummy, I probably drank most of it!

Now we’re hanging out in the room. Chuck’s writing music and I’m blogging. I’m glad we got the room (they offered us a tent site for free), since I keep hearing thunder and it was pouring rain a little while ago. I’d love another day of riding like today! I need to do some maintenance on my bike though. Off to work!

Day Thirty-three

Today was the Fourth of July and I had a bit of a scare. I’ll tell ya, folks…North Dakota is a whole different ballgame from the rail trail in Minnesota!

I got a late start today, 11:00. It was just hard to leave the comfort of our hotel room, plus we needed to do some laundry and repack the cooler, etc. We took advantage of the free breakfast the hotel offered. I had a bagel with scrambled eggs and Chuck had a cinnamon roll and some cereal. Chuck drove me to the start of my route for the day. It was pretty hot starting out. I rode out of Fargo along the train tracks. A train went by and I waved to the engineer. I passed a few small towns, but everything was shut up tight for the holiday. I found some shelter from the sun in Argusville on the deck of a bar that was closed, and I enjoyed my peanut butter and oats Fiber One bar. Those are so yummy!

Chuck and I had agreed to meet for lunch in Arthur. Chuck said, “But, don’t you get caught between the moon and New York City!” He’s so good for comic relief! I rode into Arthur and Chuck had set up some chairs under a tree. We had tuna sandwiches, cole slaw and chips. This is where I had trouble. We agreed to meet 20 miles down the road in Page. It was the hottest part of the day and the wind was blowing hard in my face. I started to get fatigued, and I realized there was no cell phone service. I persevered, knowing that Chuck would be coming along. I checked my mirror frequently, watching for the car, but no sign of it. It’s a scary feeling, being out there in the heat, with no hope of shelter. I started to feel a little nauseous, which I recognize as a sign of heat stroke. I saw a big mechanical box, some kind of power station, and pulled off the road to get some shade there. I felt much better after that. I decided it would be wise to wait for Chuck to come by, instead of riding the 8 miles to Page.

Eventually, Chuck drove up and I went up to the road to meet him. He almost drove by me, but I screamed his name. Luckily, he had his window down! I was sobbing at that point. If he had driven by me, I wouldn’t have had any way to reach him to let him know. I couldn’t send a text message or call him. We’re going to work out a better system. 20 miles in that heat was too much. Chuck’s going to stick a little closer to me now. We can’t take any chances out here. Help is pretty far away.

We made it to Hope, and set up our tent in the park. The people who lived in neighboring houses stared at us like we had just landed our alien spaceship in the park and we each had three heads. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to chat with any of them. The mosquitos in Hope were the most vicious I’ve encountered on the trip, and based on that, I made the decision to seek sustenance elsewhere. Trying to cook macaroni and cheese while being devoured by mosquitos is not my idea of a good time! Everything is very far from everything else around here, so we had to drive all the way to Cooperstown to find a place that was open. We had a frozen pizza that wasn’t half bad, and I was able to wash my face in the bathroom. We had a beer, watched the Food Network and relaxed a bit.

We headed back to Hope and dove into the tent before the mosquitos could follow (but a few got in). I read the book Jerry and Mary lent me in Wheaton. It’s a diary of Alec Guinness called “My Name Escapes Me” and I’m loving it. What a fascinating man he was! I love his observations of human nature, and he had such an appreciation for fine art, food and classical music. The fireworks started (and went on for over an hour), but I stuck in my earplugs and actually fell asleep! Go figure!

Day Thirty-two

We finally made it to North Dakota, so Chuck says we’re halfway there! I had an amazing day of riding today, much of which had to do with me wanting to prove Chuck wrong. It was another scorcher, near 90, and he didn’t think I’d be able to do much riding, or get very far. Hah!

It had been seriously windy last night and this morning. One of our tent poles broke a few days ago, and it was held together with duct tape, but it survived the wind admirably. It was really nice sitting there by our tent in the wind last night, drinking a beer and eating our peanuts and pistachios. We weren’t able to find a pizza in town last night, after driving around for quite a while, but we did pick up a cozy blanket and some cute little fuzzy, warm socks for me. No more cold nights!

We ended up at a place called the Lodge. It was very popular with the locals. They had our favorite beers, but again, not much food on the menu that we could have. I spotted broiled shrimp and baked potato, so we ordered that. It was heavenly after all the fish sandwiches, french fries and fried broccoli bites we’ve had. Uggh. Our tent was still standing when we got back to the campground, thankfully!

We started today with breakfast at the campground. They have a little restaurant/bar in the main building. Chuck ordered french toast and the lady asked “What kind of meat with that?” Chuck said, “No meat.” She looked up, surprised, “No meat???” I ordered an egg and cheese croissant and requested no meat as well. It must have been the shock of her life! We settled down in our seats at the bar and watched the horrible, awful morning news of the day on TV (but a bike ride like mine just isn’t newsworthy). We struck up a conversation with a nice gentleman next to us. We talked about my ride and he asked, “So you’re from VERmont?” It was funny the way he said it, with the accent on the “Ver”. He went up to the register and paid for both our breakfasts and wished us luck on the trip.

After packing up our gear (we’re getting good at it now), Chuck drove me to the start of the trail, since it was pretty far from our campground. I rode off and then realized we hadn’t arranged a place to meet for lunch. I texted Chuck and he wrote back “Garfield”. Keep in mind, I was on a paved bike trail. The wind was blowing hard from the south, and I was headed northwest, so it helped me along a little bit. PLUS I had music in my ears, which always gets me going. I made it to Garfield in about an hour and I wrote to Chuck “Isn’t it a little early for lunch??” We arranged to meet in Ashby at 11:00. I got there at 10:50, and went to a friendly-looking place called “Murphy’s Irish Pub”. I ordered a few glasses of cranberry juice and Chuck showed up at 11:45. I know he was busy with errands, but that’s the cooler part of the day and I sat waiting for him for almost an hour. I made some friends though. One man named Rick was especially nice, and he was really funny. His son went to NECI, so we chatted about that and I told him about my “cheffing” ambitions. When Chuck showed up, everyone picked on him a bit, but he took it pretty well. Rick asked, “So are you looking for loot?” I said, “Huh?” He said, “Loot! For your ride! Money! You know?” I said, “Definitely” He took out his money and gave me a generous donation, which we really appreciated with the way things have been going lately.

I got back on the trail and Chuck hung out with our new friends. Apparently, they were very impressed with me and had some sweet things to say. I got back up to speed pretty quickly. This is the best part of the trip. Flying down a beautiful bike path with incredible scenery on both sides, my favorite music in my ears (I was singing out loud when I knew no one was around), and I snuck up on a couple of deer who were walking down the trail and scared the bejeebers out of them. This part of Minnesota was very pretty and I took quite a few pictures. Did you know Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes? I made it to Fergus Falls and we stopped for an internet break.

It was blistering hot at that point, almost 90, maybe more…I rode as far as I could after that, but we had decided to get a motel room in Fargo, so Chuck helped me get there. Holiday Inns have been good to me on this trip…but not in Fargo. The nice girl at the desk did all she could to get me a discount, but her manager refused. He was not impressed at all with my bike ride. We didn’t feel like driving all over the place, going to different hotels, so we agreed to the price. We were both dying for a swim in the pool and a big, comfy bed. Thank you, Steve!!!!

The only pizza we could find was Pizza Hut, but it wasn’t bad, so we ate it and watched Independence Day (it’s always on TV on this date, of course) and went to bed.

Day Thirty-one

Chuck cut my riding short today, but he had good reasons. It’s really hot today, and I had ridden for quite a while on the Soo Line Rail Trail. Also, the holiday is coming up, and finding a place to stay is going to be tricky. We stopped in Osakis, and went to the “Information Center”. They didn’t have internet available, but they did help us find a campground for the night.

We started the day at the Trailside Café in Bowlus. I ordered a bowl of oatmeal, thinking it would be a wise choice, but it wasn’t really what I wanted. (You know what I wanted, if you’ve been following my blog…) I ate as much as I could, and Chuck ate the rest. While we were packing up our stuff, a gentleman stopped by who was a local historian and had actually written a book about Bowlus. He was fascinating to talk to, and I regretted the fact that I had to get on the road. When I left, Chuck was immersed in conversation with him.

The Soo Line Trail was absolutely beautiful, and I was thrilled to be on it. I turned up my Nano, and it was just me and my bike and nothing else. I had to call my grandparents at one point, because I wished so much that they were with me. There I was on a beautiful rail trail, staring at Lake Wobegon (shown above)! They were very glad I called. They’ve been glued to my blog, apparently! I’m so glad people are enjoying it.

I met up with Chuck for lunch at Melrose, and we had a nice lunch of tomato and cheese sandwiches and chips. I rode on, but the heat was getting pretty hot! I stopped at a bar in West Union and offered the bartender a dollar for some ice, but she wouldn’t take it. I made it to Osakis, and Chuck pulled up shortly after that. We discussed what we should do, and decided to find a place for the night. There were a few campgrounds around, but being a holiday weekend, the first one we called was full. The second one said they had a site for us and it would be twenty-three dollars for the night. After driving around a bit trying to find it, we pulled into the driveway. I told the owner about my bike ride and she said, “Take any site you want, no charge.”

We have a beautiful site by a little stream, we finally were able to take a shower, and now we’re headed into town to find a pizza place. We just can’t take anymore fried food on this trip for a while. We’ve pretty much eaten nothing but fried food for the last three days and it’s really starting to hit us, if you know what I mean. When we look at a menu, that’s the only option though, since we don’t eat meat. Even the salads have meat!

A pizza will taste good tonight, and hopefully I can get an early start in the morning. More bike path! Yay!

Day Thirty

Too hot today to do much riding; it would have been dangerous. It was a shame, because I slept so well last night, I had plenty of energy. I made it from Dalbo as far as Morrill, and that was it, unfortunately. I had some peanut butter toast at the bunkhouse and some coffee (so nice to have a real coffeepot!) and set out on the road. The wind was from the south which was nice when I was headed north, but that was only about 50 percent of the time. The rest of the time I was headed west and the wind slowed me down a bit.

When I got to Milaca, I was pretty hungry, but the only option was Hardee’s. Usually, I avoid the chain restaurants, but it looked like the only show in town so I pulled in. I had stashed my cash in a little side pocket of my seat bag, and promptly forgot about it. I went up to the counter and ordered, thinking I had my cash with me, but then realized I didn’t. I had been chatting with the lady next to me and told her about my ride, and when she realized I didn’t have my money, she put down $5. I apologized, and she said, “That’s OK, I was going to give you a little money for your ride anyway.” I got my food, a biscuit with egg and cheese, hashbrowns and orange juice, and she sat next to me. We chatted for a while, and I made her laugh. She wished me a safe trip and I went out to wait for Chuck. I found my money while I was waiting. I almost think I’m MORE forgetful after a good night’s sleep.

Chuck went back to the library in Milaca, and I went back to the road. We had planned on meeting in Little Rock, but it was a long way off and they didn’t have a restaurant shown on my map. I called Chuck and asked if he could meet me in Ramey. He said he would. I passed through Ramey, but it was clear the dining options were quite limited. The next town was only 1 mile away, so I kept going.

I pulled up to Morrill and Full Throttle was the only place I saw, so I went in. Keri was the bartender and she was very nice. People don’t seem to drink ginger ale much here (I get funny looks when I ask for it) so I had a cranberry juice. Chuck showed up and we ordered a fish sandwich and some broccoli bites, but that will definitely have to be the last of the fried food for a while. My body can’t take any more.

Tonight we’re camping in the park in Bowlus, and Chuck bought some tuna and sandwich stuff, so we’ll eat a little healthier tonight. The café across the street will be our breakfast choice in the morning, and the bike path is right here, so I can eat and go. It’ll be nice to listen to some music while I ride again. I’m really hoping tomorrow will be cooler. I keep hearing rumors that the weather is supposed to turn nasty this weekend. May be a good opportunity to stay at a motel. I’m a little nervous about our options, with the holiday coming up. Should be interesting trying to find places to stay this weekend, but I should be able to make it to North Dakota tomorrow. Hopefully! I have to be in Seattle by the end of this month!