Day 23

43 Miles

It was an easy ride out of Williston, North Dakota. The hills got bigger once we crossed the state line into Montana. Before dropping into the valley, we could almost make out the Rockies in the distance. Even though our destination was about 20 miles from the North Dakota border, we saw a handful of casinos, I guess Montana really likes to gamble!

We reached Culbertson by 1:30 and spent an hour or so in the interesting museum. We plan on taking the day off here and going to the rodeo tomorrow night. Here’s some pics from the museum. I’m relaxing in bed for the rest of this day, which is turning gloomy and rainy. I’m glad we’re in a motel! 

Initially, I thought this lady was getting electrocuted, but she’s just getting her hair did, reading a Good Housekeeping mag…

I don’t think this falls between first and second wave feminism…

Day 22

73 Miles

A late start makes for a late day.  We did stop a lot, too!  Along the road from Stanley to Williston, we saw plenty of oil rigs… and the oil trucks that work at them. I stopped to use the bathroom at what I later realized was a “man camp,” a term the locals coined for out of town oil workers’ temporary living situation. The general consensus towards all the out of towners was a contemptuous regard for the overwhelming number of new neighbors, but every North Dakotan agrees that the oil boom has helped the state stay out of recession.

The highlight of the day was running into fellow bike tourers, Bruce and Dana, a retired couple from Olympia, Washington. They rode the southern tier last winter, and are making their way east on the northern tier this summer. It was refreshing as well as inspiring to finally meet other riders, I hope they are not the last we encounter on our journey.

Once arriving in Williston, we hit up the Chinese Buffet.  Britt and I agreed before embarking on our journey that we should attempt to eat at every Chinese Buffet we encounter. Finishing up our dinner, I called the city parks and recreation department to find out what city park we could camp at.  However, the city outlawed overnight camping in the parks as a result of a “tent city” of oil workers last year.  Not to worry, though, the woman at the parks and rec gave me the number to an organization that puts up cyclists with people who will allow them to pitch a tent in their yards.  We got hooked up with Craig and Dawn.  Craig is also a bike enthusiast, and Dawn is a warm lady with a hearty laugh. They let us shower and offered us food. A great way to end a very long day!

Day 21

32 Miles

“I’m only happy when it rains.”  Maybe it’s because I’m an asshole, but rain makes most people miserable and I find solace in that… Actually using the raingear from REI added to the overall good mood for the day, too. Britt however, was not on the same positive wave length. She didn’t understand why I was all smiles today, either. Once again, it’s because Shirley Manson and I have the same train of thought.

Once we got into Stanley, North Dakota, I called all the motels in town. Because this area of North Dakota has been rich in oil for the past three years, oil workers from all over the country are living out of motels. We could see oil rigs from the road, and for some reason I got the hankering for a milkshake… Anyways, this affects our trip in two ways – 1. No vacancies in any motels or campgrounds and 2.  The back roads our bike maps direct us to go on are now heavy with truck traffic from the oil fields.

I won’t go into detail because the woman who helped us for the night could get in trouble with the city. The influx of out of towners has changed the laid back attitude of this small town, and its main objective (like oil companies) is to make a profit. The woman let us stay in her family’s vacationing RV – which is much nicer than the motels we’ve stayed in as of late. She even did a load of laundry for us!

The traffic situation has pushed us back onto the main highway. We rode safely on the wide shoulder today, so it should not be a problem tomorrow… hopefully!

Day 20

26 Miles

I woke up this morning feeling like shit.  Sneezing and coughing throughout breakfast, my head felt like it was swelling up.  Since we didn’t have to check out until noon, I took some more cold medicine and crawled back into bed.  I woke up to Britt’s soft snoring, I’m glad she took advantage of the late checkout as well!  At lunch, I decided I wasn’t feeling much better, so we opted to stay at the original campsite we intended to the previous night – only 11 miles out of town.

The rain from the night rose the Sirous River, which runs through the town, even higher.  I failed to mention that Minot has built up dikes to prevent the water from flooding the valley. Unfortunately, our campsite just outside of town was underwater.  The next town with camping was only 20 miles away, I figured riding that much farther with a head cold wouldn’t be so bad.  However, that head cold and I were not mentally prepared for the strong west head wind blowing our way…

4 hours later, we made it to Berthold, North Dakota.  Eating fried frozen foods for dinner and setting up camp in a park full of obnoxious children did not bolster my spirits.  My crankiness got the best of me, but Britt knows how to cheer me up, even if it involves calling my best friend, Breayne.  It was nice hearing a familiar and encouraging voice.  That call really boosted my spirits!

Self enlightenment note (cheesy alert):

To elaborate more on my feelings of negativity on this trip… honestly, I’m a pessimistic, cynical, negative Nancy when it comes to self accomplishment.  This journey so far has proved that.  Yes, there are good days, and I think I reflect on those positive moments in this blog.  Yet, I never vocalize the positive in my achievements to myself on the daily.  Usually, I berate myself on how I’m not an athlete and why did I ever commit to this because like everything else I do in my life, I’m just going to quit, blahblahblah.  And in turn that makes me want to quit, depressing me even more to the point of total self hate.  I really don’t want to give up, it’s just that I’ve conditioned myself to become apathetic when things get tough.  What keeps me going is the support from friends and family, Britt, but most of all ME.  I know we won’t make it to San Francisco, but we will pedal as far as our legs will take us.  If I quit, the most disappointed person will be ME. I won’t do that to myself. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I care too much…

Day 19

65 Miles

Another late start this morning due to the pitter patter of rain keeping us in our tent. And as it turns out Britt left her pair of cotton non-riding shorts in Fessenden so that brings her shorts/ pj’s count down to one. The cold dark day dampened my mood.  Our spirits lifted as the first town we passed, Towner, made us laugh.  It’s silly now when I attempt to explain that the narration of reading this sign aloud had Britt and me laughing hysterically.  It’s truly a “you had to be there” moment.

The wind picked up, making it even colder.  The Mouse River was still high, flooding the plains and roads around it.  Some houses in the distance looked like islands, and I kept thinking that a hovercraft would be very beneficial in this situation.  How much does one cost, are they hard to build?  Hey, you have a lot of time to think when you ride a bike 6 hours a day!

The last 20 miles were the easiest, which usually isn’t the case.  It always feels like the last 10 miles are longer than the rest of the day.  When reaching Minot, we felt elated that our day’s work was done.  I also laughed immaturely at the local gas station’s name, but laughed even harder when Britt said, “you’ve never seen a Kum & Go?!” Our good moods turned sour as the realization that the campground was another 11 miles hit us like a brick, ugh – really?! Passing the Holiday Inn (which advertised an indoor water park) Britt looks to me and says “Fuck it, lets stay there.”  I’m not going to say no to that, even though my wallet wanted to. But as I write this, Britt is watching the weather channel and apparently we’re under a tornado watch. It worked out for the best!

Day 18

60 Miles

The sky stayed bright blue throughout the morning as we easily rode out of Fessenden. Late breakfast/brunch was had 20 miles into our ride in Harvey, North Dakota at the local bowling alley.  Locals told us of other riders they’ve seen this past week.  I would love to run into some fellow bike tourers! I guess it’s just a matter of time before we do.

From miles away, this smoke looked like dust from a vehicle on a dirt road – but when we approached closer, Britt noticed it was a burning field! I asked Britt why this is done, but the answer she gave me was long winded so I stopped listening and forgot what she said or else I’d write it here…

Riding north, we finally encountered some elevation.  Believe it or not, I was relieved for some variation in terrain rather than just flat flat flatness as far as the eye can see. Parts took us into river valleys which was very pretty.  Because of all the high water, some roads were raised with gravel and boulders were placed on the shoulder to avoid flooding.

On top of one of the hills (which was actually an overpass), we heard a train whistle.  Britt gathered her sound gear and waited under the bridge to record the sound. The closer we got to Rugby, the more I had to pee.  And since it was hilly, going in a field was not an option – cars can sneak up on you mid flow like that!  The next farmhouse was not too far off the highway.  I quickly announced my business (which Britt later told me was a little uncouth – but hey, we’re in the frickin’ country!) and the kind woman let me in her home. She took our picture and wished us luck.  Most importantly, she informed us that Rugby is technically not the center of North America!  It’s actually 15 miles south west!  But we still took our picture with the monument, even though it’s NOT LEGIT.

Day 17

85 Miles

The entire time we have been in North Dakota, people we told of our trip have warned us about the floods from Devil’s Lake and road closures.  We took the time to research the North Dakota’s Department of Transportation’s website to see for ourselves.  Unfortunately, our plans to bike through Indian Reservations and Devil’s Lake would now have to change. Although, the best quote of the day came from a fellow trucker at lunch – “You’re not missing much with the Indian Reservations, I’m sure you’ve seen ghettos in Chicago!”

So with our route changes, we mentally prepared ourselves with the 85 mile ride from Cooperstown to Fessenden.  I felt discouraged this morning because my legs didn’t even want to walk out of bed, but I knew the trek had to be made from the missed mileage yesterday.

Even though we bypassed the flooded areas, we still saw what the high water and rain did to some farms and fields.  The east tailwind helped us glide at an average of 14.4mph – over twice our speed from the day before.  The gray sky was no more, either.  The sunny blue horizon was beautiful against the flat terrain – we could see it for miles!  Here are some Canadian Geese probably heading back toCanadafor the summer.

We reached Fessenden by 4pm, and checked into another motel for two nights.  As we researched the road closures, we also watched the weather radar.  Tomorrow is calling for rain, colder weather, and strong northern headwinds.  Who wants to bike and camp in that?  Laundry needed to be done, anyway.  Plus, Saturday is supposed to be clear, warm, and have south tailwinds.  Remember, we work smart, not hard!