Greetings from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota where it's starting to look a lot like home! Lots of milestones along this section of the route. I went over 3,000 km, over 2,000 miles, set 2 new personal bests for number of miles traveled in a day (110 miles and 113 miles!) and entered Minnesota! I did 1,000 miles in 15 days after leaving Helena, Montana. I've pedaled over 2,300 miles since the start of the journey.
Due to the hot weather predicted and the mileage I wanted to cover today I decided to leave at dawn to beat the heat. So out the door I went, wearing my new bike shoes, at about 6:15 am. It was a beautiful start as it was a bit foggy, cool, damp and since it was Saturday there was not much traffic at that hour. And the first 15 miles or so out of Bismarck was all bike path which is always a treat! And best of all, the winds were negligible. I had forgotten what it was like to ride without resistance.
The photo below was taken at the place I surpassed 3,000 km, near Napoleon, ND. I celebrated by having a grilled chicken wrap and a hot fudge sundae at the White Maid's Cafe in Napoleon.
From a distance I could see something that looked like a herd of elephants or dinosaurs crossing the plains in a long line. As I approached I could see that there was a sign at the head of the line. So I left the road to take a closer look and this is what I discovered (see photos below). A version of ancient farm equipment "art", arranging the old threshing machines across the landscape to resemble a herd of dinosaurs. Quite creative and clever.
The negligible winds eventually became significant but were mostly crosswinds from the SE. Heaven forbid I get a tailwind of any kind. My goal was to make it to Gackle, where I would meet up with Charlie, the cousin of my friend and former Forest Service colleague Doug, who had graciously offered to pick me up and take me to Jamestown where I could pick up my replacement Samsung Galaxy smartphone and have night's lodging and company with him and his wife Connie before heading on. Fortunately the last part of the day's ride turned northward for about 13 miles so I was able to take advantage of a little bit of tailwind. What a treat!
When I pulled into Gackle, ND at 6 pm Charlie was there waiting for me in his pickup. My odometer read 110.1 miles, a new personal best for me for a day's biking distance! A great feeling. I don't think I could have done this distance in my previous bike shoes as my feet usually started hurting around mile 60 or so. The new shoes seemed to make a big difference.
We loaded my bike and gear in the back and headed to Charlie's lovely house in Jamestown, ND, where Connie had prepared a nice, welcoming pot roast dinner. I am thankful for the warm hospitality of people like Charlie and Connie and others I have met along the way who have made the trip so much fun and rewarding even when it was especially challenging for me. I probably wouldn't have made it otherwise.
The next morning they took me to see the world famous "World's Largest Buffalo" in Jamestown next to the Buffalo Museum and ranch. I had heard the buffalo was large but I didn't know that it would be this big!
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| Charlie, Connie, Me and the World's Largest Buffalo statue in Jamestown, ND. |
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| These were the only live buffalo I've seen on the trip and they are on rangeland next to the Buffalo Museum and statue in Jamestown. |
Connie and Charlie treated me to lunch (Thank you!) at Pizza Ranch all you can eat buffet. And I did! I think they may have gone bankrupt after I sampled and ate just about every entree and item that they had out. One thing when you're doing bike touring is that your appetite is never quite quenched and you will always seek opportunities to eat whatever you can get your hands on, especially carbs, protein and anything with salt on it. Don't tell my doctor.
I finally said goodbye to Charlie and Connie (what a great stay) and departed on the road about 1:45 pm. Although I left very late and in the heat of the day I still managed to cover almost 73 miles, reaching Enderlin, ND where I intended to stay at the Enderlin Inn Motel. the humidity had started to become pretty intense and muggy.
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| Eastern North Dakota landscape |
I had considered staying at the Little Yellowstone Campground on the Sheyenne River, but whenI went down the hill into the valley where the campground was located the heat, humidity and gnats battering my face went up exponentially (and the campground had no water or showers!) so I decided quickly against it. The Enderlin Inn was just fine, although there were no eating establishments nor places for me to use my campstove. So dinner was an energy bar, dried fruit and nuts and a can of La Croix sparkling water.
Day 37: July 21 - Enderlin to Fargo, ND
Day's Mileage: 54.3 miles
Although this was a short day mileage-wise it was probably one of the most brutally difficult days I faced. Watching the weather on tv in the morning before departing, the weatherman said there was a heat advisory out for the day, with temperatures in the mid-90s, very high humidity and a heat index of 105 degrees! They said to stay indoors in air-conditioning and avoid the outdoors and the sun. Yeah, thanks a lot.
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| Leaving the Enderlin Inn, I saw these two mules that two people had rode up on to attend a local meeting at the inn. |
So I headed out on my bike and within 20 minutes of riding I was already totally drenched and I couldn't tell whether it was from sweat or the humidity. Most likely both. And I was drenched the whole way. Needless to say there was also a very strong southeasterly headwind which made it all the more difficult even though the terrain was extremely flat at this point. This was one of those days that couldn't end soon enough. I wish North Dakota would plant some trees along the roads to at least block some of the wind and also give you a place to grab some shade when you needed it.
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| Guess which direction I'm headed? That's right. From left to right (easterly) into the headwind. |
It was on this day that I reached the 2,000 mile mark on my trek. I covered this last thousand miles in 15 days (since Helena, Montana). I was making good time and about on or ahead of my estimated schedule.
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| The 2000 mile mark on my bike odometer! Woohoo! |
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That's 2 for 2,000 miles! This was my reason to smile today.
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Along the way to Fargo I passed through the town of Kindred. Note their motto. I almost stayed to see how nice they really were but it was too terribly hot and I wanted to get to Fargo to cool down.
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Although I only did 54 miles this was one of the most difficult days of the trip. It did feel like it was over 100 degrees and the humidity was as bad as anything I've ever felt in the tropics. So I was glad to reach the Rodeway Inn in Fargo. I took no photos in Fargo as I was staying there on a commercial strip near the interstate that looked like any other in most cities in the US. So didn't really venture out except to eat dinner at a sports bar near the hotel.
Day 38: July 22 - Fargo, ND to Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Day's Mileage: 82.8 miles
During the night there was a huge storm that passed through the area, that caused a great deal of damage in some parts of ND due to high winds and rain. Luckily I wasn't camping. The storm also cooled down the temperature significantly and the humidity dropped as well. It appeared to be a beautiful day for riding. I was looking forward to it and to crossing into the state of Minnesota, one more state closer to my destination.
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| The Red River dividing North Dakota and Minnesota. Looks more brown than red. |
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| Crossing into Minnesota much of the terrain was initially very similar to North Dakota. Very flat agricultural land. |
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| Unfortunately I had to turn left into Downer, MN. Bummer. |
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| I love bike-friendly Minnesota! This was a typical shoulder on most of the roads I was on. In many cases the paved shoulder was as wide as the road lane. |
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| Passing through the town of Pelican Rapids. Everything was pelican-themed including this little statue of a dalmation like pelican in front of the firehouse. They called it a "Palmation". |
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| One of the many scenic small towns I passed through on this day. Very green and there are trees! |
Despite some heavy truck traffic on the first 25 miles or so of the day's ride, the trip was overall very pleasant with negligible winds, wide shoulders and many towns with services for potential water refills, meals or bathroom breaks along the way. Yes!
I made it to Fergus Falls around 5:30 pm or so, checked into America's Best Value Inn, showered and walked over to Z103 for a broiled walleye dinner and a couple of beers. Life is good. Although I did 83 miles today it was good to have better weather conditions that made it a lot more enjoyable. I think I had enough challenging, character-building days over the past few days.
Day 39: July 23 - Fergus Falls to Bowlus, Minnesota
Day's Mileage: 113 miles (a new personal best!)
I would have to say that this was by far the most relaxing, stress-free (except for one incident) day of my journey. And I set a new personal best of 113 miles for the day! The reason being that 110 miles of it was on a dedicated bike trail, a combination of the Central Lakes State Trail and the Lake Wobegon Trail! No cars, no trucks, no RVs, no rumble strips! It made for a very relaxing day where you didn't have to be focused on watching the road, traffic, etc and could relax and enjoy the scenery. And it was very beautiful riding through the lake country part of Minnesota where there are literally lakes, ponds, marshes everywhere.
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| Daybreak start of my ride on the Central Lake State trail. A beautiful dedicated bike path for 110 miles through the lake country of Minnesota. These lakes were everywhere and on both sides of the trail. |
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| Why is this man smiling? Because he's on 110 miles of dedicated bike path! Thank you Minnesota! |
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| A pelican in flight. |
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| No I didn't take a detour to NYC. This was a statue in a little park in Alexandria, MN. |
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| My lunch location along the lake in Alexandria. |
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| Apparently there's a story about finding remnants of a stone tablet left by Vikings in this part of North America, pre-dating Columbus. It's a huge statue as you can see by my tiny bike in the foreground. |
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| The Central Lakes State Trail becomes the Lake Wobegon Trail on its way to Bowlus. |
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| A covered bridge on the trail as I entered the town of Holdingford. |
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| On the other side of the covered bridge was this sculpture and artwork as I entered Holdingford. Not sure what it all means but it was very interesting. See other photos below. |
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| Potted plant arrangement in the park in Holdingford. The containers are painted tires. |
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| The former train depot in Holdingford, now a community center and park. Very lovely. |
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| As I arrived in my destination of Bowlus, there is the community center which was converted from the old train depot. |
I arrived and met my logeur Jen (and later her husband Jan) who are Warm Showers hosts (see warmshowers.org) who put up cyclists for the night and often provide other accommodations. I pitched my tent in their yard and had a lovely dinner and conversation with them and a father-daughter duo (Tom and Amalia) who were also cycling west to east.
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| That's my tent in the foreground. A pleasant night's sleep. |
Day 40: July 24 - Bowlus to Dalbo, MN
Day's Mileage: 65.4 miles
After a pleasant night's sleep in the tent, I had breakfast at Jordie's Trailside Cafe with Tom and Amalia. I ate as much as I could. Pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, OJ, coffee. Good start to the day.
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| Jen getting ready to bike the 12 miles to work at the Little Falls Visitors Center. |
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| Amalia, Tom and Jan in front of the house that morning. |
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| Upon leaving Bowlus I crossed the Mississipi River next to this dam. Note the man fishing in the lower left of the photo. |
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| Bridge across the Mississippi. |
Although the day's ride was back on roads, not bike trail, the roads were fairly lightly traveled and for the most part there was a great shoulder to ride on.
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| No comment. |
Another amazing phenomena is the destination I was heading to. Dalbo, populaton 80. However there's a farmer there who has basically built a way station/bunkhouse for passing cyclists. He's done this totally out of the goodness of his heart and built a mecca and oasis for touring bikers and can accommodate up to 25 plus bikers in his converted barn, has stocked it with food at bargain prices, refrigerator, pizza oven, microwave, tv, cots and beds, comfy chairs, etc. It is amazing! See photos below.
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| Another cyclist Jim, whom I met upon arrival at Don's Adventure Cycling Bunkhouse near Dalbo. |
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| Comfy chairs |
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| Exterior of the barn. |
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| Dormitory/hostel type accommodations. |
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| Solar shower that Don has built. |
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| This was my room with my sleeping bag on the mattress. |
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| And this is Don who has made this all possible. He obviously takes great pleasure in meeting people and providing a well appreciated service to traveling cyclists. |
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| These are the bargain prices for food he's stocked in the fridge and freezer. I can't afford to not stay here! |
What a great stay at a wonderful place! Tom and Amalia eventually showed up, too and the other cyclist Jim so there were 4 of us staying there and it worked out great.
Day 41: July 25 - Bowlus to Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St Paul area), MN
Day's Mileage: 68.6 miles
We (Jim and I) said goodbye to our wonderful host Don and the Adventure Cyclist Bunkhouse and started on our way to Minneapolis St Paul on a suggested route by Don that had us taking a bike trail and a more direct route rather than the somewhat circuitous route that the ACA map had us taking.
Jim and I parted ways near White Bear Lake and I continued on to Maplewood where I was to be picked up by my wonderful new friends Tom and Nona. Tom was the man I met in Medora, ND campground and offered to put me up when/if I was in the Twin Cities area. I decided to take him up on it and they graciously picked me up near a park in the area and drove me to their home in Eagan, MN where they treated me to a lovely grilled steak dinner and baked potatoes and veggies. It was wonderful! By far the best part of this whole experience is the people you meet along the way and the new friends you make. It really is very heartening and inspiring to be sure.
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| Tom, Nona and Me at their home in Eagan, MN |
Day 42: July 26 - Eagan, MN; Rest Day
Day's Mileage: 0
Today after a nice breakfast Tom and Nona are taking me to the Mall of America, the Minnehaha Falls and tonight we're going to see the Minnesota Twins baseball game! What a wonderful day off this will be. Tomorrow I plan to head toward LaCrosse, Wisconsin and get as close as I can so I can get back to Madison hopefully by July 29th or latest July 30th. I'll take a few days off there to recharge my batteries, spend time with Cathy and Tim and rest my weary butt. Stay tuned for more.
