Day 14 – Welcome to North Dakota! (Updated)

Date: Monday, 25 July 2016

Time on Bike: 6:53:08

Total Travel Time: 8:54:09

Miles Covered Today: 86.09 (new daily best!!)

Total Trip Miles: 870.9

Average Speed: 12.4, Maximum Speed: 23.4

From: HW 58 x HW 129, Becker County, MN

To: Broadway x 12th Ave. North, Fargo, ND

(Uploaded from McDonald’s in Bismarck, ND on 28 Jul 2016)

What a difference 24-hours can make… Nailed it today!!

Days like this make all the bumps on the road, getting lost, no shoulders on roads, headwinds (well… maybe not headwinds!) worth it!! Had a great day!

We returned to the scene of yesterday’s drama. Looks soooo much better in the morning light and with no wind!

I downloaded a new app onto my iPhone that lets me keep track of wind direction & speed. More importantly, Wind Compass gives me predictions on wind direction and speed. May not help me bike any quicker, but at least I will know what I am dealing with and what is waiting for me wind wise.

Once I took my right on HW 35 (see map below) it became a beautiful rolling road. Tree lined, so any wind was blocked. Fun beautiful ride. Wide shoulders and limited traffic. Just what this is supposed to all be about!

The map section above is one of about a dozen or so panels found on one fold out map in the Northern Tier Bicycle Route set of 11 maps. It is produced by Adventure Cycling Association . They are very detailed maps with written instructions for both East Bound (EB) & West Bound (WB) bicycle travelers. This has become my bible and daily guide since hooking up with the Northern Tier route in La Crescent, MN.

Got a great surprise on the road… Bunny & Woz were waiting for me at the location that I had hoped to get to yesterday - Ice Cracking Lake. But the difference was is that today, I was enjoying my ride!

Now can you say it?

Bunny flagged me down up the road a bit at the road to Tamarac Wildlife Refuge. It is closed from 1 March to 1 September. Huh? Break time! Bunny does yoga for her back… too much time in the car. And Woz got a comb out! Let us know if you need stuffing for a pillow. Woz is your guy!

Next rendezvous point was Richwood, MN, bordering the White Earth Indian Reservation. It was a simple country store. And the only reason they let me use the restroom was because Bunny bought some bottles of ice tea! But they ran out of hotdogs while we were there. So no food until up the road a bit… Bunny studies the map.

Sent Bunny up the road ~20 miles to Hitterdal, MN. Last stop of the day before I reach North Dakota!

Winds were still in my favor… basically anything that is NOT winds out of the west!! And I was checking my new app a lot… still looking good!

Sent Bunny & Woz back to the hotel and I would make it to Fargo on my own.

A veeeeeery long run into Fargo on a straight as an arrow road, HW 26. Some of it had a nice shoulder with few cracks in the pavement.

The parts that didn’t I rode in the gutter. Felt safer there as there was a lot of traffic. No trees. No gas stations. Nothing!

Wind was not out of the west today… but instead north northeast. And that 15 or 20 degrees difference makes a huge difference in my making progress. If I remember my High School physics correctly, if you are traveling at 10 MPH into a headwind of 10 MPH, you effectively are eating a wind of 20 MPH. Correct?? And that sucks big time!

Some 30 miles after saying goodbye to Bunny & Woz, I finally rolled into Fargo. Excited to officially make it there! And few people will/can actually say that!

But bummed that there was no sign on the country road I was on welcoming me to North Dakota. And no sign letting me know I am in Fargo. But I made it!

This section of the trail ended at Broadway and 12th Ave. North, Fargo. That is where Bunny & Woz picked me up and took me back to our hotel.

Goodbye Minnesota! My butt & balls will not miss your gapping cracks on your damn roads & trails. Hope North Dakota is better!!! (As I write this in the evening of 28 Jul after 3 days of cycling in North Dakota, so far much better in ND!)

Feeling happy with my progress. All the doubts from yesterday are gone… for now. I had a good mental attitude today. That helps a lot.

More pictures.

Wozzie loves his ice!!!

Note wind turbines to the left of the grain silos.