A Bunch of Big Things

Having survived the hail storm of the previous evening (thanks to Father Odo and the monks of Assumption Abbey) as well as the ongoing thunderstorms that lasted well into the night , the morning that followed was sunny and calm. Well, not dead calm. There was a not-insignificant wind coming from the west but at least the skies were clear.

Shortly before 7:00 AM, Father Odo came down to our room (aka. St. Christopher’s Room) to retrieve Alex and I for breakfast. A silent breakfast. As per tradition, there was no talking during breakfast. However, BEFORE breakfast could be had there was an imminent threat that had to be dealt with. As Father Odo reached for the door to lead us outside, he noticed a small bat had affixed itself to the door. And it would seem Father Odo didn’t want any part of said bat. It was unofficially deemed my job to relocate said bat to a more appropriate location. As it happens, there was a second bat on the floor too. I relocated that one as well. Crisis averted. Seriously, I wasn’t about to let a couple of bats get in the way of breakfast. Besides, it’s not like bats can carry rabies or anyth … uh, never mind.

It was funny, Father Odo said my bat relocation skills (my words, not his) saved his life. I laughed and thought that was a BIT of an overstatement but I assured him it was the least I could do considering he may have ACTUALLY saved my life by providing shelter from the previous night’s storm.

So, with the bats relocated we walked over to the cafeteria for our silent breakfast. And, as expected, there was no talking. Instead we simply ate – something that those of us on a cycling trip have no problem doing. I typically don’t eat a big breakfast – then again, I don’t typically have breakfast with monks either – but breakfast was delicious and very plentiful. Certainly the most I’ve eaten at breakfast on this trip – and in a long time. And they even had Mini-Wheats! If I keep eating like this I’m going to start doing more exercise!

The silence continued until there were only five monks left in the cafeteria at which point Father Odo told us we could start talking. “Five monks”. That was the rule. Ok, maybe not an OFFICIAL rule (as he chuckled when he told us) but it was a rule he deemed appropriate.

With breakfast complete (and a few extra pieces of fruit taken for the road), Father Odo escorted us back to our room where we officially parted company. We thanked him graciously for his hospitality and then he was gone. The whole Assumption Abbey experience was really something I never would’ve imagined. So, thanks once again to Father Odo and the monks. Your generosity will long be remembered.

Today was also the day I would say goodbye to Alex. After four days of coinciding routes, today those routes would diverge as his continued west while I would finally be turning south – you know, the general direction of the Grand Canyon (although, there’s still a big western element remaining). Anyway, It was great meeting him, talking, and just hanging out. Maybe somehow we can both have tailwinds the rest of the way.

My goal for the day (other than just heading south) was to ride the Enchanted Highway. If all went well, it would be a short ride from a distance perspective but not a short day in general.

The Enchanted Highway is roughly 50 km (30 miles) and runs between Gladstone and Regent in North Dakota. It features seven landmarks along the way. Said landmarks are giant metal sculptures of things you can either see or do in North Dakota. My plan was to not only stop at each sculpture but to get some drone footage of each. Of course, given the limitations of battery life, I’d have to make each flight relatively efficient to ensure I’d have enough battery power left by the time I reached the seventh sculpture. Spoiler Alert: I did. In the end, each flight was a little over five minutes long.

Stop number one came about an hour into my ride. Side note: That first hour was a bit slow going as there was an unmistakable wind coming from the west. I was more than a little happy to reach Gladstone so I could turn south and avoid the brunt of that wind. Sorry, Alex.

The first sculpture was Geese in Flight which was raised in June of 2001. Apparently (as per the pamphlet) it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest scrap metal sculpture. And that’s how my journey along the Enchanted Highway began.

I won’t detail each stop along the way because, well … that’s why I took the drone footage. But the names and order of the sculptures (from north to south) are: 1. Geese in Flight (2001), 2. The Deer Family (2002) … I got this name from that aforementioned pamphlet but the sign on the highway calls it Deer Crossing, 3. Grasshoppers in the Field (1999), 4. Fisherman’s Dream (2006), 5. Pheasants on the Prairie (1996), 6. Teddy Rides Again (1993), 7. Tin Family (1991). In case it isn’t clear, the year in parenthesis is the year the sculpture was raised.

For what it’s worth, my favourite stop was probably Fisherman’s Dream. And then probably Grasshoppers in the Field. Side note: When I was at the grasshopper sculpture, there were a couple other guys there also taking in the view. And that’s how I met Patrick and Roo. No that’s not a typo. Roo told me his real name but then said that people call him Roo, so Roo it is. Anyway, Patrick and Roo were from Minnesota – actually I pedalled near their hometown on my long ride from St. Joseph, MN to Moorhead, MN. Anyway, we chatted for a bit (I found out there was a Renaissance Festival in Regent this weekend), took a photo together, and they were even kind enough to top up my water bottle – something that’s always appreciated. Thanks again! It was great meeting you both. Side note (again): I actually ended up crossing paths with Patrick and Roo again at the Pheasants in the Prairie sculpture. They were heading back north along the highway and honked and waved as they drove by. I reciprocated … well, minus the honking part.

From my perspective, the photos and video footage were better earlier in the day as they benefitted from better lighting. Sadly, I was limited to how fast I could travel and in the afternoon everything was backlit. Oh well, I did what I could under the circumstances. Regardless of the lighting, this was definitely the most I’ve ever set up, flown, and packed up the drone in any one day. It was a fun endeavour.

My ride finished in the small town of Regent where I made a quick stop at the Enchanted Highway Gift Shop. Not that I was looking for souvenirs – I’m on a bike after all – but I was on the lookout for a place to set up my tent. As it turned out, there was a campground behind the gift shop. A campground which clearly had pros and cons to it. On the upside I had power and water … the former allowed me to spend a LOT more time on my computer (for better or worse) including editing the day’s drone footage and the latter made cooking and cleaning up easier. The major con of the campground was the complete lack of washrooms which was, well … less than ideal. Somehow I paid $10 and had no washrooms. Remarkably, the woman in charge of such things actually wanted to charge me $20 but I was having none of that. Just to be clear, the woman at the gift shop was very nice and friendly – but perhaps not as in touch with the needs of a cycling tourist versus someone with an RV. And, again to be clear, there were some public washrooms a few blocks away. Not ideal but I’ve dealt with much worse. That said, I planned on using all the electricity I could. I limited my water intake because, well … did I mention the lack of washrooms?

Despite today’s short distance, I still crossed the 3,000 km threshold for the trip. I’m still working on my route for the next few days but it’s pretty clear that I’m not going to be anywhere near an official cycling route. Or Warm Showers hosts. Or Abbeys. So, we’ll have to hope there are no more violent (or not-so-violent) storms in the coming days.

For what it’s worth, if a storm hits tonight I’m pretty much done for. Oh well, if that’s how I go, that’s how I go. At least there was some mint chocolate chip ice cream to end my ride. It’s all about the ice cream.

Today’s totals:
Distance: 75.43 km
Ride time: 3:44:29 (travel time was close to seven hours due to all the stops)
Average speed: 20.16 km/h
Maximum speed: 49.29 km/h