A Bunch of Big Things Richardton, ND to Regent, ND
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.
Bats in the Abbey!
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 end of my Assumption Abbey experience
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.
Goodbye, Alex. Tailwinds for all!
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.
Patrick, Roo, Me.
And a giant grasshopper.
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?
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- It’s just resting
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- No biting!
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- Another bat. Just resting.
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- Another straight road in North Dakota
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- Seriously, I love these roads
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- Welcome to the Enchanted Highway
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- Geese in Flight
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- Deer Crossing
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- Some sort of yellow crop. Yes, I know that’s not very insightful.
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- I found this amusing. And kind of cool.
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- Grasshoppers in the Field
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- Fisherman’s Dream
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- Fisherman’s Dream
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- Fisherman’s Dream
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- Peanut butter and banana at Fisherman’s Dream
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- Nice birdy.
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- Nice birdy?
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- Don’t kill me!!
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- Teddy Rides Again!
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“Giddy-up! … Charge! … YA!! MUSH!?”
I think these horses are broken.
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- Teddy Rides Again!
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- Yup, more straight roads
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- They just go on and on and on …
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- Tin Family
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- Tin Family
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- Sculpture next to the gift shop
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- The gift shop
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- My “campsite”
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- Potatoes. I have to say I’m not overly optimistic about these.
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- I have to say these were surprisingly good. Granted, my expectations were more than a little low.
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
The Legend of Assumption Abbey Bismarck, ND to Richardton, ND
Before calling it a night last night, I had a bit of a chat with Anna about my upcoming route (which continues to be more than a little vague) as she has been to some of the places I am wanting to see. We also talked about my accommodation plans for the next day (i.e., today). My plan was to get to Richardton and, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, Joe and Bonny from Michigan told me of a potential place to stay. It sounded a bit too good to be true so I asked Anna if she knew anything about it. She did. And she just said, “It’s true.” She then elaborated enough to convince me that it was worth investigating once I arrived in Richardton. So, more on that later. Onto this morning.
A nice, calm start to the day
Once again, I found myself waking up very early … although, the fact that I set my alarm for 5:30 AM might have had something to do with that. Yes, I did go to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour the night before but it’s MUCH easier to wake up naturally when sleeping in a tent. The sun is a pretty powerful (and punctual) alarm.
So, as mentioned, my destination for the day was Richardton, ND. About 130 km away. A rather hilly 130 km. With headwinds for much of it. Thankfully, not ALL of it. The winds weren’t actually much of a factor for the first 90 minutes … or the last 90 minutes. The same can’t be said for the minutes in between. But I will admit that they certainly weren’t the brutal winds I had been anticipating. Yes, my average speed was once again below 20 km/h (such sadness) but some of that had to do with the number of somewhat long climbs. I didn’t find any of them particularly steep but they liked to go on for quite a while. I know, I know … kind of like these updates. Brace yourself, this could be a long one.
Mmmmm … peanut butter and banana!
My first real rest stop was in New Salem … about 50 km into my ride. Given that I was on the road by 7:20 AM, this was more like a second breakfast than a lunch stop. Either way, food was consumed. Not only did New Salem have a grocery store (which I didn’t really need other than to refill my water bottles) but said grocery store had a picnic table out front. I think my penchant for picnic tables has been well established by this point. Side note: New Salem also has a giant cow on a hill. I’m not sure why but it was too far out of the way to investigate (although, I REALLY considered sending the drone out to take a closer look). Anyway, based on what I saw on the map, the cow is a tourist attraction named Salem Sue.
After about 20 minutes of basking in the glory of refilled water bottles, food, and a picnic table, it was time to get back on the road. The winds were waiting and I still had 80-ish km to go.
The main reason it was “80-ish” was that it was not a great day for Google or Garmin as both seemed challenged as to what constituted a good bike route. Fortunately, I wasn’t really planning on listening to either as I had taken a look at the Adventure Cycling Association (aka. ACA) maps for this area and they seemed reasonable. And, most importantly, bike-friendly.
Yes, I think I WILL take the Interstate. Thank you.
It was kind of amusing watching both Google and Garmin try to re-calculate my route each time I ignored their suggestions. This was particularly the case when I found myself turning onto Interstate 94. Yes, that’s right. I was riding on an Interstate today. Legally. At least that’s what I assumed since that’s the way the ACA route took me. I actually considered staying on the Interstate much longer than the ACA route showed because, well … it was MUCH more direct and likely would’ve saved me roughly 10 km. However, I took the long way and lived to tell about it. It was DEFINITELY a lot longer though.
On several occasions during yesterday’s ride I really wanted to get the drone out – low winds, no obstacles but with storms and errands pending I opted not to which was clearly a good choice given how close I was to getting caught in a downpour. Today, there was really no time to think about bringing out the drone. Well, that’s not true. I did THINK about getting the drone out a few times (Salem Sue, for instance) but the winds and the long day of pedalling I had in front of me kept the drone in my panniers for another day.
One of the more exciting elements of the day was once again not marked by any signage and pretty much came and went unnoticed. I’m actually not entirely sure where it happened but it was fairly late in my ride and I THINK it was when I crossed into Stark County. Anyway, today I said goodbye to the Central Time Zone and said hello to the Mountain Time Zone and gained an hour in the process. Not that I really needed the hour as I was making reasonably timely progress. And I didn’t really have a specific arrival time I needed to meet. I just like making good time. And yes, I realize that a time zone change isn’t really THAT exciting. Or even at all exciting. But it does indicate that I’m making some good progress across the country. Side note: There was some real excitement later in the day but I’ll get to that later.
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- Anna, Charlie, and me
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- Another byway
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- Welcome to New Salem
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- I didn’t need the grocery store, or this apple fritter. But I’m complaining about either.
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- Yup, straight road in North Dakota
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- Google wanted me to go straight along a seemingly endless dirt road. I didn’t.
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- Interstate … with rumble strips on the shoulders
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- Getting off the Interstate probably added 10 KM to my day
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- St. Mary’s Church
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- Welcome to Assumption Abbey
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- My bike’s home for the night
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- My home for the night (in St. Christopher’s Room)
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- The calm AFTER the storm
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- Leftover hail
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- Storm carnage
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- More storm carnage
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- Yup, still more storm carnage
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- Order restored
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- Another pending storm?
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- A mini-rainbow
As for my vaguely detailed accommodation for tonight, well … the place is Assumption Abbey which is a long-time home to Benedictine monks and located behind St. Mary’s Church in Richardton. St. Mary’s Church is pretty big and its steeples could be seen topping the trees as I made my way towards the town. What I had been told by Joe and Bonny (and later confirmed by multiple other reports) is that Assumption Abbey has a room for hosting cyclists. No notice needed. Just show up. Find Father Odo and the rest will fall into place. “The rest” apparently included dinner with the resident monks and a silent breakfast in the morning. It really did seem a bit surreal. However, not long after I wheeled up to Assumption Abbey I was being given the tour of the facilities and it was confirmed that dinner would be around 5:30 PM.
Fast-forward a few hours and we just finished dinner. “We” being Alex (from Boston) and Father Odo and the monks. And dinner was great. And very abundant. I don’t anticipate being hungry for, well … who am I kidding, probably a couple of hours … but right now I’m stuffed. I probably didn’t need that third piece of cake (again, who am I kidding … of course I did).
The post-dinner entertainment was truly the highlight and biggest excitement of the day. Ok, technically the first post-dinner entertainment was a tour of the church by Father Odo which was very interesting. It’s quite the church. And Father Odo even gave us a little demo of his organ playing skills. But it was shortly after the tour finished when the real excitement began. There were teasers of said entertainment during dinner as everyone kept their eyes on the dark storm clouds that were working their way towards Richardton. Those clouds arrived shortly after the tour and unleashed what I can only say was the most impressive storm I’ve ever seen. Rain, wind, hail. All in great quantities and with immense power. It was truly awesome. Fortunately, the hail wasn’t the size of softballs. All I could do was watch and be thankful not to have been in a tent as I would’ve undoubtedly needed a new one after such a storm. Seriously, it was such a powerful storm that it amazed the locals! This was not your typical storm. Of course, had I been in my tent during said storm I think the condition of my tent would’ve been the least of my worries. And yes, the video below is more than a little rough but that’s what happens when you have to shoot quickly – and have to shoot through a window.
The storm lasted for about 20 minutes before it passed on to unleash its fury on the next town … which it clearly did as we could hear the thunder long after the storm had left Richardton. Yes, the storm had moved on but I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon. North Dakota knows storms!
Side note: My route becomes more than a little vague starting tomorrow and starts to head into some more remote areas. Not sure when the next update will come but I’ll do what I can … including trying to NOT get caught in a hail storm in my tent.
Today’s totals:
Distance: 133.99 km
Ride time: 6:48:08
Average speed: 19.69 km/h
Maximum speed: 41.61 km/h
Win, Lose, or Draw Hazelton, ND to Bismarck, ND
Another early night led to another early start. Last night definitely cooled off more than previous nights and I woke a couple of times kind of wishing I had my sleeping bag as an extra cover. However, I wasn’t about to dig it out at 1:30 AM. Instead, I shivered a bit before eventually falling back to sleep. I woke a few times after that and by 5:30 AM I pretty much knew I was awake for the day. It boggles my mind the number of early mornings I’ve had. Again, it would seem going to bed before midnight helps one to get up earlier. Who knew?
One of the early views from today’s ride
I packed up my tent, loaded my bike, and had a pseudo breakfast consisting of some dry Mini-Wheats and an orange. Side note: I love oranges – well, good ones anyway. And this was a good one. I’ve had far too few oranges on this trip … I can say that pretty confidently because I think I’ve only had three. Anyway, I was ready to go and on the road at 7:30 AM.
I’m not sure what time Alex was hitting the road but he too was planning an early start as there were some things in Bismarck he wanted to see and there were also reports of storms in the forecast for this afternoon. We both wanted to avoid those.
In case it wasn’t clear, the destination of the day was Bismarck, ND. About 75 km away. Or 45 of those miles they like to use around here. I do my best to do the conversions but all things considered I still prefer kilometres.
I want one of those in my backyard – well, if I had a backyard
My overall plan for the day was to get to Bismarck early, stock up on supplies, and then just go with the flow (i.e., try to get caught up my blog again). The getting to Bismarck early part was achieved very easily. I don’t know if it was the calm winds or the orange I had for breakfast or maybe a bit of both but the ride today was super easy. Sure, it was only 75 km but I (hmmmm … maybe I shouldn’t admit this) didn’t even stop for lunch … unless a few handfuls of salt and vinegar chips count. Either way, I was in Bismarck by 11:00 AM.
There are no STATE “Welcome” signs but there are TRAIL “Welcome” signs
Sadly, Scheels wasn’t particularly successful. Actually, it wasn’t at all successful. The staff were all very friendly (one might say TOO friendly but I’m sure that’s just me) but the store didn’t have any denatured alcohol (or methyl hydrate as it’s called in Canada … or methylated spirits in the UK) so that was a bust. Also a bust was the bike service area. Again, nice people but just not the sort of expertise you get from a local bike shop. Of course, I somewhat expected that going in but I really didn’t think inquiring about a few spare bolts would be as challenging as it turned out to be. As such, I figured I’d seek out a local bike shop. But first it was off to meet my Warm Showers host.
After a brief navigational snafu (i.e., going to the wrong house), I arrived at my destination … just as Anna was arriving home for lunch. Perfect timing. She showed me around the house, told me of a couple local bike shops, as well as a grocery store and a few other options for the fuel. From there, she headed back to work and I headed off to do errands. Anna warned me to keep an eye on the weather as it seems hail is common in this area – especially with the recent heat wave. Just to clarify, apparently the hail they get here can be pretty intense. She said that people tend to replace their roofs every four or five years because of the hail. Hail that has been as big as softballs. Not golf balls (well, that too) but softballs. That’s practically a death sentence to get caught in that on a bike! I appreciated the warning.
My first stop was a bike shop. Actually, my first stop was because of a dog encounter en route to said bike shop. I was following the trail when an somewhat excitable German Shepherd-like dog noticed me. I quickly deemed she was harmless except for her excitability. Her owner clearly had little control over this pooch which was still young but probably not THAT young. Anyway, despite the owner’s repeated calls, the dog seemed happy to follow/chase/circle me as I continued along the trail. She was giving me a wide enough berth so I wasn’t too concerned other than if I DIDN’T stop I was reasonably confident the dog would’ve followed me to the Grand Canyon. Not such a bag thing but I figured that would make the dog’s owner a bit sad. So, I stopped to let the owner catch up. During that time, the dog and I had a little chat and we agreed it would be best if the dog stayed in North Dakota. The owner eventually caught up and we all went our separate ways. Bye bye puppy.
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- Look a straight road
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- Look, another straight road
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- This view was next to a straight road
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- There seems to be a trend to these photos
From there I was off to Runnings, a store with seemingly everything. Including denatured alcohol. I didn’t waste any time there even though I kind of wanted to look around … a lot. However, before I went into the store I could see looming clouds. Very looming. I was confident they weren’t looming with softball sized hail but now was not the time for browsing. I still had groceries to buy and Anna’s place was still a few kilometres away. Fortunately, the grocery store was close.
Once again I minimized my dilly dallying and grabbed some essentials. Those looming clouds were getting closer and I really preferred not to get soaked on the way back to Anna’s. By the time I got outside it was obvious it would be a race to the finish with the clouds. I’ll spare you the details but there may have been a few slightly illegal turns and a couple of less than ideal encounters with vehicles (although, they seemed to appreciate the race I was in). in the end I would call the race a draw. I know, I know … you wanted me to get soaked or pelted with hail. I understand. If it’s any consolation, I did get a little wet but managed to beat the downpour. And there was no hail. I was more than okay with that.
Blogging in the shelter, out of the rain
Unfortunately, tomorrow is looking to be a long day (both from a distance and a wind perspective) and if there’s another afternoon storm it’s doubtful I will be able to avoid it. But I’ll worry about that tomorrow. Seriously though, softball-sized hail! It’s the kind of thing you’d have to see to believe but I’d rather not see it … unless I’m well sheltered of course.
Today’s totals:
Distance: 85.13 km
Ride time: 3:49:23
Average speed: 22.26 km/h
Maximum speed: 52.20 km/h
Chocolate Milk Will Suffice Gackle, ND to Hazelton, ND
Nice views and roads in North Dakota
By 6:40 AM, my bike was loaded, I had written in the current volume of the The Honey Hub’s guestbook, had a few handfuls of Mini-Wheats for breakfast, and said goodbye to my fellow travellers. One of which, Alex, I was likely to see later in the day as we both continued our westbound trek.
About ten minutes into my early start, I had an early stop. On the upside, it wasn’t for a 70 minute train delay. On the downside, there was clearly a rubbing sound emanating from my rear wheel. Sigh. Not a good way to start the day. Upon closer inspection the fender had somehow shifted and the result was the aforementioned rubbing. It didn’t really make sense as to why it would suddenly start rubbing but I made a few adjustments and the wheel spun uninterrupted again. Whew.
Straight roads and lakes made up much of my day
The forecasted winds were definitely a factor throughout the day’s ride but not as bad as I was expecting/dreading. That said, it certainly affected my average speed for the day. Then again, so did the hills. All things considered it was a good ride. The wind made things tough at times but not brutal. And the hills provided a good workout. Although, when I think about it, today’s ride actually seemed tougher than my 263 km ride a few days ago … even though that ride took five hours longer.
Thanks Kristy for the lunch spot
In addition to encountering wind and hills today, there were more cyclist sightings on this day – although, not until very late in my ride. With about 8 km to go until I reached Hazelton … did I mentioned Hazelton was today’s destination? Well, Hazelton was the day’s destination. A ride of about 100 km. Anyway, with about 8 km to go I met Dave. Unlike recent encounters, we actually stopped for a chat. Dave was (obviously) heading eastbound and very much enjoying the tailwind he was experiencing. We chatted for a bit and he mentioned that I’d soon be crossing paths with Joe and Bonny from Michigan. In return, I informed him that he’d be crossing paths with Alex from Boston. We chatted for a bit more and even thought to take a photo before we each continued in our respective directions.
True to Dave’s word, a few kilometres later I met Joe and Bonny from Michigan. We also stopped to have a bit of chat and they offered up some potentially useful advice for accommodation a couple of days down the road. We’ll see how that plays out when the time comes. Joe and Bonny also gave me a heads-up that there were a couple other cycling duos that I would likely cross paths with in the coming days. Again, we’ll see if that comes to fruition.
Interesting site along the way
I arrived at the Hazelton City Park around 1:30 PM. It’s a VERY nice park with room for camping and a plethora of pavilions and picnic tables. Plus washrooms, showers, water, and electricity. And just $12.
However, before I would deal with the camping aspect of the day, I headed over to the local grocery store to stock up a bit. As mentioned, I was running a bit low on, well … pretty much everything and I wasn’t looking to have reduced rations tonight – after all, it was highly unlikely there would be surprise stew again tonight. Spoiler Alert: There wasn’t. Anyway, the grocery store had all that I wanted except for an ideal ice cream selection. However, they did have chocolate milk which I deemed to be a more than adequate substitute.
Upon returning to the park and unloading my bags from my bike, I noticed something was amiss with the rear rack – it was loose. VERY loose. As was the fender – you know, the fender that was rubbing earlier in the day. Upon further inspection the bolt that WAS holding said rack and fender to the frame of the bike had fallen off and was long gone. Clearly this explained the fender issues that started my day. In hindsight, I’m more than a little surprised (and very relieved) it didn’t cause more issues during the day. Fortunately, I had a spare bolt that I could use to put it back together. It’s not really the RIGHT bolt but it should suffice until I can find another bike shop – likely tomorrow. The annoying thing is that I have a bag of various bolts and such which I really thought I had packed but apparently I did not. Sigh.
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- Sunrise in Gackle
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- Threshing Machine Parade
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- Bees! I really want some fresh honey.
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- Dave
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- Joe and Bonny
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- Hazelton City Park
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- Gourmet dinner (making good use of my spork courtesy of my niece)
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- Drying out the tent
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- The troublesome bolt
As I sorted through my new stash of groceries, I met a gentleman who was wandering through the park and lives somewhere in the neighbourhood. We chatted for a bit about all sort of things before he headed off for some fresh juneberry pie that his wife had made – apparently they had picked the berries this morning. Now that’s fresh. Side note: I’m not exactly sure what a juneberry is but according to Google they’re also called Saskatoon berries (as well as a few other names). From what I can gather they are sort wannabe blueberries. I’ll likely never know.
What I DO know is that not long after the gentleman headed off, Alex (the cyclist from Boston) arrived at the park. His arrival didn’t come as a surprise since the camping options in this part of the state are pretty limited and we had both planned on stopping in Hazelton. Much like myself, he too headed off for groceries before settling down for the remainder of the afternoon/evening.
Oh, and he also deemed chocolate milk to be an adequate substitute for ice cream.
Today’s totals:
Distance: 103.53 km
Ride time: 5:26:23
Average speed: 19.03 km/h
Maximum speed: 37.75 km/h
A Gaggle in Gackle Little Yellowstone Park, ND to Gackle, ND
Last night’s home
As a result of my early slumber, I once again woke at a very early hour. I still don’t like getting up so early but I’ve definitely grown to see the benefits of getting on the road sooner rather than later. Plus rising early is noticeably easier when one doesn’t go to bed after midnight. Getting up super early also allows you to see the sunrise which on this particular morning was pretty nice – especially from the valley-like location of the campground. As is often the case, the photos don’t do it justice.
As has become far too predictable, the mosquitos were once again very happy to see me as I exited my tent. As such, I skipped breakfast and packed up as quickly as I could to minimize their feast. “As quickly as I could” translated to being on the road by 7:30 AM where I was accompanied by a somewhat favourable wind. Perhaps the best travelling companion a cyclist could ask for (yes, the “perhaps” part could been deemed extraneous).
Despite the clear skies as I was packing up, cloud cover surrounded me as I started my ride. This wasn’t a particularly bad thing as it made for cooler cycling. Yes, I know … I like the heat. But I can admit that it MAY be easier (and perhaps even more enjoyable) to pedal in more moderate temperatures.
Directions: Go straight
I was about 40 km away from the morning mosquitos when I decided to stop for a quick breakfast – and by “quick breakfast” I mean, “an apple”. However, moments after retrieving said apple from my kitchen pannier I started to feel a few drops. I decided breakfast would be “to go”.
With the wind continuing to lightly assist my progress, I managed to stay ahead of the rain while I ate my apple. As I pedalled along the very quiet highway I came to the conclusion that traffic is pretty light on these North Dakota roads – and even more so at such an early hour (again, by my standards). I also came to the conclusion that North Dakota is really good at straight roads. Seriously good. I actually found it to be beautiful to just stare out and see the road disappear beyond the horizon – seemingly no matter how long I pedalled. The roads were SO straight that when I actually saw a curve I had to stop and take a picture on the chance that it was the only curve in the state. Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t.
A curve!
My goal for the day was another somewhat unique Warm Showers host, this time in Gackle, ND. About 90 km away. It’s unique in that it is open 365 days a year and no notice is required. Just show up, let yourself in, and enjoy your stay. It’s called The Honey Hub and it’s called that because the owners are beekeepers.
Thanks to the wind’s assistance, I made really good time and arrived at The Honey Hub around noon. And that’s when I met Bill. Bill was driving a SAG vehicle (support and gear) for Ron – an 81-year-old pedalling eastbound across the country. Ron arrived an hour or so after I did. His arrival was followed by Jon (also travelling eastbound) and later Alex (heading westbound). Alex was actually the cyclist I had passed (without slowing to chat with) a couple of days earlier. We finally got to chat.
The Honey Hub has two beds (first come, first serve) and floor space for the rest. There’s also lots of yard space for setting up tents. While there was room inside, I opted to setup my tent anyway. My gut was telling me that I’d likely be staying up later than The Hub’s other occupants. Spoiler Alert: My gut was right.
Welcome to The Honey Hub
Much of the rest of the night was spent sitting around the picnic table sharing stories of trips gone by. So many trips. So little time. Although, there was time for a short drone flight – there was some interest in seeing said drone and I didn’t need much convincing to take it up for a little flight/practice. Also, it was unanimously deemed that ice cream after a day’s ride is a wonderful thing. Sadly, there was no ice cream to be had. Well, in actual fact, there IS an ice cream shop in town but, due to a death in the family, the shop was closed.
Nearing the end of the day in Gackle, ND
All in all, it was another great day on tour. Although, I’m reasonably confident that tomorrow I’ll be wishing I had continued biking today. When I went outside to hang some laundry earlier today the winds were still clearly blowing in a very favourable direction. On the other hand, the forecast for tomorrow was still showing those winds will be changing to a significantly less favourable direction in the morning. We’ll see how that plays out. Unlike the other day.
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- Directions: Go straight
The only downside to the day was that I was hoping to buy honey. With my hosts being beekeepers part of me hoped that there would be a store selling some homemade honey. However, their beekeeping operation is a very large production and they actually sell their honey to other companies who do the packaging. So, for now I’m stuck with the red high fructose corn syrup they’re trying to pass for Strawberry Jam … uh, correction, “Spread”. I’m not sure if that actually makes it any better or not.
Today’s totals:
Distance: 93.26 km
Ride time: 4:03:36
Average speed: 22.97 km/h
Maximum speed: 45.00 km/h