Places I Have Been

Waterdeep MI- the only thing remarkable about water deep was that it was the day I discovered I can drink a full liter of chocolate milk for lunch and be totally fine with it. I may have just ruined the rest of my life

Wisconsin

Saxon- road into town with the impending doom of a large storm on the horizon. Naturally we found the local watering hole to seek refuge and as it turns out Terri, the owner, and best barkeep in the state is a generous person. She took time to tell us stories about hunting bear, life in Wisconsin and bought us a round of beers. When she heard what we were doing she insisted that we stay in the bunkhouse of her bar. It had four beds a kitchen and bathroom. Terri, if you read this, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, know that I will remember you for a long time. Also our thoughts and prayers are with your daughter that she may make a swift recovery.

Superior - Probably one of the toughest mental days of the trip. WE road our first century ( 100 miles of riding ) into a head wind, which makes biking very frustrating. By the time we got to town we were so burnt out we did not care about much of anything so we went to burger king. We took advantage of a special sale on original chicken sandwiches for $1. Needless to say, while satisfying this gastric undertaking only added to my feelings of misery the next day, a sore body, and a sore stomach.

Minnesota

Grand Rapids- While riding into MN we met Mike (see related article), he decided he would undertake the journey with us, as he had been riding solo up to this point.

Bemidji- Happy birthday America! Spent the fourth of July in a public park where we gorged on hot dogs beer and baked beans. The boys got to dust off their skills with the ladies as plenty of young women were out and interested in a group of smelly cyclists. It was fun to play wingman and watch as the guys flirted and talked with a few ladies, whose company none of us have kept for quite some time.

Crookston- Nothing remarkable about this day except an incident I had with a Styrofoam plate, which i refuse to write about. If i know you well enough, or have had enough beer, ask me about it in person for all the details.

North Dakota

Grand Rapids- took a hotel where I made my last blog entry. Got the bike tuned up as this marked the halfway point of our journey.

Lakota - Lakota ND is a wonderful town in the midst of farmland that stretches as far as the eye can see. We found a very nice park to camp in and took full use of the swingset. As the sun began to set I noticed the way it was striking an evergreen tree. We stood and marveled at one of the more beautiful sunsets of the trip so far.

Rugby- Tailwind!!! When the wind is at your back, riding a bicycle is easy. We made 85 miles in four hours. To top it all off we got to stay with a guy named Dan who had one of the best stables of bicycles I have ever seen. Thanks for the hospitality Dan!

 

Minot- The damage in Minot is not overstated in the least. As we approached the area we road through 5 inches of water steadily flowing over the highway. Several people offered us rides across the mess but we decided to push on. It was pretty thrilling to ride my bike in such conditions. Upon entering Minot , we were informed that none of the water in town was fit for drinking. It had been a long day in the dun, and Bryce audibled for a hotel. Luckily his dad Kenny is a real gracious gentleman and obliged us. We slept indoors and had clean water to drink, which put my mind at ease.

Stanley- Unremarkable day, strong headwinds, struggled to make 55 miles.

Williston - Happy Birthday to Nick. Full description of the town in my post called Boomtown. We stayed with a wonderful family named the Lordemann's. They were so hospitable to us, taking us into their home, and putting us up for the night. We stayed in their basement and watched a a movie on their huge flat screen projector.  Joel and Jolene thanks a million if you are reading this! Oh yeah, Mrs Lordemann made us brownies, which I made myself sick on, wonderful!

Montana

Nashua- Our longest day of riding. We had a 30mph tail wind which we decided to capitalize on. We rode 136 miles in one day. Not as grueling as it sounds but tough none the less.

Malta- Apparently vanilla extract is the most effective bug repellent known to man when it comes to expelling gnats from your immediate vicinity. We bought some at a local store and were amazed at the effectiveness the sweet smell had on the swarms of pesky bugs. Upon arrival in Malta we camped near a rodeo ground were I spent a couple hours watching the locals have competitions roping cattle. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. That night as we slept under a pavillion we were treated again by getting to witness a real montana thunder storm. The lightning seemed to stretch for miles and the thunder shook the ground. I slept quite well knowing I would stay dry.

Havre- Ate mexican food. That is all.

Chester- The night before we decided that we would try to beat the wind which was forecast to be very strong by getting up at 5am and starting to ride. The tactic worked well for the first 30 miles, but once the day began to warm we faced 30mph headwinds again, and spent hours making slow miles. We decided to cut the day short and stay in Chester. I took the short day to nap and cook a delicious dinner of Frito chili pie followed by nutella crepes ( fried tortillas with nutella on them).

Cut Bank- Here we are today, in a hotel eating food and drinking drinks. I saw the rockies today for the first time on the trip.  Blow up the picture for full effect.