Day 17

We got an early start this morning although it seemed to take a long time to get to our lunch destination. We stopped 35 miles into the ride. We would have liked to have gone further but there were no restaurants for a 90 mile stretch. Our waitress got a kick out of watching us eat because it was non-stop trips to the salad bar. After we finished eating we decided that it ws time to change our rear tires due to the mileage. We then continued on for 25 more miles into the next town and stopped for some snacks at their city park. We were sitting at a picnic table and kicked up our legs on a bench. Before we knew it we were both asleep. Believe it or not we slept (unintentionally) for an hour each on a bench at the picnic table. It was a rude awakening at 3:30 in the afternoon knowing that we had 70 miles to go. After this we both went into "game time mode" and powered into Carrington, North Dakota. We got there at 8:45 p.m. and convinced the local pizza place to stay open and let us eat there. After this we found a city park and set up camp.

Miles Biked today: 126
Miles Biked total: 1505

Day 16:

So after the late night camp set up we woke up early to a beautiful warm clear day. While we were packing up I went over to this lodge nearby to see if I could get hot water for oatmeal that I had. So I walk up and there are some people inside. I ask about the hot water and the guy says sure. Then he says how about some free pancakes. Wow, that caught me off guard and of course I accepted. These were not any pancakes. They were juneberry pancakes. There was a catch. We were at a local bird watching convention. There were binoculars everywhere. Everyone was very nice and it was some good morning entertainment watching the "birders" walk around and look up into the trees. Maybe, it is one of those things that you had to have been there to find the humor in it. Needless to say, I left there with a stomach full of pancakes. We continued on around 50 miles into the ride and stopped at Newtown. We asked a local where the best place for a good meal was. She pointed us to the bowling alley, where there was Better B's cafe. So John and I each had a couple of cokes, a double Bacon cheeseburger, salad, an extra order of fries and a cookie to top it off. As soon as we left John said how do you feel about ice cream, and of course I was in. So we went across the street. John had a banana split and I had a large strawberry milk shake, quite the lunch feast. Immediately after this we hit the road. The next 30 miles were incredibly uncomfortable for me. At one point I had to pull over due to side cramps. We did not let the food digest at all so we both felt the repercussions of our decision. But we finished strong into the town of Garrison, 122 mile day. Upon arrival we found a place to eat where we had fried chicken, salads, bread and baked potatos followed by more ice cream. There were two police officers eating there so John lined up a place for us to camp in the city park under shelter across the street.

Miles Biked Today: 122
Miles Biked Total: 1379

Day 15: Welcome to North Dakota

Sorry for the long delay on updating the blog. We have been in some remote locations. The weather finally broke and we were able to head out. For the first time in a few days we experienced warm weather which lifted the morale. We put in long miles up to lunch. We had fruit, bread and pb and j's from the continental breakfast that lasted throughout the day. Around 11:30, hours into the ride we broke the Montana/North Dakota state line which felt amazing. The hill began to increase noticeably in North Dakota, nothing big though just consistent rollers. We made it into a town called Williston where we grabbed some dinner at a local BBQ restaurant that was amazing!!!!. After that we hit the grocery store. The place we were hoping to make it to was only a campground about 28 miles out of town so we wanted to stock up for morning food before we hit the open road again. We left Williston around 8:00 p.m. About 10 miles out my chain broke while I was pedaling up a hill. Luckily John had a sram auto link so I was able to continue on, although it took longer than necessary to make the repair. So heading on we started to bike faster because daylight was now a concern. The road that we were biking on during sunset was possibly the most beautiful part of the trip so far. The sun was setting so everything had a reddish tint to it. We made it to camp around 10:00 - 10:30 and it was just getting dark to the point we needed flashlights when we pulled in. Set up tents and crashed hard.

Miles Biked Today: 125
Miles Biked Total: 1257