...
So Pastor Bob calls Cormac and says sure thing, we are welcome to hang out at the church to stay out of the rain. We then spend the afternoon talking to Pastor Bob about a whole range of things, many about pastoring a church, and relaxing in the Youth Room. Pastor Bob is so so kind and generous, offering us a shower repeatedly at his family's house - apparently he thought we needed a shower more than we did:). And then he took us out to dinner and set us all up to spend a comfortable night in the youth room. The kindness of Grace United Methodist Church had a big impact on our time in Fergus Falls. Thank you, Pastor Bob, and peace to you and your family.
We leave Fergus Falls on the 16th of July excited to start the Central Lakes Trail, which heads Southeast through Minnesota and connects to the Lake Wobegon Trail. This is when the sun was shining, we were flying with a tail wind, and I look around at the land and hear the quiet and think, I like Minnesota! We enjoyed a full day on the trail, camping that night in a town park in Albany, MN (mosquitos!!!). The next day we biked to the trail's end, in St. John and then spent some time at the St. Michael's University there, using the internet to figure out how to get from there to Minneapolis. Very nice people at the university!
So to fastforward a bit just to get up to date, we biked to Baker State Park on the 17th and stayed there - nice but pricey for a campsite ($18.50). And then headed into Minneapolis the next day only to get rained on as we were passing a movie theatre and so we decided to catch a movie. Lucky for us, because Jane Carlsen Kay and her friend happened to be getting out of a movie at the same time as we were and asked us about our trip and where we were staying...
Yep, we ended up staying with Jane and her family - Gene, her husband and Emily and Jessie, their daughters! We actually even stayed for 2 nights - that's how wonderful they were:) THANK YOU JANE, GENE, EMILY & JESSIE - for the bed, the food, the laundry, the shower, the company, the bike into minneapolis, the run in the woods, conversation, box wine...Cheers to new friends.
....
It's Thursday, July 23rd and we are currently in Portage, Wisconsin. We will be in Milwaukee tomorrow evening to get on a Ferry to Muskegon, Michigan! We are amazed, honestly, at how much we have biked already. Including today we have done 39 days of biking, and have been on this journey longer than that. It's about every 4 days or so that one of us, and generally both, begins yearning for home, for the comfort of a consistent place to put our head down and wake up or simply for a kitchen to cook a variety of food in. We have envisioned our new apartment many times - figuring out what colors to paint the walls and how to arrange the furniture. But overall we are just enjoying this chance to explore the country by bike. We know that come October we will be thinking about traveling again...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
another post, finally! Happy Belated BDays to HERO & RUSTY!
It's been a while since our last post and so much as happened that it is hard to figure out how to begin.
We left you on July 11th in Cooperstown, ND. Well, that night we made it to Page, ND. Enroute to Page, we stopped in Hope, ND (they had a water tower with a big smiley face on it - how hopeful:)) and met up with a couple biking on a tandem on the Northern Tier Route. Teresa and Reuben Peterson, from Modesto, CA are biking across the country as the first of many things on Rueben's 'things to do when I retire' list. We chatted a while and then Cormac and I headed on 15 miles or so more to Page for the night while Reuben and Teresa stayed in Hope. In Page, where the cars park in the middle of the road, Cormac and I caught a movie in the one theatre movie house. And, another night camping free in a ND city park.
The next day, July 13th, we saw the Peterson's (nice name:)) tandem outside the local cafe and ended up biking with them for a long 15 mile or so stretch directly into gusty head winds. Drafting off a tandem provides a nice shelter from the wind. Cormac and I agree that we would not have made that stretch in nearly such good time or spirits without Teresa and Reuben's help! At some point, we decided to take a break while they continued on. We arrive in Fargo around 4 or so and head to the bike store. The owner has converted an old train station into a Bike stor and cafe. A new chain and handlebar tape for Cormac's bike; and new bike shorts for Cormac's behind then a night at the local Howard Johnson's.
We lucked out with out timing in Fargo: We biked to the Laundromat to clean or very dirty clothes and then decided to get a beer...Well, we selected Dempsey's Pub and it was our lucky night because as we were entering, I noticed a handwritten sign in the window 'Josh Ritter 7:00-8:30' I did a double take because i was pretty sure that if they were talking about the well known Josh Ritter that there would be a bigger sign but I woman I asked was like 'yep, Josh Ritter, that Josh Ritter, here, I know, it's crazy, but great...' And so we got to see Josh Ritter perform in a small venue of about 40/50 people. I only missed 2 songs while biking to switch the laundry over to the dryer (I lost that rocks, paper, scissors round).
July 14th: Minnesota!!!
As we bike a whole day on nicely paved and secluded bike path, I think to myself, I like Minnesota!! Well, that was actually on July 16th that I thought that... July 14th was a short day mileage wise due to very strong headwinds (when you watch birds struggling to fly) and the threat of some serious thunderstorms. We left Fargo and crossed into MN in Moorehead. We were hoping to get to Fergus Falls but ended our days journey tired and thankful for a place to stay, which ended up being a motel. It was either that or the 'Pririe Chicken' in Rothsay, MN which was a massive statue of a praire chicken that people in the gas station thought it would be OK if we camped near. With storms coming we did not risk it.
Juily 15th: Another day of headwinds and eventual rain... There is, we were told, a predominant wind from the west. Predominant does not mean always, and we have been reminded of this fact on our trip. Happily, while we are chugging along some rolling hills into the wind, singing or praying or doing math in our heads - however it was that we were trying not to think about how many miles we had left - we see behind us a pair of bikers. They are getting closer (we were biking very slowly) and we realize they are the Petersons! Joy, our Headwind Buddies are here! They had also done a much shorter than anticipated day out of Fargo and stayed a few miles west of Rothsay. We biked the rest of the afternoon with them into Fergus Falls. We see a sign that says Fergus Falls 4 miles and it's a good thing that it was no further than that because right about then the sky darkened and we were getting wet. We biked a very fast 4 miles, worried by the thunder and lightning getting closer, to find happy shelter in Dairyland in Fergus Falls.
There were flood warnings out, you could see little waterfalls in the streets. This was some serious ran. Whew, thank goodness for Dairyland! The four of us set up in a booth for some lunch and card playing and figuring out sleeping plans... We were in good hands, we knew, when everyone in the place warned us NOT to stay at a motel that Reuben had just called that had really good rates. Cormac, flipping through a newspaper from the area sees a page with the churches nearby. 15 or so Lutheran churches, we counted, a Presbyterian and a Methodist. Cormac decides to put his Master of Divinity Degree to the test and calls the Methodist church. Why the Methodist one, you ask? Perhaps it was because Emma, our wedding officiant and friend was raised Methodist? We do not really know but it was a very good decision. Cormac leaves a message explaining that we are two Divinity School students/graduates and we are biking and need a place to spend the afternoon/evening until the rain clears. Pastor Bob calls back a few minutes later...
To be continued.
We left you on July 11th in Cooperstown, ND. Well, that night we made it to Page, ND. Enroute to Page, we stopped in Hope, ND (they had a water tower with a big smiley face on it - how hopeful:)) and met up with a couple biking on a tandem on the Northern Tier Route. Teresa and Reuben Peterson, from Modesto, CA are biking across the country as the first of many things on Rueben's 'things to do when I retire' list. We chatted a while and then Cormac and I headed on 15 miles or so more to Page for the night while Reuben and Teresa stayed in Hope. In Page, where the cars park in the middle of the road, Cormac and I caught a movie in the one theatre movie house. And, another night camping free in a ND city park.
The next day, July 13th, we saw the Peterson's (nice name:)) tandem outside the local cafe and ended up biking with them for a long 15 mile or so stretch directly into gusty head winds. Drafting off a tandem provides a nice shelter from the wind. Cormac and I agree that we would not have made that stretch in nearly such good time or spirits without Teresa and Reuben's help! At some point, we decided to take a break while they continued on. We arrive in Fargo around 4 or so and head to the bike store. The owner has converted an old train station into a Bike stor and cafe. A new chain and handlebar tape for Cormac's bike; and new bike shorts for Cormac's behind then a night at the local Howard Johnson's.
We lucked out with out timing in Fargo: We biked to the Laundromat to clean or very dirty clothes and then decided to get a beer...Well, we selected Dempsey's Pub and it was our lucky night because as we were entering, I noticed a handwritten sign in the window 'Josh Ritter 7:00-8:30' I did a double take because i was pretty sure that if they were talking about the well known Josh Ritter that there would be a bigger sign but I woman I asked was like 'yep, Josh Ritter, that Josh Ritter, here, I know, it's crazy, but great...' And so we got to see Josh Ritter perform in a small venue of about 40/50 people. I only missed 2 songs while biking to switch the laundry over to the dryer (I lost that rocks, paper, scissors round).
July 14th: Minnesota!!!
As we bike a whole day on nicely paved and secluded bike path, I think to myself, I like Minnesota!! Well, that was actually on July 16th that I thought that... July 14th was a short day mileage wise due to very strong headwinds (when you watch birds struggling to fly) and the threat of some serious thunderstorms. We left Fargo and crossed into MN in Moorehead. We were hoping to get to Fergus Falls but ended our days journey tired and thankful for a place to stay, which ended up being a motel. It was either that or the 'Pririe Chicken' in Rothsay, MN which was a massive statue of a praire chicken that people in the gas station thought it would be OK if we camped near. With storms coming we did not risk it.
Juily 15th: Another day of headwinds and eventual rain... There is, we were told, a predominant wind from the west. Predominant does not mean always, and we have been reminded of this fact on our trip. Happily, while we are chugging along some rolling hills into the wind, singing or praying or doing math in our heads - however it was that we were trying not to think about how many miles we had left - we see behind us a pair of bikers. They are getting closer (we were biking very slowly) and we realize they are the Petersons! Joy, our Headwind Buddies are here! They had also done a much shorter than anticipated day out of Fargo and stayed a few miles west of Rothsay. We biked the rest of the afternoon with them into Fergus Falls. We see a sign that says Fergus Falls 4 miles and it's a good thing that it was no further than that because right about then the sky darkened and we were getting wet. We biked a very fast 4 miles, worried by the thunder and lightning getting closer, to find happy shelter in Dairyland in Fergus Falls.
There were flood warnings out, you could see little waterfalls in the streets. This was some serious ran. Whew, thank goodness for Dairyland! The four of us set up in a booth for some lunch and card playing and figuring out sleeping plans... We were in good hands, we knew, when everyone in the place warned us NOT to stay at a motel that Reuben had just called that had really good rates. Cormac, flipping through a newspaper from the area sees a page with the churches nearby. 15 or so Lutheran churches, we counted, a Presbyterian and a Methodist. Cormac decides to put his Master of Divinity Degree to the test and calls the Methodist church. Why the Methodist one, you ask? Perhaps it was because Emma, our wedding officiant and friend was raised Methodist? We do not really know but it was a very good decision. Cormac leaves a message explaining that we are two Divinity School students/graduates and we are biking and need a place to spend the afternoon/evening until the rain clears. Pastor Bob calls back a few minutes later...
To be continued.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Our Map
Thanks so much David for the advice
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=107585128708090206048.00046d927390568464998
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=107585128708090206048.00046d927390568464998
July 11th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITNEY
I write from Cooperstown, ND. Population a little more than 1,000. We are taking a library break before heading on to either Hope or Arthur, ND, depending on how we feel - one being a shortish 23 miles and the other a more substantial 60 miles away. Then tomorrow we will be in Fargo! As of tomorrow we will have been on the road for 1 month! (I've got bike short and glove tans and a sunglass tan to prove it - nevermind increasingly powerful legs:)) We are both getting very used to camping most nights - made much much much more comfortable by the pads we purchased in Sandpoint, ID. There were several nights since then that we would have just been miserable camping on the surface offered. For example, three nights ago we stayed in Esmond, ND. While we had been playing BINGO at the local Esmond Bar (more on that below), the locals had warned us of possible tornadoes. Yikes. We had heard news of possible thunderstorms but tornadoes?! So we set up our tent on the concrete floor of a three sided picnic structure in the town park (where you can camp for free and they even have a shower and bathroom:)) Our sleeping pads made it possible for sleeping on concrete to actually be, um, comfortable.
And, to calm you all, there were no tornadoes. Some seriously bright and big lightning and loud rolling thunder but no tornadoes. They hit western North Dakota more, I heard. We did feel good, however, should there have been tornadoes, knowing that we had a substantial bathouse to hide in, or - as we had been informed by the locals at the bar - knock on anyone's door and they'll let you in. Back to BINGO. Cormac and I arrived in Esmond around 6 or so. We had had a slow day battling strong headwinds from Rugby. It took us way too long to get only 20 miles and we were worn out. So, with about 6 miles left to Esmond, we hitched a ride and were kindly picked up by Mr. Elmer Wolfe. Yep, Elmer. The first Elmer I've ever met. Well Elmer lives in the house that he was born in. "If you don't believe me," Elmer said, "ask my mom." (Now, Elmer is not exactly a young lad) "She's 93 and still drives," he added as he pointed out her house in town as we passed it on the way to the town park. He works the farm that his father worked and his father's father before that. Elmer is hoping his son will be taking it over after him. The park was wonderful. Really North Dakota has the nicest town parks, set up with swings and play stuff as well as picnic tables and grills and bathhouses and plenty of good camping grass and most are free! We went for a little walk and wound our way to to Esmond Bar (ok - so that makes it sound
like it was a big city that we walked for a long time and decided on a certain bar. Nope, actually it was the only establishment opened in the town and it's really really hard to miss:)) Lucy us, because it was BINGO night!!! Every Tuesday and Wednesday locals gather in the bar to play BINGO. There were about 20 people playing - which is a lot given that the town pop is less than 100! We learned the next day while talking to the husband of the woman who calls the letter/number combos that the $500 prize they offer and the $100 prize they offer and which are actually very winnable are both what draw a lot of folks in and what may cause the operation to have to stop in the near future. Hopefully not, cause it was fun! One of the older ladies playing BINGO (note: it was not all older women, there was a young family and some guys too) was Katie Wolfe. Elmer had mentioned his mother's name and when she introduced herself as Katie, I asked if she was Katie Wolfe. She was so happy that Elmer gave us a ride and corrected his math - she is actually 94 but it's hard to believe she is a day over 70.
Ok - the library is closing in 10 minutes so I will get in what I can.
We ended up staying the day on Thursday in Esmond, just to relax and enjoy the nice weather from a non-peddling posture. We had breakfast at the Cafe - on the other side of the block from the bar where the town gathers in the morning. Katie Wolfe was there, a seat saved for her at her usual table. And we borrowed two books from the cafe to read for the day. Sadly we had to return them before we finished but it was a nice way to spend a day.
We left Esmond on Friday morning excited for winds from the NNW at 10-25 mph!! Thanks to these lovely breezes, we managed our first century. Actually, we biked 111 miles yesterday! From Esmond to Binford. A few things: there are Lutheran Churches everywhere in ND - and if there is only 1 church in a town it is likely a lutheran one; North Dakota is not completely flat - we hit some hills in our last 18 miles yesterday; North Dakota is really quite beautiful;
...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Peace, Lindsey
And, to calm you all, there were no tornadoes. Some seriously bright and big lightning and loud rolling thunder but no tornadoes. They hit western North Dakota more, I heard. We did feel good, however, should there have been tornadoes, knowing that we had a substantial bathouse to hide in, or - as we had been informed by the locals at the bar - knock on anyone's door and they'll let you in. Back to BINGO. Cormac and I arrived in Esmond around 6 or so. We had had a slow day battling strong headwinds from Rugby. It took us way too long to get only 20 miles and we were worn out. So, with about 6 miles left to Esmond, we hitched a ride and were kindly picked up by Mr. Elmer Wolfe. Yep, Elmer. The first Elmer I've ever met. Well Elmer lives in the house that he was born in. "If you don't believe me," Elmer said, "ask my mom." (Now, Elmer is not exactly a young lad) "She's 93 and still drives," he added as he pointed out her house in town as we passed it on the way to the town park. He works the farm that his father worked and his father's father before that. Elmer is hoping his son will be taking it over after him. The park was wonderful. Really North Dakota has the nicest town parks, set up with swings and play stuff as well as picnic tables and grills and bathhouses and plenty of good camping grass and most are free! We went for a little walk and wound our way to to Esmond Bar (ok - so that makes it sound
like it was a big city that we walked for a long time and decided on a certain bar. Nope, actually it was the only establishment opened in the town and it's really really hard to miss:)) Lucy us, because it was BINGO night!!! Every Tuesday and Wednesday locals gather in the bar to play BINGO. There were about 20 people playing - which is a lot given that the town pop is less than 100! We learned the next day while talking to the husband of the woman who calls the letter/number combos that the $500 prize they offer and the $100 prize they offer and which are actually very winnable are both what draw a lot of folks in and what may cause the operation to have to stop in the near future. Hopefully not, cause it was fun! One of the older ladies playing BINGO (note: it was not all older women, there was a young family and some guys too) was Katie Wolfe. Elmer had mentioned his mother's name and when she introduced herself as Katie, I asked if she was Katie Wolfe. She was so happy that Elmer gave us a ride and corrected his math - she is actually 94 but it's hard to believe she is a day over 70.
Ok - the library is closing in 10 minutes so I will get in what I can.
We ended up staying the day on Thursday in Esmond, just to relax and enjoy the nice weather from a non-peddling posture. We had breakfast at the Cafe - on the other side of the block from the bar where the town gathers in the morning. Katie Wolfe was there, a seat saved for her at her usual table. And we borrowed two books from the cafe to read for the day. Sadly we had to return them before we finished but it was a nice way to spend a day.
We left Esmond on Friday morning excited for winds from the NNW at 10-25 mph!! Thanks to these lovely breezes, we managed our first century. Actually, we biked 111 miles yesterday! From Esmond to Binford. A few things: there are Lutheran Churches everywhere in ND - and if there is only 1 church in a town it is likely a lutheran one; North Dakota is not completely flat - we hit some hills in our last 18 miles yesterday; North Dakota is really quite beautiful;
...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Peace, Lindsey
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 4th in Havre
It's the morning of July 5th. We are in Havre, MT. Now, I will journey back in time a bit... We left Whitefish in our classic casual style on the 30th and biked into Glacier National Park around 2or 3ish. Most of the road on the West Side of Logan pass are closed to bicyclists from 11 to 4 because of the narrowness of the road. So we considered our options and decided to chill in Apgar - which is just 3 or so miles into the Park until 4. We put our feet in some very cold glacier water of Lake MacDonald and saw Don and Jaimie taking naps. Who are Don and Jamie? Well, they are 2 guys we met in Whitefish. Don is doing the whole Northern Tier route and Jamie was joinng him until East Glacier (just south of the route). They were planning to bike to the Avalanche campground once the roads opened at 4 and then to bike Logan Pass the next day. We were pretty sure we were not going to do the Logal Pass bike -it's grade on our elevation map was steeper than anything we had yet done and Washington and Rainy pass were hard enough on Cormac's knees that we thought better than to test them again on Logan. So we thought about hitching a ride up the pass than camping in St. Mary at the bottom, but we ended up biking to Avalanche and sharing a hiker/biker lot with Don, Jamie and another guy, Phil, and then took the tram up the pass the next morning. Ok. I feel like we cheated a little bit taking the tram up that pass, but it was a very very very narrow road and a 15 mile climb or so and the view from the tram was something stunning so it all worked out in the end. We then biked DOWN the pass (ah, lovely downhills:)) and headed for Cut Bank, MT. Our route actually takes us into Canada but I don't have my passport with me and Cormac's expired so we had to seek an alternate. 89 S was the road we were going to take out of the park to Browning, MT where it met up with Rt. 2, which is the road we are on for much of MT. Unfortunately, 89 is NOT a bicycling-friendly road. Not at all. It is quite narrow, with NO shoulder and lots of RV traffic - tourists coming to and from Glacier Ntl Park. Being as good as we are now at realizing that we have to expect plans to change all the time, we pulled over on the side of the road and commenced to seek a ride. A tow truck pulled over and offered us a ride to Browning - about 25 miles. The driver, who's name might have been Louie, was a Blackfeet and told us stories about how the moutains around the Blackfeet Reservation we were driving through were named. We were in the Plains of Montana now, across the Continental Divide.
He dropped us off at a gas station near Browning. Shortly after we realized that my right pannier was still in the back of his truck and Cormac - being the amazingly personable person he is, chats up a pickup truck of folks at the gas station who know where Louie works and they commence trying to catch up to him. Success! Cormac arrives back with my right pannier! We then bike to Cut Bank, running into a few West bound bikers along the way. These fellows tell of us the many winds at our back to come. They recommend setting up a sail on the back of our bikes and just riding with the wind.
Our ride to Cut Bank, however, brings none of these much anticipated tail winds. Nope. Nor does our bike the next day from Cut Bank to Chester, MT. Ok, first Cut Bank. We arrive pretty late - around 9pm but the sun is still shining - i love these late night sunsets - and decide to pay for a pretty pricey campsite - $20! - but it comes with a shower and they have a cheap laundry on site so cormac does a load right away, and a rec room with a TV and magazines and a coffee maker. It was like living in luxury:) We leave Cut Bank, hoping for those tail winds. Unfortunately, the locals have been telling us that the weather is cooky this year and the storms are causing the winds to blow in all kinds of directions. Yep, they are. We had hoped to get to Joplin, a small town with a park for camping but after 2 flats and lots of head wind and some rain, we are really beat as we arrive in Chester. A biker heading West who we crossed paths with talked up the MX motel and it's restuarant as there is a guy there, Sean, with a really long - maybe 3 feet - who is all into bicyclists. So cormac, leading the way doesn't even pause at the sign for a campsite and heads straigh to the Motel. It was a rough day and we are both feeling frustrated and tired. You know what? Biking 21 days in a row gets tiring!!:) ha, who'd have thunk it? But the sun, a little bit of tail wind, longish stretches of downhill and a new decision on our part to take more breaks that are just sit on the side of the road and read or write or nap breaks, helps us to get to Havre, MT smiling and thankful for another day on our bikes.
We stayed at the Northern Fair and campground in Havre, on a nice piece of grass for $10 with a shower included. Ross and Ruth are a retired couple we meet from Ontario who are headed to Alberta in their van to visit their son. They like the states, so they take the longer route through MT. (Ross - this Ross, after I said my brothers name is Ross, was surprised, saying Ross' are a special breed). We chatted a while and set up tent then went over to the 'Irish Pub' across the way for a brew. As we look at the next legs of our route, heading into Malta and Glagsow, the waitress warns us of the Mosquitos in her hometown - Malta. We had heard of this 100 mile or so stretch of really nasty mosquitos from a few people. I am forgetting now who said this - oh, I think it was Sean in Chester - but a fellow was telling us he saw a white horse turn black from being covered with the bugs. The waitress was telling us that when her kids were little and then went to visit her parents in Malta for the first time they got all bitten so badly that their eyes were swollen nearly shut. Ok, I hate mosquitos. They love me. I was not looking forward to this buggy bike. One biker we ran into said authorities would not allow him to camp in Malta because the bugs were so bad. Ugh.
Well, we have an appointment to get tune ups on our bikes on Saturday, the 4th. So we head over to the shop in the morning planning to head out in the early afternoon for a shortish 40 mile day. Well, we are walking around Havre on teh 4th and it is dead. Man, this is the biggest town we have hit in a longtime - over 9,000 people - and everything is closed and there's no one on the street. Strange. There is a parade that passes by. I think Cormac and I make up 80% of the people watching intentionally - the others are those driving east on teh same road the parade is marching west on. 4 horses, a few old cars, a dozen 'democrats' holding a banner, i think that about made up the parade. We walk some more and see a sign for Amtrack train station. Hmmmm. Thinking of the mosquitos to come and of the wind out of the East that the weather forecast his saying will be with us for a while, and also of this one town head that people say is pretty rough, Cormac and I decide to check out what the train schedule and fares are...
And so we are getting on a 1:15 train to Minot, ND. Yes, we are skipping several miles but you know what, this is our honeymoon and we are excited to miss the mosquitos and have some extra time to visit friends in Chicago, hopefully. So we are pretty excited about this. Also we have heard endlessly great things about the nice people of North Dakota. We actually met our first North Dakotan couple in Pepin Park in Havre yesterday and nice they were. They are driving from Petersburg, ND to Glacier Park to do some hiking. They are not going to be home, but their kids will be - college age - and the give us their contact info and invite us to call them if we want a shower and/or a place to stay when we pass through their neighborhood. Amazing.
Another amazingly nice couple offered us a place to stay last night too. Martin and April. Martin is the mechanic who worked on our bikes and we just got to talking and Cormac and I were going to stay in Pepin Park but so as to not have to stay out in a park on the 4th of July they offer to let us camp in their yard. We take them up on the offer and are still chilling with them this morning, about to get some brunch before Cormac and I head out on the train. It's so exciting to think of all the people we have met who we just would never have known if we had not taken this journey. And a journey it is....
He dropped us off at a gas station near Browning. Shortly after we realized that my right pannier was still in the back of his truck and Cormac - being the amazingly personable person he is, chats up a pickup truck of folks at the gas station who know where Louie works and they commence trying to catch up to him. Success! Cormac arrives back with my right pannier! We then bike to Cut Bank, running into a few West bound bikers along the way. These fellows tell of us the many winds at our back to come. They recommend setting up a sail on the back of our bikes and just riding with the wind.
Our ride to Cut Bank, however, brings none of these much anticipated tail winds. Nope. Nor does our bike the next day from Cut Bank to Chester, MT. Ok, first Cut Bank. We arrive pretty late - around 9pm but the sun is still shining - i love these late night sunsets - and decide to pay for a pretty pricey campsite - $20! - but it comes with a shower and they have a cheap laundry on site so cormac does a load right away, and a rec room with a TV and magazines and a coffee maker. It was like living in luxury:) We leave Cut Bank, hoping for those tail winds. Unfortunately, the locals have been telling us that the weather is cooky this year and the storms are causing the winds to blow in all kinds of directions. Yep, they are. We had hoped to get to Joplin, a small town with a park for camping but after 2 flats and lots of head wind and some rain, we are really beat as we arrive in Chester. A biker heading West who we crossed paths with talked up the MX motel and it's restuarant as there is a guy there, Sean, with a really long - maybe 3 feet - who is all into bicyclists. So cormac, leading the way doesn't even pause at the sign for a campsite and heads straigh to the Motel. It was a rough day and we are both feeling frustrated and tired. You know what? Biking 21 days in a row gets tiring!!:) ha, who'd have thunk it? But the sun, a little bit of tail wind, longish stretches of downhill and a new decision on our part to take more breaks that are just sit on the side of the road and read or write or nap breaks, helps us to get to Havre, MT smiling and thankful for another day on our bikes.
We stayed at the Northern Fair and campground in Havre, on a nice piece of grass for $10 with a shower included. Ross and Ruth are a retired couple we meet from Ontario who are headed to Alberta in their van to visit their son. They like the states, so they take the longer route through MT. (Ross - this Ross, after I said my brothers name is Ross, was surprised, saying Ross' are a special breed). We chatted a while and set up tent then went over to the 'Irish Pub' across the way for a brew. As we look at the next legs of our route, heading into Malta and Glagsow, the waitress warns us of the Mosquitos in her hometown - Malta. We had heard of this 100 mile or so stretch of really nasty mosquitos from a few people. I am forgetting now who said this - oh, I think it was Sean in Chester - but a fellow was telling us he saw a white horse turn black from being covered with the bugs. The waitress was telling us that when her kids were little and then went to visit her parents in Malta for the first time they got all bitten so badly that their eyes were swollen nearly shut. Ok, I hate mosquitos. They love me. I was not looking forward to this buggy bike. One biker we ran into said authorities would not allow him to camp in Malta because the bugs were so bad. Ugh.
Well, we have an appointment to get tune ups on our bikes on Saturday, the 4th. So we head over to the shop in the morning planning to head out in the early afternoon for a shortish 40 mile day. Well, we are walking around Havre on teh 4th and it is dead. Man, this is the biggest town we have hit in a longtime - over 9,000 people - and everything is closed and there's no one on the street. Strange. There is a parade that passes by. I think Cormac and I make up 80% of the people watching intentionally - the others are those driving east on teh same road the parade is marching west on. 4 horses, a few old cars, a dozen 'democrats' holding a banner, i think that about made up the parade. We walk some more and see a sign for Amtrack train station. Hmmmm. Thinking of the mosquitos to come and of the wind out of the East that the weather forecast his saying will be with us for a while, and also of this one town head that people say is pretty rough, Cormac and I decide to check out what the train schedule and fares are...
And so we are getting on a 1:15 train to Minot, ND. Yes, we are skipping several miles but you know what, this is our honeymoon and we are excited to miss the mosquitos and have some extra time to visit friends in Chicago, hopefully. So we are pretty excited about this. Also we have heard endlessly great things about the nice people of North Dakota. We actually met our first North Dakotan couple in Pepin Park in Havre yesterday and nice they were. They are driving from Petersburg, ND to Glacier Park to do some hiking. They are not going to be home, but their kids will be - college age - and the give us their contact info and invite us to call them if we want a shower and/or a place to stay when we pass through their neighborhood. Amazing.
Another amazingly nice couple offered us a place to stay last night too. Martin and April. Martin is the mechanic who worked on our bikes and we just got to talking and Cormac and I were going to stay in Pepin Park but so as to not have to stay out in a park on the 4th of July they offer to let us camp in their yard. We take them up on the offer and are still chilling with them this morning, about to get some brunch before Cormac and I head out on the train. It's so exciting to think of all the people we have met who we just would never have known if we had not taken this journey. And a journey it is....
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