foggy morning in Ray
As always, when I awakened, I took a look outside at the weather.
I couldn't see beyond the motel parking lot--there was thick ground fog.
I dug out my Vista lights (front and rear) and attached them to the bike,
then packed everything and headed back to the Northside for breakfast. The
fog was very dense, so I took my time eating breakfast and nursed several
successive coffees.
While I was waiting for the fog to lift, I was surprised to see
the arrival of a family of cyclists from Connecticut who were riding to
Seattle.
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Jack, Holly and Byron had started in Tioga (13 miles northeast)
and said the fog was bad, but was finally starting to burn off. Jack had
experienced numerous (I think he said 36) broken spokes and was hoping to
obtain a new wheel in Williston. We talked briefly and I got on my way.
I had no desire to ride in the fog because there are miniscule
shoulders at Ray.
Luckily, when I finally got going, the fog burned off quickly and I turned
off my Vista lights in bright sunlight at a rest area. I faced light headwinds
once again and there were frequent slow climbs--a few hundred feet vertical
spread over a couple of miles. It wasn't particularly difficult climbing,
but I often slowed to 5-6 mph, so progress was slow. There was one climb
out from a valley (with a nice rest area) that lasted more than 4.5 miles
(at around 3-4%). It took me most of an hour to reach the top.
I ate lunch at a "fast food" (slow service) restaurant at Stanley.
I didn't depart Stanley until 3:00 PM. With 60 miles left to my planned
stop at Minot, I was facing brisk northeast winds all afternoon.
The museum at Stanley looked interesting, but I felt I had to pedal past
because of my desire to reach Minot.
The terrain in this part of North Dakota is totally unlike the
range in Montana. I passed numerous large grain farms. All the land seemed
in cultivation. In Montana, it all seemed to be open range.
I saw another bicyclist riding west. He said he was riding from
Detroit, but didn't know where he was going. I was surprised by the route
he took from Detroit--neither north to the Mackinac Bridge or west to the
Lake Michigan ferry. He rode south through Windsor, Ontario and around Lake
St. Clair, up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory, then crossed Lake Huron
on a ferry to Manitoulin Island, rode from there to Sault Ste. Marie, then
down to US-2 and across the Upper Peninsula. He said he was wondering about
seeing the "great parks" in Canada, but also said he'd like to
see South Dakota. He seemed somewhat disoriented. The northwestern part
of North Dakota seemed a bit too late to be thinking of traveling by bicycle
to South Dakota. I concluded that he was strange, so I elected not to divulge
the existence of my computer equipment by taking his picture. I was pleased
to hear that his roundabout route from Michigan took him only 3-1/2 weeks.
At one point, I stopped at a cross road to urinate and scared some sort
of lime green colored snake off into the weeds. I saw a red fox on the road.
It stopping to scratch its shoulder and ran off when he saw me. Then it
jumped up above the marsh grass to see me again from about 100' away.
As I rode through the day, I contemplated why my progress had been so slow
in recent days and dictated a list of possible excuses:
As the day worn on, it became clear that I wasn't going to make Minot. At 4:30, I was only about halfway. At 5:00, only 51 miles. I estimate I climbed more than 2,500 ft. today. I was too tired. There were no motels between Stanley and Minot, but the Adventure Cycling map showed Berthold to have a city campground and restaurants. I went there. I rode downtown and verified with a pedestrian that there was indeed no motel or B&B and got directions to the campground.
At the small campground there were 2 family reunions in progress.
Both families were real friendly. I set up my tent and was preparing to
go to town for dinner when I was approached by members of the Borud family.
The Borud family (about 80 folks) generously fed me dinner from their bounteous
pot luck selection. After dinner, they played country music on amplified
equipment. Thinking they'd be going late into the evening and I wouldn't
be able to sleep, I went to town for dessert and a beer (to help me sleep
through their music). I had every intention to take their picture when I
got back, but they were gone when I returned, so I never did get a picture.
At the restaurant in town, I had a chocolate sundae and got talking to the
a family (Kelly, Ken, Jim & Linda) at an adjoining table. They asked
me about my route and I explained that I had only a North Dakota map, so
couldn't tell where I was going in Minnesota. They responded by going to
their vehicle for a Minnesota map which they gave me. The people in North
Dakota have been great.
From the restaurant, I went next door to a bar for a beer. Everybody
was real friendly there too. Several people asked me about my trip. I watched
the Olympics on TV and talked to a woman named Jill. Everybody was amazingly
friendly. Jill offered to buy me a beer--I think its the only time a woman
ever offered to buy me a beer--and I actually declined. I just might be
taking this bicycling thing a bit too seriously. I feel like an athlete
in training. I had already had my one beer ration of the day and was concerned
that another could affect my performance in the morning.
I got back to my campsite after 10:00.
70 miles.
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997