Mile 32: The major change in scenery was larger farms, poultry farms (chicken and turkey), and more trees along the road.

July 16^th Statistics – Long Prairie to Milaca, MN:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 78.4 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 15.2 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 5.2 hours
• Today Ascent – 1,201 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 25
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,981.4 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 79.3 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 57,038 feet

Almost a repeat of yesterday – I began biking about 6:30 am (while everyone else went to breakfast) as the forecast was for high(er) temperatures and humidity and we had a long ride (almost 80 miles).  It was again a wonderful time to be on the road.  The roads in general were very smooth – beautiful, if repetitive, scenery, and a gentle breeze.  I had a few moments of shade while biking today which is a first since Western Montana and the Rocky Mountains.

I was sweating buckets starting almost immediately in the morning.  For reference, I drank more than 150 oz of fluids on the ride today. I was so far ahead of the group today that I never saw the SAG wagon and arrived at the hotel in Milaca at 1:30 pm (before everyone else including the SAG wagon).  I only took two short breaks at convenience stores to fill up on fluids and an energy bar.  Doug was the second to arrive in Milaca about 15 minutes after I did.  By late this afternoon it was 94 degrees according to the local bank sign.

Sound familiar (see yesterday’s post, including photos)?

I have come to the conclusion that the most important factor that impacts the enjoyment of each day’s ride is the road surface condition, not the distance, scenery, wind, temperature, humidity, traffic, weather, nor climb.  While Minnesota clearly has the best roads so far, I still regularly bike roads for many miles with cracks every 5 to 20 feet (creating a very jarring thump/thump that gets very tiresome and increasingly hurts over time), loose gravel and debris I must concentrate on avoiding, rough surfaces that slow me down and vibrate the bike, and pot holes.  I hope it gets better as I go east.

Mile 25: Notable trip milestone.

July 15^th Statistics – Battle Lake to Long Prairie, MN:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 66.4 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 15.2 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 4.4 hours
• Today Ascent – 1,037 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 24
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,903.0 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 79.3 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 55,837 feet

This morning I left at 6:45 am (an hour earlier than everyone else by skipping breakfast) as the forecast was for high temperatures and humidity even if a relatively short ride (65 miles).  It was again a wonderful time to be on the road.  The roads in general were very smooth – beautiful, if repetitive, scenery, and a gentle breeze.  The sun was hidden behind clouds most of the day which kept the temperatures down to the mid 80s, but I was still sweating buckets starting almost immediately in the morning.  For reference, I drank more than 120 oz of fluids on the ride today. I was so far ahead of the group today (never saw the SAG wagon until it passed me 7 miles from the motel in Long Prairie) and only took one break (at a convenience store to fill up on fluids) that I arrived at 11:30 am at the motel (66 miles) – before everyone else (this was a first). I should say before Doug as he is always the first to arrive (he arrived 10 minutes after I did).  The clouds dissipate after I arrived and it became very uncomfortably hot by mid afternoon.

Mile 16: Typical view for today in Minnesota – overcast (thankfully).

Mile 53: I don’t take very many pictures now due to the repetitive scenery – here is an example from mile 53 today.

Mile 57: Many individuals have multiple professions and businesses to sustain themselves in the states I have visited. Here is one of the more interesting and diverse examples I noted miles from any other business.

Long Prairie War Memorial to WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Wars. Throughout the city there were signs celebrating and thanking the military – relatively more than I have seen in any city.

Mile 72: If only this was the State of Maine and not the City of Maine, MN.

July 14^th Statistics – Fargo, ND to Battle Lake, MN:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 100.3 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 14.6 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 6.9 hours
• Today Ascent – 2,006 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 23
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,836.6 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 79.9 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 54,800 feet

Fargo, ND – City of Parks.

Fargo Bicycle Shop which includes an expresso bar and ice-cream counter, and offers live entertainment at night outside. They completely serviced my bike and it rode even better than when I arrived.

Fargo Wall Mural.

Mile 15: New scenery – Minnesota.

Mile 16: Historical Marker – Churches & Cemeteries.

Mile 75: The “Test Section” has not aged well – lots of cracks and gaps. But at least no flat tires.

Mile 93: Beach front on Otter Tail Lake near Amor, MN.

Battle Lake Motel – Tonight’s lodging.

Waterfront Park – Battle Lake, MN.

Mile 16: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Facility – Missile Replica On Top Of Actual Silo.

July 12^th Statistics – Cooperstown to Fargo, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 93.1 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 13.7 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 6.8 hours
• Today Ascent – 496 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 22
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,736.3 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 78.9 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 52,794 feet

Mile 4: Early morning view on Route 200 outside Cooperstown, ND.

Mile 7: This got my attention (actual silo in background)!

Mile 7: Fortunately, tt turns out that “November-33 Missile Silo” is now a unmanned historical site named after Ronald Reagan. I had it all to myself.

Mile 7: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Facility Historical Marker – November-33: “Ace In The Hole”

Mile 7: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Facility Historical Marker – November-33: “Ace In The Hole” (Part 2)

Mile 7: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Facility Historical Marker – Launch Facility Security.

Mile 7: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Facility Historical Marker – Launcher Closure Doors.

Mile 10: Another view on Route 200 after leaving Cooperstown, ND.

Mile 11: View behind me looking west on Route 200 in North Dakota (you can still see the rain from the night before).

Mile 22: View on Route 38 near Colgate, ND – Typical view for today’s ride.

Mile 30: View on Route 26 near Hope, ND – mile after mile of straight road and telephone poles.

Mile 72: This view on Route 4 near Argusville, ND reminded me of a scene (although this is summer and the scene was winter) from the movie “Fargo”. If you have seen the movie you will remember the scene.

Mile 78: Another view along Route 4 in North Dakota – acre after acre of colorful crop fields.

Fargo Radisson Hotel Room Interior – Best hotel of the trip so far. I even have a king “Sleep Number Bed” – I am a #60. This Radisson also has a claim as the second tallest building in North Dakota.

View from my window on the 10th floor of the Radisson Hotel in Fargo. The building with red trim is the Fargo Theater and the white tent in the distance houses a full-size replica viking ship at the Hjemkomst Center across the river in Moorhead, MN.

Mile 25: Collection of one room school houses relocated to remote site along Route 1 in North Dakota.

July 11^th Statistics – Devils Lake to Cooperstown, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 80.6 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 10.9 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 7.4 hours
• Today Ascent – 1.017 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 21
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,643.2 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 78.2 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 52,298 feet

Mile 5: Early morning on Route 2 in North Dakota.

Mile 22: Typical scenery today along Route 1 in North Dakota.

Mile 33: The Stump Lake Village Historic Museum I missed.

Mile 35: Beautiful sky and field scene along Route 1 in North Dakota.

Mile 45: Another scene along Route 1 in North Dakota.

Mile 50: They only forgot to mention the 20 mph headwinds.

Mile 62: Route 1 near Sibley Lake, ND.

Mile 66: Field scene on Route 1, North Dakota.

Mile 72 – Representation of headwinds in marsh along side of Route 1.

Scene along Route 3.

July 10^th Statistics – Rugby to Devils Lake, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 84.3 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 12.8 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 6.6 hours
• Today Ascent – 1,247 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 20
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,562.6 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 78.1 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 51,281 feet

Mile 15: Robert biking on Route 3 in the early morning.

Mile 23: View along Route 3 of ranch with Girard Lake in background.

Mile 25: Heartland Bison Ranch on Lake Girard – bison herd in background.

Mile 27: Typical view of central North Dakota.

Mile 33: Cattle cooling off in the muck.

Mile 49: View west along Route 19 in North Dakota.

Mile 49: View east on Route 19 in North Dakota.

Mile 64: Minnewaukan, ND which is on the shores of Devils Lake and where my friend Ellen’s father was born.

Mile 65: Our lunch stop in Minnewaukan. At the same counter I could order a hamburger cooked in a toaster oven or buy 1 pound of leeches.

Mile 73: Scene on Devils Lake which has doubled in size since 1993 and flooded roads and homes.

Mile 78: View of typical marsh bordering Devils Lake.

Fireside Inn and Suites Interior – Lodging in Devils Lake, ND.

Rugby, ND – Geographical Center of North America.

July 9^th Statistics – Minot to Rugby, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 72.9 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 14.9 mph
• Today’s Time In Saddle – 4.9 hours
• Today Ascent – 635 feet
• Today Descent – 834 feet
• Today’s Ending Elevation – 1,214 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 19
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,478.3 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 77.8 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 50,034 feet

Interesting day of sightseeing – visited 3 notable sites:  1) Rugby, ND – The Geographical Center of North America (see photo above), 2) Towner, ND – The Cattle Capital of North Dakota (see photo below), 3) The World’s Largest Metal Belt Buckle at the Prairie Village Museum in Rugby, ND (see photo below).  Nothing new in terms of terrain or scenery.  However, I did see my first crop duster in a field I passed (fortunately, I was upwind).

We had to delay our departure due to rain.  Our 20% chance of showers delivered before 9 am.  The rest of the day delivered increasing sunshine and temperatures.  Headwinds in the morning (5-10%) slowed us down, but switched to tailwinds in the afternoon so overall I averaged almost 15 mph for the day.

I won’t be able to add more tonight (7/10) or enter today’s post and pictures – I am exhausted.  While the mileage today was only 84 miles, we had a headwind all day (5-10 mph) and heat.  Additionally, tomorrow is an 80+ miles day, we are facing 15-25 mph headwinds, and there is a 60% chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.  We are leaving at 6:30 am.  Hope to catch up by the time we reach Fargo on Thursday.

Enjoy the photos and be sure to read the captions.

P.S.  I added a new statistic – Daily Hours In The Saddle.  When I started the tour, I thought that mileage was the governing factor for how long it would take to ride each day – wrong.  Road conditions and winds are just as important to how long I ride.  Examples:  My longest day in the saddle was 8.1 hours to ride 103.3 miles while it only took be 8.0 hours to ride 122.9 miles on another day.  On the most windy day it took 5.8 hours to ride 53.5 miles while it only took 24 minutes longer to ride 105.5 miles on another day.

Mile 3: Scandinavian Heritage Center – Top sightseeing destination in Minot.

Mile 47: Towner, ND, The Cattle Capital of North Dakota. I noted that the gasoline station/convenience store/restaurant (where I had lunch) also served as a local cattle supply store – the bovine vaccine and other refrigerated veterinarian supplies were in a Coca Cola machine next to the ice cream freezer.

Mile 60: A typical view today biking Route 2 (4 lane divided highway) – nothing new in scenery for the day.

Rugby, ND: The Geographical Center of North America.

Prairie Village Museum – Bird Collection.

Prairie Village Museum – Antique Stove Collection (A personal favorite).

Prairie Village Museum – Antique Washing Machine Collection (Another personal favorite).

Prairie Village Museum – Antique Permanent Hair Curling Machine.

Prairie Village Museum – Workers Cooking and Dinner Railway Car Interior.

Prairie Village Museum – Antique Sausage Mixer Collection.

Prairie Village Museum – Relocated Antique Buildings and Railcar.

Prairie Village Museum – Another View of Antique Buildings Relocated to Museum.

Prairie Village Museum – Norwegian Ten Commandments Located In 1900 Church.

Prairie Village Museum – World’s Largest Metal Belt Buckle.

Prairie Village Museum – 50 State Pillars.

Northern Lights Inn – Rugby Lodging.

Bike Challenge – Riding the Shoulder. This is an example of a road shoulder I must navigate. In this photograph I must keep within a 6 inch strip of smooth payment with rumple strips cut into the pavement on one side and a fall off of the road into the dirt on the other. Sometimes the navigable section narrows to 4 inches – sometimes widens to 18 inches. This can be very difficult to maneuver since you must also avoid broken glass, stones, holes, roadkill, and other debris in this narrow section – my neck aches from the stress. However, in some sections the shoulder biking path expands to 6 feet which is wonderful and allows me to look up and take in the sights. At least in North Dakota the pavement is smooth – In Montana it was often cracked, broken, uneven, and/or non-existent.

July 7^th Statistics –Williston to Minot, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 122.9 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 15.4 mph
• Today Ascent – 2,827 feet
• Today Descent – 3,010 feet
• Today’s Ending Elevation – 1,418 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 16
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,405.5 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 78.1 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 49,399 feet

The longest ride of my cross-country tour (and life) has been conquered – 123 miles!  Time on the bike saddle today (7.9 hours) was actually a little less than yesterday because of riding faster – I arrived in Minot a little after 5 pm.  I think I had enough energy and sunlight left (but maybe not enough tolerance for my neck pain) to ride another 50 miles – a great feeling.  Jim, Doug and I, again, were the only bikers to ride the entire day’s distance – Diane and Dale never thought any of us would actually ride the entire 123 miles in one day.  The sky, humidity, and temperature were perfect.  While I had a headwind in the morning (4-10 mph), I had a tailwind by the afternoon (4-10 mph).  Additionally, while not perfect, North Dakota roads were much more biker friendly that Montana’s roads from yesterday. Unfortunately, haze diminished the longer views for the first time on the trip.

Dinner at Applebee’s in Minot was great (it was the 4th highest rated restaurant in Minot according to Trip Advisor) – but I suspect that after 123 miles any food would have tasted great, particularly with the Samuel Adams Summer Ale I ordered.  Unfortunately, I am not going to see much of Minot (downtown is about 3 miles away from our Comfort Inn) on Sunday as I must do laundry, put new tires and tubes on my bike, replace a pedal, clean and oil my gears and chain, clean my bike, and purchase some supplies.

Mile 26 – Route 2 on way to Minot, ND. For the first time on the trip haze is appearing in the sky muting the colors of the scenery.

Mile 26: View looking back to Williston, ND from same point as last photograph.

Mile 29: Temporary housing available for workers in Williston 30 miles away. These types of bunkers appeared along side of the Route 2 for 80 miles.

Mile 29: The other side of the road from the last photo showing temporary housing for Williston workers. At breakfast in Williston the waitress told us she was moving away from Williston that evening because she cannot find affordable housing for her and her children after a month’s search.

Mile 34: Oil rig along side of Route 2 between Williston and Ray, ND. You could smell the oil in the air as you passed by numerous oil rigs.

Mile 52: View east on Route 2 approaching Ross, ND. Note: Wide shoulder for biking, but numerous stones and debris which must be avoided.

Mile 62: Another example of an oil platform on the side of Route 2 between Williston and Minot, ND. Note: Another oil platform in the distance.

Mile 71: View looking West on Route 2 near Stanley, ND. Note: Truck is typical of the hundreds that pass every day near Williston, ND.

Mile 86: Scenery changed as I approached Minot with more and more field of green and yellow green (rapeseed/canola).

Mile 22: Poplar, MT – First SAG stop of the day. Doug, Dale, Steve, Diane.

Today was the second century ride (103+ miles) for the trip.  Fortunately, compared to yesterday, the headwinds were manageable (4-10 mph) and I was able to bike 12.8 mph.  As I mentioned in my prior blog – this was a long day  in the saddle – but the temperature great for biking and the wind kept me cool.

There was a lot of apprehension about the ride today due to the numerous warnings about traffic volume (due to the Williston oil boom), trucks, narrow shoulders, and road conditions/construction.  The published bike route across the norther tier was rerouted this year to avoid going to Williston due to the concerns (but it added 150 mile and required 50 miles riding on an interstate highway).

I am very glad to say that reality did not match up with the warnings.  We did not see any significant traffic until the last 25 miles (especially the last 10 miles outside Williston) when we entered North Dakota.  Fortunately, the road conditions in North Dakota were much better the Montana – wider and smoother paved shoulders.  Surprisingly, most truckers were far more considerate that we expected and moved to the left when they passed us to minimize wind on us.  Additionally, the road changed to four lane divided before reading Williston.

Williston was exactly as described – a boom town with more traffic than I see in Philadelphia.  Every other vehicle is a commercial truck.  Construction of hotels, temporary housing, commercial establishments everywhere.  I went to a convenience store to get a Red Bull, but gave up due to the 15 people in each of two lines waiting to check out.  The first restaurant we went to for dinner had a long wait (first time this has happened for the trip) so we went back to our hotel for a mediocre dinner – we didn’t want to wait since we had a 120+ mile ride the next morning.

Mile 27: View on B1A in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. It was empty of traffic, great views, but had cracks every 5 to 20 feet, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.

Mile 30: Another view on Route B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation looking west behind me.

Mile 33: Vista a I biked on Route B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Mile 43: A beautiful view behind me in B1A in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation – B1A provided stunning scenery.

Mile 48: The land conditions changed as we traveled further along B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Mile 51: A change for me – being ahead of Jim as he climbs a hill on B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Mile 51: A real shocker – being ahead of Doug (probably because he had a flat tire – I can think of no other reason I ever got ahead of him) and getting his photo climbing a hill on B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Mile 51: View south from same point where photos of Jim and Doug was taken on B1A on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

MIle 55: View South on B1A, Missouri River in the distance.

Mile 65: Historical Marker – An Imposing and Elaborate Establishment.

Mile 77: Last photo taken in Montana of Jim biking ahead of me.

Mile 91: First oil well seen in North Dakota – about 10 miles before Williston.

Mile 81: Welcome to North Dakota – The first time I have ever been to North Dakota, which is the only state on my tour that can make the claim.

July 6^th Statistics – Wolf Point, MT to Williston, ND:

• Today’s Biking Distance – 103.3 miles
• Today’s Average Speed – 12.8 mph
• Today Ascent – 2,006 feet
• Today Descent – 2,128 feet
• Today’s Ending Elevation – 1,910 feet
• Total Trip Biking Days – 15
• Total Trip Biking Distance – 1,282.5 miles
• Total Trip Average Biking Distance/Day – 75.4 miles
• Total Trip Ascent – 46,572 feet

This post will be short.  Besides being the second longest ride of the tour so far, 103.3 miles (my 2nd tour century), it takes the record (at least until tomorrow) as the  longest time on the bike saddle in one day (over 8 hours).  Again, I was one of only three bikers out of eight that rode the entire distance for the day.  I left before 7 am (Mountain Time) and arrived in Williston (the US city with the lowest unemployment rate – <1% due to oil development) at 5 pm (Central Time).  While my speed was relatively slow, 12.8 mph, the 5-10 mph headwinds combined with over 2,000 feet of climbing and bad Montana road conditions are to blame .  Regardless, it was a fun day to ride with a few expections I’ll describe tomorrow.

Guest Susan and John left us tonight in Williston and caught an Amtrak train back to Chicago which leaves the 4 cross country riders (Robert, Doug, Jim and me).  Tomorrow is the longest ride of the entire tour – over 120 miles from Williston to Minot, ND, where I will have a day of rest and catch up with my post and photos (and laundry/bike cleaning/sleep/muscle pain/etc.).  I plan on leaving tomorrow morning before 7 am.  Good night.