North Dakota

 

To be honest none of us thought much of North Dakota before we started biking through it. It was a "state to get through" on our way to the beauty and challenges of the rocky mountains. But, as it turns out, it is a great state--interesting and beautiful.

From many people we met on our way to ND we heard that the state was flatter than a pancake. For the first 70 miles or so they were right. Even before you leave Minnesota the hilly terrain starts to subside and as you enter ND the land is pulled tight like a sheet so that you can see in every direction for miles as there are few trees. At first the sensation is calming--nothing is happening, you can see cars at least two miles off, and besides the wind all you hear is the rhythm of your own pedaling.

After a few hours your mind is searching for more stimulation. The mind starts looping the same thought patterns over and over again until the desire for a fresh perspective or something interesting becomes uncomfortable. Soon Kevin Costner's monotone voice starts narrating everything and "your mom" jokes become increasingly absurd. This in combination with the heat of the sun and dehydration you can get a little silly. Which is fun, sometimes.

For better or worse the land gets hilly again. Pretty soon the flat ground of eastern ND opens up into vast valleys and rolling hills left by the Wisconsin Glacier in the last ice age. Since the state has gotten way more rain than usual this year a lot of those valleys are filled with water so that there are many ponds scattered across the treeless landscape.

The towns on our route have been unique. None of them have any of the popular franchise restaurants or stores so riding into one of these small towns is like going back in time or being in the twilight zone. The first night we stayed in a small motel called the Eagles Nest in Enderlin, ND. What a place. It smelled like the carpet was wet and the walls were made of cigarette butts--a perfect place for the night. Walking around town you wonder 'why in the hell does anyone stay here?' Yet, from our experience, as rundown as some of the small towns in ND are, the people are uncommonly friendly and down to earth. One of the best parts of this state is talking with the locals at cafes and bars.

The second day in ND we met a lot of cool people--locals and tourists. In Enderlin we met a couple probably in their 60's making their way to Oregon by way of Washington D.C. They were riding a tandem bicycle. In "Little Yellowstone Park" we met a friendly Dutch couple on a road trip. They loved our homemade panniers. We've also met many people biking the entire Northern Tier Route from near Seatle, Washington to Bar Harbor, Maine--and they're all way older than us. The second night in ND we stayed at the Honey Hub, a hostel for cyclists on the Northern Tier, in Gackle, ND. It's owned by a young couple who split their time between California and Gackle. Many thanks to you guys for the couch and showers!

In many ways North Dakota is a land of extremes. Some mornings we start it's a cool 60 degrees and by 1 p.m. it's almost 90. You can't help noticing the changing role of the economy in this state as well. Local farmers have told us about the switch from wheat to corn and soybeans which is evidenced by the old threshers that decorate the prairie in places. All those commodities are being overshadowed by the oil and natural gas boom happening in the northwestern part of the state. The Bakken formation is one of the largest sources of oil in the country and it turned a lot of poor farmers into multimillionaires. The big oil names of the area just celebrated 1 million barrels a day being extracted from the ground--which is coming out faster than ever with the technology of hydraulic fracking and Wisconsin silica sand. Traffic from the trucks going back and forth changed the route of the Northern Tier Bicycling route which is how we heard of it.

The 27th was Brady's birthday so we went out in Bismarck, ND when we arrived early afternoon. The first place we went to was a microbrewery where we met a couple from Green Bay who were also riding a tandem and going all the way to Bay Harbor by way of Washington. We shared stories and had a couple beers--it was a good time.

That night we stayed with a great family we found through Manuel and warm showers--the Hermans. Hands down the nicest people we've stayed with so far. They let us crash in their camper and use their shower. They even had a pool and fed us dinner. The best part was that their son, Tyler, operates a full service bicycle shop "The Broken Spoke" out of their garage. Tyler is one of the most thourough and honest bicycle mechanics I have met and he tuned up our bikes (rebuilt Ryan's back wheel which is tough to do) for cheap and they are in the best shape they could be in. Thank you, Herman family! You showed us a great night.

Also, a Wisconsin author by the name of Brian Benson just published a book about bicycling from Northern Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon.  He was on the Larry Meiller show on WPR a few days ago.  Brady's friend told us to listen in and as we were listening they mentioned our trip and gave us advice.  Turns out Brady's friend emailed the show, but it was pretty shocking when we were just hanging out listening to it in a park.  It kind of went like: "Oh shit, that's us!"  Here's the link and the book sounds super interesting as well: 

http://www.wpr.org/shows/going-somewhere-bicycle-journey-across-america

As of right now we're nursing our legs at a hotel, waiting out the 30 mph headwind and growing out our beards.  Anyways, thanks for reading :)

Miles logged last four days: 248
Total: 635

Last 3

We've been busy the last couple days with a few bike troubles but we're going pretty good now.  On Saturday morning we left Jordies' after breakfast and headed down the Soo Line bicycle trail--which turns into the Lake Wobegan trail.  The trail used to be a railroad so it makes for easy pedaling as there are few steep hills.  The trail is pretty scenic--it cuts through rural Minnesota crossing rushing creeks and bisecting an array of marshlands and lakes. 

The first flat tire of the trip went to Jer.  We were able to make it to Jake's Bike Shop in Alexandria.  There we shot the shit with the mechanics for an hour and a half and learned quite a bit about our bikes.  Also, one of the guys gave us a great spot to camp for the night.

The campsite was secluded and sandwiched inbetween Lake Brophy and the bike trail.  We cleaned up in the clear water and jumped off a submerged dock at the site.  The wind off the lake kept the mosquitos at bay so we were able to spread out all of our stuff like a bike tourist garage sale and lay in the sun, read, do some yoga, and shoot our sling shot at an empty V8 bottle like a few kids.

We saw a storm front building up in the distance and hung out on a hill to watch the clouds gather.  The calm before the storm brought out the mosquitos which drove us into our tents before dark.

Saturday Miles logged: 67
Total:  283

We wanted to make Sunday a long ride but we noticed that the back tire of Ryan's bike was wobbling.  We spent some time "truing" his back wheel and we were able to get to Fergus Falls.  We'll probably be damn good bike mechanics by the time we get to Oregon.

We still needed a bike shop in Fergus Falls but nothing was open on Sunday.  We did meet a really cool bike tourer, a German named Manuel biking to New York City by way of Vancouver, BC.  We talked for at least an hour trading stories, information and tips for the road.  After Manuel left we found an open Mexican Restaurant and watched the World cup match.  

We decided to camp that night and go to the bike shop when it opened the next morning.  We camped at Delagoon City Park just a mile and a half south of Fergus Falls and finally didn't have to use the rain fly. The stars were amazing.

Miles logged: 48

Overall: 331

That brings us to today. Ryan went to the bike shop when it opened in the morning while Brady and Jer went to the library. We all were back together around 1130 after Ryan came to the library with a fixed back wheel and some other improvements to his ride. We decided it was also a good time to send the things we realized we didn't need back home. So we loaded a box Jer found near the dumpster behind a hardware store with 30 lbs worth of extra weight.  We all felt a bit of relief after shedding a few pounds.

We didn't get on the road until nearly 1 but figured the roughly 50 miles we thought we needed to go was still manageable. It ended up being nearly 60 miles and was also probably the hilliest day we've encounterd thus far. We curved and climbed through all kinds of hills dappled with clumps of forest and stretches of farm-field.  Also the prettiest ride yet.  

Another cool thing are the avian critters around this area.  Lots of egrets--tall, slender, bleached-white stoic looking birds and huge pelicans that look like swans on steroids but instead of a petite black beak they have a foot and half long fish scoop the color of a number two pencil attached to their face.

Right now we're camped in Barnesville in west central MN close to the ND border.  The place has $1.00 showers.  We so clean.  

Also, thanks for reading our stuff we're diggin' the support from everyone!  Sometimes we do not get very good reception but we'll try to have posts and pictures every couple days.  Thanks :)

Miles logged: 56

Total: 387

Learnin about bikes

They fall apart all the time

Gotta fix em, man.
 

Some pics from Jer's camera

Dalbo Bunkhouse

Bowlus, MN

Storm front, Alexandria, MN

View more:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125768199@N03/

Accommodation, Free.

People like bike tourists.  I am not sure what it is but it's a fact.  Last night we had our best night of sleep on the trip at Donn Olson's Adventure Bicycling Bunkhouse in Dalbo, MN.  The bunkhouse was made of roughly hewn, full-grown trees and the outhouse and outdoor shower were made with real 2x4's and 2x10's which had logging and farming paraphernalia tacked to the walls--in essence it looked like a homestead circa 1900.  In the hay loft, above the bunkhouse, we hung our wet supplies to dry and then enjoyed the amenities of the kitchen. It had two fridges, a pizza and coffee maker, as well as dishes, cutlery, and cycling tools.  The place was also stocked with high calorie foods ands drinks with prices written on them with magic marker.  We ate three pizzas and a handfull of other treats and drinks, including breakfast for $7.50.  What?  No one was home, Donn was in Alaska when we called and he told us to "make ourselves at home."  If that was not enough there were samurai and pirate swords in the loft. We took many pictures and videos.

Many thanks to Sandra for teaching Jer how to use his new camera!  Sandra, Ben, and Connor are on the same trail but are pulling off almost 100 mile rides every day.  Maybe tomorrow.  And hopefully we get to see them again.

Cycling today was smooth.  Very few hills and great weather.  We were lost for one minute and somebody pulled up and gave us directions to the nearest town and said we were crazy as he laughed and drove away.

Tonight we ended our ride in Bowlus, MN, a small town of 290 people in central Minnesota.  After a beer at the local tavern we headed to Jordie's Trailside Cafe, which sits next to the Lake Wobegan bicycle trail--part of the Northern Tier Bicycle Route created by the Adventure Cycling Association.

We barely had to introduce ourselves before Jordie, the owner,  advized us not to camp in the city park which costs 10 bucks a tent but in her backyard garden.  The cafe is a small oassis with an outdoor pavilion and cycling-themed decorations.  Jordie said their business would not survive if they did not embrace the cyclists from the trail.  We dig it.  

Once inside the cafe's garden we met a few nuns from the local parish who were interested in our journey.  They took a picture of us and gave us their blessing.  Then we had some really good burgers which a couple at the restaurant paid $10 towards.  The owners ended up having us put our bikes and tents under the pavilion because it might get wet tonight.  It's weird feeling taken care of like this but we're definitely getting used to it.

a restful evening

awesome kindness of strangers

we roll with smiles

Miles Logged Today: 63

Total: 216

Jordie's Trailside Cafe in Bowlus, MN

Cats & Dogs

Well, it stormed cats and dogs last night.  By morning our tents had, no joke, about a half inch of water in them.  By 9 a.m. the rain didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon so we decided to pack up and leave instead of wait it out.  It was a mad, wet dash to pack everything but we were on the road by 10.

The wind was intense probably gusts up to 30 mph and, thankfully, at our backs.  It blew us all the way to Harris, Minnesota by lunch time.  After our meal at the local cafe we made our way to Cambridge for a few supplies: food, hardware for Roy's bike, and some guidance and a new chain from The Outdoor Edge, the local bike shop in town.

By this time the wind had died down and we finished the ride under heavy cloud cover to one of the coolest places to stay. EVER. It's called the Adventure Cyclists Bunkhouse hosted by a farmer named Donn Olson who loves cyclists.  We have also meet a cool crew of bikers here.  Sandra, Ben and Connor are coming from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and are on their 20th day. Cool People :)

day starts out like shit

no coffee brady is pissed

bike lodge and new friends

Miles logged: 48

Overall: 153

Our first border crossing

Sleeping on the ground after biking almost 60 miles is like being on drugs.  You keep getting knocked out of your dream state of sleep because you are extremely uncomfortable and the sounds of the forest are actually pretty loud with no walls to stifle them. For example, last night a wind blew over a full grown tree in the woods. It sounded like a building being demoslished as it took out the branches of other trees. Roy, during some weird dream, smacked Brady in the face in the middle of the night.  By 6:30 a.m. someone was chainsawing the tree apart because it must have fallen over the road. All this happened with the background noise of the rain pitter-pattering against our tents.

So we started the day a little later than we wanted but we were out of the beautiful little mosquito dungeon on the Apple River by 10:15. We had good cloud cover as made our way over the country roads bordered by ditches of poison ivy. Everything is lush and green and surprised deer bound from the tall grass as we bicycle along.  

The terrain became more hilly as we approached the St. Croix river valley.  We made our way through paper towns and small villages and by many hobby-farms with small gardens and barking dogs.  

After crossing the St. Croix we took the obligatory "omg we're in a new state" pictures with the welcome sign. For supper we ate at the Shafer Saloon during happy hour. Domestic 16 oz. beers for 1$ and craft of the same size for 2$. Great meal.

For the night we're camping on North Center Lake at Hillcrest RV park. The lake water is cool and the mosquitos are docile compared to last night. Overall a good evening.

weird dreams noisy saw

dead mosquitos on tent floor

we flee on two wheels

Miles logged: 49

Overall: 105

Pictures from our first day:

V&M

Cumberland, wi 

On the road:

In the Apple River:

Way of the road, Roy.

The first day of our bicycle journey to the west coast is in the books. In short, it started  a couple years ago as a pipe dream we talked about after 6 or so beers but over the years the dream evolved into preparation and plans and now we're actually on the road.

We left our homes north of Rice Lake,WI around 10 in the morning after some last minute preparations and immediately felt excited to finally be on our way. We found out quick the "way of the road".  The left side of Ryan's rack broke outside of Cumberland and spent about a half hour fixing it at Ace hardware but we got 'er done.  Other than that small problem it was a perfect day.  The weather was hot but not too windy and as for "wildlife" we saw about 20 deer and a big beautiful bear laying out in a muddy cornfield.  He looked at us non chalantly as we hooted and biked past him.

We finished the day after about 5 and half hours of biking at a campsite in Apple River County park, and bathed in the copper colored water of the river.  Supper was minestrone soup and we're ready for bed at 10 p.m.  The mosquitos are horrendous, seriously glad we brought the 98% deet.  Headed across the St. Croix and into Minnesota tomorrow.

the start of something

roy up front breaking wind

wheels turn all day long 

Miles logged: 56