Headwinds and Friends

Hey so we took a few rest days in Bismarck.  Initially we only wanted to take one rest day but the wind on Sunday and Monday was ridiculous.  It came out of the west at a steady 30 mph with gusts up to 45.  At times the wind literally stopped your bicycle.  We got as far as Mandan which is right across the river from Bismarck.  That day we spent a lot of time in the local library napping and reading.  The library was quiet and had many exhibits showcasing Native American artifacts--it was a nice place to escape the howling wind outside.

A little trivia.  In Mandan, Ryan had a Sakakawea sandwich.  It's made with cranberry bread, cranberry jelly, cream cheese and turkey.  It's a well known food in North Dakota.  Turns out Lake Sakakawea is just north west of Mandan which is named after a well known Shoshone woman, Sacagawea, who was hired by Lewis and Clarke as an interpreter and guide.  Present day Lake Sakakawea is where Lewis and Clarke acqired her services on the way to the Pacific...neat thing to learn from a sandwich.

After the library closed we crawled under the top of a carnival tent that was setdown in a nearby parking lot.  It made for a perfect tent and kept us dry for the night.

Tuesday was cold, windy, and rainy in the morning. We decided to stop in New Salem which is 25 miles west of Mandan.  The town has a big statue of a cow standing next to it's name spelled-out in white stone on a tall hillside.  We wanted coffee and eventually found the Muddy River Coffee House the "Best Coffee Udder the Cow". 

There we met Aglae Young, the proprietress of the establishment, a wonderful person we got to know as she would end up putting us up for the night.  The place was popping for a small coffee house on a Tuesday afternoon in a city of 900.  Aglae moved swiftly and purposefully maintaining conversation with her patrons while she worked in her kitchen.  Everyone who walked in knew her personally.  When we went to pay for coffee she said that's ok, no charge, it was just coffee.  When we asked where we could watch the World Cup, she said her house, with her sons.  When she asked if we had eaten and we said we were going to make PB&J's she said, "What kind of sandwich do you want?"  We had turkey on homemade croissants, she wouldn't take our money.  Her gratuitous nature belied her no B.S. personality.  Before we knew it we were talking about religion and politics.  Aglae is Catholic and conservative so it made for fun back and forths. After she drew up directions to her house she said, "My son will offer you beer, don't get drunk!  I will be home around 4:30."

We watched the game with her sons Alex and Daniel and their little sister Sophie popped in and out of the room, too.  Alex works as a graphic designer and Daniel is in high school.  They made us feel right at home.  (Screw Belgium, btw!)  Watching the cup turned into staying for dinner.  Aglae's husband John came home after the game.  He works as an investigator for Osha and used to be a SOCOM commander and turns out Aglae is also a computer scientist and educator so, interesting family to say the least.  Dinner was brats and burgers on the grill experly grilled by Dan.  After dinner we talked for a good two hours on the porch and spent the night in the camper.  That morning, Aglae made us breakfast and coffee at the coffee house before we left for Dickinson, ND.  It was such a memorable stay.  Having gone from being perfect strangers to good friends with an entire family is something we will not soon forget.  Thanks you guys!

On our way to Dickinson we made a stop at a monastery in Richardton.  Neat place, and we did not expect a special tour from one of the monks.

As of right now we're holed up in Medora, a small touristy town nestled in the North Dakota Bad(ass)lands.  It's Ryan's birthday.  It's beautiful.  We've got new friends, wild horses and fire works.  Happy 4th!

Miles logged: like 140
Total:  775