Day 20: Just When I Thought I was Out …

 

… They Pull Me Back In  (Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part III)

Valley City to Fargo, 66 miles, 1000 feet of climbing.

Today was one tough day. From an energy comparison perspective: Our on-the-bike pace yesterday was just shy of  20 mph. We ended the day tired but pretty content. Today’s conditions had us working twice as hard as yesterday and reaching less than a 12 mph on-the-bike pace. The easterly wind was relentless and the region was under a high heat advisory. It just made for one long slog with not a lot of miles to show for it.

We traveled on a variety of roads, unfortunately none offering any shelter from the wind.  We spent a lot more time than expected on dirt roads, with some gravel mixed in for good measure, even though we intended to stick to pavement on such a hot and windy day. We did enjoy several conversations with some interesting folks throughout the day in which we asked about road conditions. We got some good advice concerning roads that were difficult to get through because of poor conditions or road construction. The part that we can’t figure out concerns the definition of a “paved” road.  When asked if a particular road (old highway 10) was paved, the response was, “Yes, it’s a good road.” What constitutes “good” is clearly subjective, but what constitutes “paved” ought to be a lot more objective. Turns out, it’s not, at least in this case. As you can see from the photos, we were on dirt roads (which have never been paved in any way, shape or form) for a long time today. At least one of us thought it was fun at times, but we both agreed that it made today’s difficult slog even more challenging.  

In addition to some of the fun times on dirt, we find ourselves continually marveling at the sheer vastness of the region. We were small dots in a giant landscape. We also met a lot of friendly people and one newly (and probably self) appointed pastor who made it here via the witness protection program, and an association with the Hell’s Angels. Or so he said. 

We also had a great evening in downtown Fargo, which turns out to be a pretty cool place.  Our intention this morning was to blow right through Fargo, so we can be thankful for unexpected blessings. One of the photos in this day’s blog is a great shot of an old Fargo movie theater with the marquee used to welcome special guests. Unfortunately, we just missed “Mr and Mrs Dinosaur.” 

 At the end of the day, though, we found ourselves wondering why it has been so difficult for us to get out of North Dakota. This place just keeps throwing curve balls at us. We probably should have snuck out last night under cover of darkness.  But here we are, on the edge of the Red River, North Dakota’s border with Minnesota. We’re busting out of this place tomorrow and entering the Land of 10,000 (actually, 11,842) Lakes (MN), no matter what and there’s nothing the warden (we mean Governor) can do about it.