To Pekin

Happy 60th Birthday, Dick. The detour along US 281 was a bit nerve-wracking because of narrow shoulders and heavy truck traffic. Once we turned onto CR1, the wind was at our backs, traffic disappeared, and riding was good despite the hills.

Pekin did not have a grocery store or a cafe, but did have a bar where we could have a couple of cold brews to celebrate 60 years and 62 miles.

Miles completed = 1926

To Minnewauken

Most often you see round bales of hay in the fields. These perfect haystacks belong in a nursery rhyme.
The first half of our ride was a crosswind (in sailing, you'd call it a beam reach). The second half we had a wonderful tailwind. Camping is at the city park in Minnewauken is free if you're bycicylist - good deal. Mitch and Ryan, father and son from Chicago, are riding from Washington to Connecticut, but have to hurry to get home before Ryan starts his senior year of high school.

Katy is riding east to west to raise money for the MS Society in honor of her father. Katy's husband is providing SAG support. She needs to reach Anacortes WA by the end of the month. Both of these stories make us realize how lucky we are to have a slow-paced riding plan.

Minnewauken and the Devils Lake area has a very interesting story. Devils Lake is rising to record heights and has no natural outlet. Last year it spilled over and blended with Stump Lake. Roads are permanently flooded, farmland is being lost, levees are being built to save the town of Devils Lake. The water is creeping toward the small resort town of Minnewauken, the base of the water tower is now submerged and there's no money to move it. Tomorrow our route takes a detour to avoid these problems. Here is a link with more facts: http://www.swc.state.nd.us/4DLink9/4dcgi/GetContentPDF/PB-206/DL_Quick_Facts.pdf

Miles completed = 1824

Rest Day

Rugby is the geographical center of North America.In the afternoon, we met Kirk and Di from Iowa. Kirk's parents, Jerry (age 91) and Hazel, are providing SAG support and consider this to be their trip of a lifetime. Kirk is a retired junior high school math teacher, Di used to manage a steel fabrication plant.

In the motel lobby, I met Jay Jay Lee Fulton, a disabled veteran from Jacksonville FL. Jay Jay is participating in a cross-country wheelchair race with 6 other disabled vets. They do this every five years. In 2005 he lost the race because he was unable to shoot a bear, he's endured five years of teasing. This year they had to cross the Canadian border at Northgate, get their paperwork stamped, and then head back to FL. Jay Jay has completed this step and is headed for home. The rules state they can not ask for help, but may accept help if offered. Jay Jay thinks he's ahead at this point, after 35 days on the road, because someone gave him a ride to Chicago, then bought him a train ticket to Rugby. He's especially excited to be ahead because he was an enlisted man (Master Sergeant), the other vets were officers.

I asked Jay Jay if I could take his picture. The first picture he wanted taken was of the patriotic star shaved onto his head.

When I told Kirk this story, he went to talk to his dad. Tomorrow, Jerry and Hazel will take Jay Jay another 60 miles down the road to Devils Lake.

To Rugby

4th of July. Happy Birthday, America. Happy Birthday, Glenn Manz in Regina. Today Glenn will be flying the USA flag in his back yard. It was also flying during our week's stay last month.

Another day with a strong tailwind. Near the town of Granville we met a group of bicycle tourists ride westward - against the wind - poor kids. They left New Jersey on June 1. From our point of view, they are riding at a fast pace. L-R: Straps, Yak, Bags (they use road names).

By 1 o'clock, we'd reached our planned destination but felt strong enough to ride a little bit more. So we tacked on another 20 miles which only took an hour to complete and stopped for the night in Rugby, the geographical center of North America. 70 easy miles today, and frankly, we're feeling rather studly.

Miles completed = 1804

To Minot

A 20 mph wind was at our back as we rode/flew through the Souris Valley. It actually feels like you're riding in still air, it's only when you stop for a drink or a short rest that you realize the push you're getting.

We arrived in Minot before noon and there to greet us was an old friend, Starbuck's. Dick may long for Tim Horton's but I'm partial to Starbuck's. I called our Warmshowers host, Tracy, and got directions to the house. This was going to be fun. Tracy and Tina have 4 children between the ages of 3-9. Everyone is excited, tomorrow morning they are going on vacation.

Later in the afternoon, Katie gave me a furry halo to wear and I became "The Angel." When we sat down for dinner, Katie showed me where to sit. I wondered aloud who was going to sit next to the angel. Katie moved her plate to my right. Alec moved his plate to my left. This created a problem for Allie who wanted to sit beside the angel but had to sit between her mother and father. Vegetables were served onto everyone's plate. When the vegetables had been eaten, then the spaghetti and garlic bread were served. I thought this was a brilliant strategy for getting your kids to eat their vegetables with enthusiasm, it worked perfectly. Katie finished dinner first and left the table. Tina quickly moved Allie's plate to the open spot. Allie was quite happy. L-R: Allie, the Angel, Katie

L-R: Allie, Tracy, Katie, Tina, Anna, Alec

Thank you so much, Tracy and family, for a wonderful Warmshowers experience. We hope you have a great vacation.

Miles completed = 1734

To Kenmare, North Dakota, USA

It was an interesting night. The blaring wedding music went on until 11 pm and a thunderstorm blasted us in the early morning hours. I was certain we were going to be struck by lightning, the tent leaned over me in the strong wind, and the rainfly couldn't keep all the rain out. It was impossible to sleep. It's been rather hot the last few days, so we're trying to get up and on the road earlier. 14 miles to the border.
Back in the USA:
We rode ND-52 most of the day with a gentle headwind all day. The biggest challenge was the section shared with ND-5. The ride-able shoulder ranged from 4"-12" unless the gravel had piled up forcing us to ride the white line. Thankfully, the traffic was light.
Since there were no available showers last night, we are unbelievably dirty. It was 88 degrees today, but felt like 93 degrees, according to weather.com. Therefore, we got a motel room - time for a little comfort . . . and no (expletive deleted) mosquitoes.

Miles completed = 1679

To Roche Percee

It's Canada Day, frequently referred to as Canada's birthday. We celebrated by getting up at 5:30, packing up quickly, and riding before it got too hot. There's was also a very nice tailwind and we made excellent progress. I think this is a field of canola, but it might be mustard seed.

We rode 54 miles and got to Estevan by noon. After a nice long lunch and rest, we decided to ride a bit farther. The landscape changed remarkably. The majority of coal mined in Saskatchewan comes from the Estevan area. This gigantic excavator was working as we rode by. The white engine house (not sure if this is the correct term) was 3 stories high and about 30' X 70'.

Lots of oil rigs also, pumping away,

with a nearby flame coming out of tall pole.

Near Roche Percee, we passed a different kind of oil drilling rig.

Dick wanted me to take this picture of a small valley near Roche Percee specifically so his brother Tom, a geologist, could analyze it.

"One homesteader, Robert J. Hassard, discovered a large seam in a narrow ravine near his house east of Roche Percee. This may have been the first serious extraction of coal in the province. In 1887 he began to sell coal to others farmers in his area. By 1891 the eight foot thick seam had been mined out into a wide levelly-floored corridor cut straight into the bank. The coal could be pulled out by horse, instead of having to lift it out, they way they had to from pit mines. Wooden rafters were put in place to keep the cut from collapsing. Settlers came from all over the southern part of the province to get their winter supply at a dollar per wagon load." Source:http://www.wdm.ca/skteacherguide/WDMResearch/Saskatchewan's%20Long%20History%20of%20Coal%20Mining%20by%20Janet%20MacKenzie.pdf

Uh-oh, the campground in Roche Percee hasn't existed for years. We took a chance on pitching our tent near the baseball field which appears to be used these days by lots of gophers and millions of mosquitoes. There's a wedding going on at the community center across the street, it could be an interesting night.

Miles completed = 1621