Life On A B-I7

Route

• Cascade to Muscatine

Metrics

• Miles: 89
• Average Speed: Under 10 mph
• Road Time: 12 hours

Notes

• The roads are in too bad shape to bother with metrics.

Thought #21

• Work hard and take time for rest. (Especially on bad roads.)

You have to be careful with pronunciations. Before you go around naming things, ask the locals how to properly pronounce whatever it is you are about to say. For example: Muscatine is a bit tricky, it is pronounced Mus-Ka-Teen. It’s important to get these things right, so people don’t look at you sideways.

This morning for the third morning in a row, I have started my day in a heavy mist. Almost fog. I’ve never pictured the Midwest as being a foggy place. I mentioned this to someone during one of my stops and I asked what it was all about. The answer was, “Oh, that’s Corn Sweat…” When the days get hotter, and the corn starts to ripen, it gives off moisture which condenses as fog before the sun comes up. This leads to a high humidity layer close to the ground. That, combined with exercise, creates a sauna like atmosphere.

I like getting up before the sun rises. I have a headlamp, so I can do pretty much whatever I want to do. I usually start by taking down the tent and getting that packed up, as often as possible with my eyeglasses safely stowed somewhere other than inside the tent. At that point, I usually sit down and make myself a cup of coffee. It’s almost a ritual. That is to say, it’s a rather complicated process, but I enjoy the steps you have to go through to accomplish it. Sipping the coffee is a nice way to greet the sun. While I’m doing that, I enjoy listening to the birds waking up and talking to each other.

Today I rode 89 miles, my second longest day of the tour. My secret weapon for accomplishing today’s miles was milk. It gives you more protein and more energy than Busch Light. I stopped on three separate occasions today, each time I drank a pint of milk. Down the road I could actually feel the benefit of it. I think you could easily over indulge, so three pints is probably about the right number for a long day like today. You may be wondering if strawberry milk has the same benefit? I couldn’t tell you. The only way to drink strawberry milk is to drink it as quickly as you can, that way you won’t taste it…

I don’t have a plan for tomorrow. I’ll work on what that looks like over breakfast. I’m not in a particular hurry to get an early start. I am curious to see what Illinois is going to be like. I really don’t know what to expect.

I got to thinking about my visit to the Field of Dreams… When I go back and Joe brings some friends with him for a game of catch with me, perhaps he’ll bring my father with him…

Corn Sweat.

Oxford Junction, Iowa. Possibly the smallest City Hall in all of America. Of course that’s unofficial, but I got it straight from the mouth of a local that seemed to know what she was talking about.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Elkader to Cascade

Metrics

• Miles: 53
• Average Speed: Under 9
• Ride Time: Long

Notes

• i’m going to Dyersville because I have to see the “Field of Dreams.” Maybe I’ll hear voices?

Thought #20

• Show respect to everyone. Smile.

The day started out normally. The first thing I did was roll up my tent and put it in the stuff sack and then realize my eyeglasses were inside of it.

My primary goal for today was to visit the Field of Dreams in Dyersville. That was 30 miles down the road. After yesterday’s 33 excruciating miles, I wasn’t entirely certain if I would make it or not. Fortunately, the roads today were much more conducive to bicycle travel. I even had a short stretch of 6 foot wide shoulder.

When I reached Dyersville, it was about 2 PM. I started hunting around for a campground. The only campground nearby would entail about 5 miles of backtracking. Looking ahead, I could see there was a nice 6 miles long crushed limestone trail from Dyersville to Farley. Even though there was no camping in Farley, I decided that after my visit to the Field of Dreams, I would head down the path and see where that took me. I ended up doing 53 miles and finding a nice campground. I didn’t arrive until after 8 PM, so it was a long day, but worth it.

When I reached Dyersville, I stopped for a beer at the Textile Brewery. I guess you’d say it’s a locally famous brewery. Since I’m into seeing locally famous sites, I had to stop.

After a quick pint, I headed out to the Field of Dreams.

They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway Ray, not knowing for sure why they are doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. “We won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say… and so I did.

The first thing I noticed was people on the field taking batting practice and shagging balls. I guess you can pay to do that. I found that a little bit disappointing. For me, this is an iconic place. The very place where such greats as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver and Lefty Williams once gathered for a game.

That didn’t stop me from coming here to see what I wanted to see. I walked down the third base line. I just stood there, about 200 feet from home plate, looking at the stalks of corn out in centerfield. I may have stood there for 5 or 10 minutes, I’m not really sure. I was about to leave when I thought I saw something. I looked more closely… Even though this is why I came here, I was still surprised. A ball player stepped out of the corn and began walking across the field. He walked straight toward me. As he got closer, I could see it was Shoeless Joe Jackson.

He walked right up to me, shook my hand, and said: “i know you’ve come a long way, thank you.” I was speechless. The silence between us was suddenly broken when someone yelled “watch out!” The batter at the plate had hit a sharp line drive over the third baseman’s head. It was coming right at us. I reached around Joe with my left hand and caught the ball on the second hop. I flipped the ball to my right hand and threw it back into the pitcher. Joe just looked at me, patted me on the shoulder and said., “nice catch.” I was dumbfounded. After an awkward pause, Joe looked at me and said: “I gotta go, there’s too many people around here. You come back sometime and I’ll bring some friends, we’ll have a nice game of catch.”

If there is one single place that Baseball can call home, it just might be Dyersville, Iowa…

I remember in junior high my best friend called me “B.” Perhaps his religion prevented him the use of four letter words, or it could’ve been he was just as simple as I am. What I appreciated most was the fact that my Dad heard him saying that and he picked it up. After that my Dad always called me “B.”

Once on a road trip, I took my Dad to see Area 51. I even made him sneak up to the barbed wire fence with me. Now that I look back on that, I would’ve liked to have taken him to the Field of Dreams as well. I thought of him today.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Marquette to Elkader

Metrics

• Miles: 33
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• No metrics today other than miles due to technical difficulties, i.e., no cell service out of Marquette.
• Not the most miles I’ve done, but not the least either.

Thought #19

• There is no distinction between your public life and your private life. Both should reflect what is best in you, and do so all of the time.

When I got on the bike this morning, I was tempted to make a wrong turn. Intentionally. There is Jazz Festival across the river from where I am. It looks like a good one and camping is provided with your admission ticket. I decided to forgo the festival and push on. I guess I’ll find out how that works out…

I started out this morning in a heavy mist. It was nice because it made it feel a little bit cooler. Right out of the gate, I was faced with a 2 mile long climb, probably 4% grade. I was kind of expecting that because I spent the night on the river and there’s nothing surrounding this location but hills. Even though I knew what to expect, I was not terribly thrilled. once I reached the top, it was smooth sailing for about 15 miles. (For those of you out there snickering at a 2 mile long, 4% grade hill in 80° heat and 60% relative humidity, oh yes, and carrying 40 pounds of gear… All I can say is, give it a try.)

When I get to a small town instead of blowing right by, I usually pull in, find the main street, and explore a little bit. Occasionally, I’ll find some interesting things, like this morning. A protein smoothie shop in a town with a population of about 500. Of course I went in. The smoothie was excellent. Inside the shop there was a very nice woman selling flower arrangements. They were stunning.

The day’s riding was not without difficulty. The State of Iowa does not invest a lot of resources in building shoulders on their roads. Many of the county roads, and even some of the two lane state highways have no shoulder at all. It’s difficult to get anywhere in the state without encountering a section of road that has nothing but loose gravel to the right of the white line. It seems like I encountered more of that today than I did safe shoulder riding. I had to get off the bike and walk several times because riding the white line was unsafe. After 33 miles of negotiating difficult shoulders, I decided to call it a day.

I stopped in the town of Elkader. I had no idea they were celebrating their “Sweet Corn Days” Festival. I enjoyed a parade and after that I hung out with some people from the town. Everyone in the community was there. I got a great recommendation for a good burger place, then I moved on to the City Park where I am spending the night.

I am mentally preparing myself for another day of tough riding tomorrow. A nice gentleman in the park told me I could expect more of the same until I get to Illinois. That would be about 175 miles from here.

Stopped for an energy shake in Monona. There was a lady in the shop selling beautiful flower arrangements. I told her if I weren’t on a bike, I would buy one!

I caught the “Sweet Corn Days” Parade in Elkader.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• La Crosse to Marquette

Metrics

• Miles: 67 + 4 OR
• Average Speed: 9.0 mph
• Ride Time: 7 hours 22 minutes

Notes

• My longest day in the saddle, no question.
• Today’s route was punishing. The route included 10 miles of almost impassible, no shoulder riding. It takes a lot to unnerve me, today succeeded in doing that several times.

Thought #18

• Never quit. (I guess that has special significance in light of today’s experience.)

I think I’m in Iowa. It’s hard to tell. I’m in the corner where Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa all sort of converge on each other.

Today I almost got my first FedEx ride share. I pulled off the road to read an historical marker. It told of the Indian war in this area and stated matter-of-factly the brutality committed against Native Americans. That is another story. As I was reading the marker, a voice yelled “semi-truck coming in.” I pulled my bike off the pavement and onto the grass next to the marker, sure enough a FedEx semi-truck was pulling into the parking area. I watched as two fellows helped the driver of the truck unload a large box about the size of a refrigerator. I asked the fellows where they were taking it and they said., “we live nearby but this is as close as FedEx can get their truck. That made sense. After they were done unloading, I asked the FedEx driver if he had room in the back for me and my bike? He said, “sure, where are you headed?” I told him Marquette, he said, “that’s too bad. I’m headed to La Crosse.”

Shortly after my hitchhiking attempt, the route turned and headed into Lansing Iowa. When I turned off, there was a sign that said No Through Traffic. I was about 4 miles from Lansing. I did see a small sign that said Car Ferry. I decided to see what was going on, even if it meant an 8 mile out-and-back. When I reached the point where the road should have crossed the Mississippi River, there was a brand new bridge under construction. Fortunately, the bridge goes to Lansing, Iowa, not Canada, so when they finish it, it probably will open up.

I found a long line of cars waiting for the ferry so I got in line ready for a long wait. A woman got out of her car and walked over to me, she said, “honey, go on up to the front, they’ll put you on no problem.” So that’s what I did. They had no trouble squeezing me on the next trip across the river. During the crossing, I had a nice chat with the folks in the car next to me. For the record, I don’t bring up what I’m doing, I wait for people to inquire where I came from and where I’m headed. When they do, that’s when we get into the details. When I explain what I’m doing, it always seems to amaze people. I get it, but every time I have this conversation people’s reaction still surprises me.

Today was a tough 66 miles to reach my destination. There were three hills that were 2 miles long and had a 6% grade. I hate to admit it, but that pushes me almost to my limit. What goes up must come down. The last descent was a 7% grade. I was afraid to look at my phone to see how fast I was going because I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road. There’s no trying to ride the shoulder in that situation. You’re going way too fast for that.

This area is referred to as the “Driftless Area.” as much as I tried to figure out what that had to do with the geology of the area, I couldn’t come up with an answer on my own, so here’s what Wikipedia has to say about that:

“The Driftless Area was never covered by ice during the Last Glacial Period, so the area lacks the characteristic glacial deposits known as drift. Its landscape is characterized by steep hills, forested ridges and deeply carved river valleys.”

Amen to the bit about steep hills…”

Not the most challenging ski hill. However, the cycling hills are very challenging.

This detour cost me about two hours. It would have been one hour if there had not been a Tiki Bar at the ferry landing. The dog enjoyed the ferry ride as much as I did.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Winona, MN to La Crosse, WI

Metrics

• Miles: 43
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• Today was a combination of paved roads, crushed limestone path, dirt road, and single track. Obstacles included getting lost on the trail and encountering a bridge out, which forced me to detour.

Thought #17

• What is your purpose? Your purpose is to find your purpose. Let your Creator help you do that.

I woke this morning to heavy dew on my tent. I was surprised. It looked like it had rained, but it hadn’t. I looked out over the river, and there was a heavy mist on the river. Overhead the sky was foggy. Visibility was limited. Welcome to camping alongside the Mississippi River. It’s beautiful, but be prepared to deal with some moisture.

No surprise, it’s also chilly. This morning I had to break out my cold weather clothes. I am getting smarter though. I took my clothes up to the campground’s shower house to get dressed. I did that because I was up before dawn and the shower house was lighted and heated. When I registered at the campground, the Camp Host had recommended a coffee shop in town, so that’s where I headed next. I had a couple cups of coffee and read the Minneapolis paper.

The objective today was to take a river trail from just outside Winona all the way to La Crosse. That plan fell apart when I saw a sign that said bridge out 7 miles ahead. About 2 miles later I saw a couple of cyclists coming toward me. I asked them about the bridge and they confirmed that I would have to detour around it. They gave me good directions that I was able to partially follow. I never quite made it back on to the trail. I ended up taking a combination of back roads and highway into Onalaska and La Crosse.

I’ve been waiting until I got to Wisconsin to try my first cheese curds. I got my opportunity at lunch today. They are a little bit chewy, but they’re good. Much better than fried pickles.

After lunch, I saw three westbound cyclists. Usually I stop and greet other cyclists on the road to talk about where they’ve been and where they’re headed. They were heads down and moving, and I was outnumbered, so I waved and just kept going. I know they weren’t on e-bikes because they waved back. I was able to judge by the gear they were carrying that they were definitely touring.

My detour fiasco was fortunate because I was able to find a bike shop in Onalaska which otherwise I would have missed. I decided to stop in and talk to them about my rear tire. The tire has been having trouble holding air for a few days. I asked the mechanic what we could do about the air situation, he recommended a new tube. I was down with that. When he took a closer look, he said, “you need a new tire too.” All the weight I’m carrying on the bike is hard on the tires. He got me all set up and out the door in no time.

Outside the bike shop, as I was putting my gear back on the bike, a gentleman stopped and asked me about the straps I use to tie the dry bags to the rear rack. On his way out of the bike shop he stopped again and we chatted some more. After a few minutes, it became clear he was a retired physician. I shared an interesting Washington Post article I read recently about the benefits of exercise. He took a few minutes to share with me some great back exercises I can do while I’m on the road. Just one more example of the kindness I receive from people on almost a daily basis.

Also in the health department, I haven’t taken an ibuprofen in over two weeks!

Crossing the Mississippi river at Winona.

The trail offered a little bit of everything.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Rochester to Winona

Metrics

• Miles: 48, 8 OR
• Average Speed: 9.8 mph
• Ride Time: 4 hours 48 minutes

Notes

• It’s 54° this morning, that’s the coolest it’s been in the morning since I left Montana.
• Tomorrow I cross the Mississippi River into Wisconsin.

Thought #16

• Take time each day to think about those things that matter most. Use those thoughts to help you set your priorities for the day.

Taking it slow today. It’s 845 AM and I’ve already stopped for my second cup of coffee. i’m not even outside the city limits of Rochester. My first cup of coffee was at a Circle K. C-Stores are making a concerted attempt to compete with coffee shops. It’s a good strategy. The coffee at most C-Stores isn’t bad either.

I’m reading a book about travel through Mexico end South America by bicycle. As much as I like the idea, I don’t think I would be up for that. The United States hasn’t lost its appeal to me. I’m beginning to think that maybe a shorter duration experience on the European continent would be fun. Perhaps Scotland or Wales? Then again, I wouldn’t mind Los Angeles to Chicago following the ACA’s Bicycle Route 66… Any takers?

I can’t seem to dismiss the idea that the next tour I do I will pull a cargo trailer instead of using panniers and dry bags. Maybe my cat would go with me…

Writing at the end of the day, isn’t all that tough because I take notes during the day as I ride along. Of course that requires me to stop so I can jot down notes. But in truth, there is an advantage to that, it gives me a little bit of rest now and then.

I haven’t done any side-of-the-road camping. I’ve always made my day-end destination a city park, campground, or motel. That’s one way of doing it. If I were really into mileage and rode all day and didn’t stop until dusk, I would have to rethink that approach. Riding 12 or 14 hours a day is not a good option considering my age. Fifty to sixty miles a day is about as much as I can do, day-in and day-out.

I gave away another card this morning to a jogger out for a morning run with his two daughters We had a nice conversation about bicycles at a Caribou Coffee. He has done the 24 hour endurance ride across Minnesota. He was admiring my Davidson. I take great pride talking about my bicycle with other cycling enthusiasts. For the record, a Caribou Coffee is just like a Starbucks, only they don’t sell instant coffee packets.

The bridge I’m going to take over the Mississippi River tomorrow passes over Island Number 72. Apparently there are so many islands in the river they don’t name them all, they give some of them numbers instead. Speaking of the river, it occurred to me I should be reading, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. Little known fact. In 1981, Soviet Russia did a three-episode TV miniseries, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.” The role of Tom Sawyer was played by Fyodor Stukov. I couldn’t find it on YouTube, but I’m going to keep looking. For that, and my interview (smile).

I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow night. I think I’ll let it be a surprise.

Closing thought for today. Life is a gift. Meet each moment with wakefulness. Practice appamāda… That was the last advice the Buddha shared with his disciples.

Until tomorrow!

I think she’s in love…

The view outside my tent.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fairbault to Rochester

Metrics

• Miles: 54
• Average Speed: 10.4 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 6 minutes

Notes

• Today I was interviewed by Public Television. KSMQ, Austin, Minnesota.

Thought #15

• What is prayer? It is asking the universe to help you align yourself with it.

I bring my sweetheart a coffee each morning. What I mean by that is, I send her a text message with an emoji of a cup of coffee (☕️). It’s a nice gesture. The problem is, I’m two hours ahead of her and by the time she gets it, it’s cold.

A perfect morning for riding. The AQI index is down, the UV index is down, the temperature is down, and there’s a modest cooling breeze. To add pleasure to fortune, the road surface is smooth and the hills are manageable. You can’t ask for a better morning than that.

I was 35 miles down the road when I finally had a chance to stop for a cup of coffee. I was standing outside a Kwik Trip and a stranger stopped to chat with me. He asked me where I was going and if I was raising money for a cause. I told him about Shepherd’s House Ministries in Redmond, Oregon. On his way out of the store, he wished me good luck on my journey and gave me $20 for Shepherd’s House. So far on this trip, without doing any solicitation, people have donated $120 to Shepherd’s House.

If you are traveling in the Midwest, keep in mind that Kwik Trip has the best road coffee. Better than Starbucks.

The last 10 miles of my tour today put me on the Douglas State Rail Trail. There is no doubt that Minnesota is bike friendly. I’ve never seen so many paved cycle paths that run through such beautiful country.

About 6 miles outside Rochester, I saw a film crew alongside the trail. I slowed down and greeted them with a “hello.” They looked at me and waved me over and asked if they could interview me. It was a film crew from KSMQ Public Television in Austin, Minnesota. if the piece airs, they will post it on YouTube and I will include the link in a future post.

There’s a lot that goes through my head during the day. This may be a touchy subject, but it is my opinion that exercise, especially the kind that gets you out of your ordinary routine for more than a few minutes a day, is the best medicine there is to help prevent cognitive decline.

Irish Settlers built this Catholic Church in 1878. It was constructed by hand from Ashlar Limestone quarried locally. The last mass was held in 1961. It is now a national historical landmark.

Another example of the sort of thing you miss when you are traveling by car on the freeway.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fairbault, Research Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• Tour of Fairbault.

Thought #15

• Acknowledge the Creator and give thanks for the opportunity to greet another day.

When I visited the Fairbault Historical Society Museum, I learned that the Genealogy Curator works by appointment only. That’s OK. I left a description of the information I’m looking for and the Curator is going to take a look at it and reach out to me. She will even talk to me via phone about her search results. I am optimistic that eventually, probably after I get home, I will have the opportunity to learn more.

I also visited the Fairbault Woolen Mill. The mill was established in 1865. The weir constructed to provide water power for the mill is still in place. The mill no longer uses it, but many of the original machines are still in use. It has also been upgraded with new machinery. It is one of the most trusted woolen brands in the Midwest and around the world. In the stranger than strange department, they also own a mill in Bar Harbor, Maine. (My destination.)

After my visit to the mill, I decided to stop into a local watering hole for a Busch Light. As I was tying my bike up (I like to call locking my bike “tying it up”) a man approached me and asked me for some change. I asked him if he was homeless, he said no but he needed money because he just finished weed-whacking a yard and the woman told him she couldn’t pay him. I believed him. I opened my wallet and he saw the bills inside. He asked, “could you spare a 20?” I told him I had to get to Maine with this money, but I’d give him the ones that I had. I gave him four dollars. He thanked me with great kindness. This is who we are: The richest country on earth, with more poverty than any other advanced democracy.

My detour to visit Fairbault has been a big success. I’m really happy I took the time to come see the town and all that it has to offer. I’m looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow and continue my journey east.

The factory looks much the same as it did when it was originally established.

Original mill water power.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fairbault, Research Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA, 12 OR
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: nnn hours NA minutes

Notes

• Today is day 50 already!
• Early morning Midwest rain storm.

Thought #14

• Change cannot be avoided. The stress that comes from change can be avoided. To do so, spend time reflecting on those things that are higher than you.

I woke up at 4:30 AM to an authentic Midwest rainstorm. There was thunder aplenty, lots of lightning, and you might say, a fair bit of rain. I looked around inside the tent and realized I had left the rain fly zipper-doors open for ventilation. Unless I was able to get those closed in a hurry, I was going to have some problems. When you open the rain fly doors all the way, you roll them up and use a hook and a loop to fasten them. when it’s dark and the rain is coming down, it’s almost impossible to unfasten those little buggers. I had to search for my headlamp and once I got it on, it still took me about five minutes to get the doors unrolled and zippered down. There was a fair amount of water on the floor of the tent. That’s not a huge problem because I am on an air mattress, but I decided to mop it up with my bath towel. I laid back down, dug-around for my iPhone, and looked at the weather app. It told me what I already knew. It was gonna be stormy for awhile. The lightning show was spectacular, but I didn’t dare get out of the tent to watch or I would’ve instantly become a water rat. So naturally, I watched the animation on the weather app, it did a pretty good job of showing me what was going on outside the tent. One final note on last night’s experience, I suspect that out here in the Midwest, it’s probably rare for them to use the word “shower” to describe rain.

It’s now 8:30 AM. I’m enjoying my last cup of Starbucks instant coffee it’s gonna be a couple of days before I can restock. The storm has abated for the most part. I’m sitting under a big canopy of trees and occasionally they’ll give me a reminder of what I missed during the night. The question in front of me is: Stay here in case it starts raining again or go into town and look for breakfast. I’m inclined to do the latter. The forecast is for a possibility of rain until noon.

As I mentioned earlier, my goal for today is to spend some time at the Historical Society and see what I can dig-up on my ancestors and life in the town in general. if I learn anything of interest, I’ll probably write about that in tomorrow’s post I’ve already blabbed on long enough about the rain this morning…

The tent performed very well once I got the rain fly doors closed.

(Contestant) “Amusement rides for 500 Alex.”(Alex) “Where was the Tilt-A-Whirl invented.”(Contestant) “Fairbault Minnesota.” (Alex) “Correct!”

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fairbault, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA, 12 OR
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• OR - Off Route
• Woke at 6:30 AM, fixed coffee and oatmeal then slept from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM.

Thought #13

• Your past does not determine your future. Go ahead, dream it!

No big plans today. After my early morning nap, I decided to ride into town and take a photo of the house my dad grew up in. After that, I had planned to grab a bite to eat in Millersburg. That would’ve been about a 25 mile round-trip. When I got to Fairbault, I realized I had left my wallet in the campground. That meant going back to get it. That makes me less motivated to ride out to Millersburg.

While in town, I grabbed a photo of the house. My dad grew up in. It’s just a few blocks from downtown. I saw some people walking on the street so I asked them if they knew who lived in the house, they said they lived in the house. I asked them if they would take a photo of me. They were a bit hesitant, but they did. Unfortunately, not all of the house is captured in the background of that photo. You can get a good idea of what the house looks like from both of the photos below.

The rest of my day looks like a trip back to the campground for my wallet and then an early dinner in town and early to bed in the campground. Tomorrow I’m going to go into town and visit the Rice County Historical Society. I will be sharing what I learn in tomorrow’s post.

Very stylish, like my Grandmother. 308 Willow Street, her sister lived on 3rd Ave SW.

Proof positive I was there…

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Plymouth to Fairbault

Metrics

• Miles: 66 + 3 NIM
• Average Speed: 10.8 mph
• Ride Time: 6 hours 1 minute

Notes

• Hot and very humid today. I hate to admit it, but when I pulled into Fairbault, I was exhausted.

Thought #12

• Be committed to those you’ve committed yourself to. Bring them coffee in the morning.

Last night my friends took me to dinner at the Aster Café in downtown Minneapolis. We had a great meal and we listened to the “New Entangled Particles” perform an experimental jazz mix of classic 80s hits. After dinner we went for a walk and experienced a Midwest lightning show.

Today I’m off to Farabault. It is a 64 mile route on 35 miles of “bicycle way.” Minneapolis is known to be bicycle friendly, but so is a large portion of the surrounding area. If you enjoy bicycling, this is a marvelous place to become “entangled” with what are known here as “cycle ways.”

About halfway to Fairbault, I pulled up at an intersection where there were three other cyclists. It was a husband, wife, and son. When we got the signal to cross, we all started out. The two e-bikes led the way and soon we’re well ahead of us. I told the fellow riding alongside me, “you better catch up.” He said he wanted to ride with me for a bit!

We rode together for about 2 miles and had a really nice conversation. He told me how much he admired what I was doing, which made me feel very good. We talked about cross-country cycling and I shared a couple stories from one of my previous cycling adventures. He asked me if I had ridden with other people on this tour, and I said “the longest has been for about 10 feet.” When we parted ways, I gave him my card that has the link to this blog. He really appreciated that and said he was anxious to follow along. He’s going to retire in a couple of years and I told him he should definitely do a cross-country. I recommended the Selkirk Loop as a wonderful bicycle/e-bike combo tour. That way his wife could join him. I think he will cross the country. Good luck, my friend!

Poster at the Aster Cafe. The poster begged to be photographed as an homage to my current focus in life.

The “New Entangled Particles” live on stage. Two of the band are Music PhD’s teaching in Minneapolis. Their music is as mysterious as quantum entanglement. If Einstein were listening, he might describe it as “joyful music at a (near) distance…”

Stunning view of downtown.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Plymouth, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• Today I’ll be spending time working on my itinerary for the second half of the tour.

Thought #11

• Happiness is temporary, joy is permanent. Build on those things that will bring you joy.

So far, I have traveled 2,046 miles. I originally calculated it would take 4,317 miles to complete the journey. That means the official midpoint of my tour would be the town of Rochester, Minnesota, East of Fairbault. I will be passing thru that town in just a few days.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not currently on the ACA Route for two reasons. The first is to visit friends in Plymouth, just outside Minneapolis. The second is to visit a town about 60 miles south of Minneapolis that has special significance to me. That town is Fairbault Minnesota. After visiting Fairbault, I’ll head east for about 100 miles, cross the Mississippi River at Winona, then I’ll be back on the ACA Route.

Fairbault, Minnesota is my father’s hometown. His Mother raised him there, and the house that he was brought up in is still standing. I am excited to see the town and the home that he lived in while he was growing up. I’m planning to visit the Rice County Historical Society while I’m there to see if I can learn anything more about my Grandmother.

One of the controversies I plan to sort out is how to properly pronounce the name of my father’s hometown. As a kid growing up, my family, always pronounced it Fair bow. On several occasions I’ve been corrected and told the proper pronunciation is Fair balt. I believe the latter is a mispronunciation. I’m looking forward to solving this mystery.

Visiting Fairbault will be exciting… The focus today is rest and recovery. At my current rate of travel and rest, I will be in Bar Harbor, Maine on September 10th. I originally planed to arrive September 20th. That means my original estimate was pretty close, it also means I can take a little extra time here and there if I would like.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Saint Cloud to Plymouth

Metrics

• Miles: 63 + 8 NIM
• Average Speed: 10.1 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 6 minutes

Notes

• An Air Quality Alert is in effect. The smoke from fires in Northeast Minnesota is as bad as anything I’ve ever seen. I may have to call for a ride into Minneapolis.
• Q. What is the coldest city in the country.
• A. International Falls, Minnesota. On average they have 109 days a year where the temperature is below 32°. I’m south of there…

Thought #10

• Spend time each day to think of things higher than yourself.
• A person that can’t do that is no leader.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) today is 317. That’s not good. I decided to ride today anyway because the AQI in the EconoLodge where I stayed last night wasn’t a whole lot better. The carpet was moldy. I’m not sure which is worse, mold or smoke, it’s probably a toss-up. You get what you pay for.

I have arrived in Minneapolis! Roughly speaking, this is the halfway point of the tour. Tomorrow I’ll provide a better estimate of the midpoint, plus some details about where I’m heading next.

The oldest person to ride coast-to-coast on a bicycle is Bob Sanders. He completed the trip at 85 years (and 49 days) old. He achieved this remarkable feat on May 11, 2025. He cycled from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida.

I did that route in 2019. If I do it again in 13 years, I could be the new record holder!

My first glimpse of the Mississippi River, 30 miles West of Minneapolis. I’m told this is about as far Northwest on the Mississippi river as you can navigate.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Saint Cloud, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: NA
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• This is the perfect day to rest. It allowed me to spend a leisurely evening watching the MLB All-Star Game here in town.
• Q. Have you ever wondered why the catcher drops his glove after presenting a target to the pitcher.
• A. It’s because raising his glove to catch the pitch makes it easier to fool the umpire into thinking the pitch was a strike.
• Local knowledge: Bounce Dryer Sheets inside your gloves will keep the mosquitos from biting your hands!

Thought #9

• Protect your heart from things that would lead it astray.

This is a wonderful country we live in. Everywhere I go, I meet fantastic people. Life on the road is different than normal life. It opens you up. It allows you to see things you would not normally see. It allows you to experience new feelings, new knowledge. It makes you aware of how important people are, even people you’ve just met.

I’m almost to the halfway point of the tour. I am making great progress. It looks like it might take fewer days than I originally planned. That’s a good thing. If I want to slow down, I certainly can take the time to do that.

Tomorrow is a big day. I’m going to try and do 62 miles to get into Minneapolis to see friends. I’m trusting the Komoot app to build a good route for me to follow.

I met some great people while I was watching the All-Star Game last night!

My boy back home.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Osakis to Saint Cloud

Metrics

• Miles: 57
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• All trail today. No need for metrics.

Thought #8

• Be gentle. It is the strong that are gentle.

Today completes 110 miles of bike path riding. It was a huge relief to be off the road for a couple of days. It occurred to me that it might be fun to ride a bike path all the way across the country. After I thought about it a bit more, I realized that’s not such a good idea. The reason is simple, when you’re on the road instead of a path, you pass right through the middle of towns. You meet people and you see things that you don’t see from a bike path.

It was a rough night last night. I’m going to blame it on mosquitoes, but it’s entirely my fault. When I got to Alexandria at the end of the day, I went to the visitor center to inquire about motels. The lady there told me they had a few in town, which were about 4 miles off the trail. Then she said there’s one in Osakis just 10 miles ahead and it’s right on the bike path. We called the number, but there was no answer. I figured what the heck, I’ll just show up. They’ll have a room for me! Just as I was arriving in Osakis, my phone rang. It was the motel calling. The nice lady informed me they were completely booked. There is a slight difference between Alexandria and Osakis, Alexandria has four motels, Osakis has only one.

There wasn’t a campground close by so I found the city park. A lot of city parks, especially those on the ACA route, allow tent camping… this one did not. The sun was starting to set so I was faced with a decision. Should I press on, or should I try and make a go of it here. I decided to try out my stealth camping skills. I managed to keep a low profile and no one threw me out of the park. When it was starting to get dark, I unpacked all my gear and put up my tent. I didn’t pitch it completely, just enough so I could keep a low profile. I forgot to mention the mosquitoes. I crawled into the tent and soon realized that a large number of mosquitoes had followed me inside. That really wasn’t working for me all that well. I got out of the tent, packed everything up and got back on the road. By now it was 11:30 PM.

Did I mention I’m not a big fan of mosquitoes? Did I mention that the mosquitoes in Minnesota are the size of elephants? As bad as that sounds there is more to worry about than the big ones…There’s also the swarming tiny ones. In other words, they come in all shapes and sizes and they’re all hungry. One sidenote with regard to Minnesota mosquitoes, they have an uncanny ability to set up an intravenous line before you can even swat them away.

Fortunately, I have a dynamo powered front light on my bike, which allowed me to negotiate the bike path after dark. I got to the next town 10 miles down the road about an hour later. There was a City Park there right alongside the bike path. There were also mosquitoes, but they were fewer in number. Once again, I set up camp and crawled into my tent. This time far fewer mosquitoes followed me inside. I managed to get about 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep. I’m going be tired today, but I survived. I fixed myself my morning breakfast, instant oatmeal and instant Starbucks coffee, then I hit the road.

On the bright side, I’m getting to the point where I can drink instant coffee without grimacing.

About 30 miles from Osakis, the ACA Route turns north to the city of Bowlus. I’ll be continuing on to the end of the path, to the town of Saint Cloud. I’m now leaving the ACA Route for a couple hundred miles. I’ll reconnect with the ACA Route on the east side of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles south of Minneapolis. I will explain the reason for this in another post. I think you’ll find it interesting.

Sunset on Lake Osakis. The lake should’ve been my first clue there might be a problem camping at this location.

This is where the ACA and I depart ways. (More to follow.)

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fergus Falls to Osakis

Metrics

• Miles: 69
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes

Notes

• I was on a paved bike path all day today. I didn’t feel like running the metrics app.

Thought #7

• Do everything you do to the best of your ability. 

I thought today would be another day of road riding. I was mistaken. When I got to the outskirts of Fergus Falls, the route turned onto the Central Lakes State Trail. One hundred and ten miles of paved bike path over an abandoned railroad spur. Actually, it’s not just bicycles, in the winter snowmobiles and cross-country skiers are allowed to use the trail. Today I covered the first 65 miles, tomorrow I’ll do the last 45.

My route today passed through the town of Alexandria. I was met as I entered the town by Olaf the Viking, affectionately known as Big Ole. The town of Alexandria calls itself “The Birthplace of America.” Naturally, I had to inquire why. I was told it was because Vikings explored this region in 1362 making them the first white men to see this land. There is only one piece of evidence to corroborate this story, it is a Rune Stone discovered by a local farmer in 1898. The stone is engraved with Nordic runes and the date 1362. There is archaeological evidence to show that the Vikings explored Hudson Bay dating back to 1000. In 1355 an expedition was sent to Greenland and a permanent settlement was established. It is that expedition or one similar to it that is assumed to have reached this part of Minnesota. The stone has become known as the Kensington Rune Stone. The stone is on permanent exhibit in the Rune Stone Museum in Alexandria.

I made a strange observation today on the trail. When I wave at guys on e-bikes, they don’t wave back at me. I assume it’s because they’re going so fast They don’t see me, although it could be because they’re embarrassed by their electricity. Either way, if you’re on an e-bike and someone waves at you, be sure and wave back.

I passed a very cool memorial in the town of Butler. It was only visible from the bike path. I got off the bike and wandered around. It was fascinating. There was memorabilia and stories from the Civil War all the way through the Vietnam war. The memorial was dedicated to local citizens who had served in those conflicts, and those who had given their lives.

As an aside, this summer represents the 50th anniversary of my first long distance bicycle tour. When I graduated from college in 1976 I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I got on my bicycle and rode from Seattle to San Diego. That adventure made a huge impression on me. That is a big part of why I keep doing it.

Just the sort of thing you’re looking for in a heat wave.

“Big Ole” was there to greet me at mile 55 in the city of Alexandria.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Barnsville to Fergus Falls

Metrics

• Miles: 33 (+8 NIM)
• Average Speed: 8.67 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 44 minutes

Notes

• Strong headwind again today.
• Unusually narrow shoulder for 20 miles.

Thought #6

• When you are required to make a decision, are you doing so with the best of intentions to follow a higher will, or are you doing so only to benefit yourself.

The temperatures are soaring. This area is experiencing a heat wave. It is expected to last perhaps as long as another week. The best way to deal with a heat wave is to keep moving (unless of course you’re indoors). You have to do everything you can to prevent sunburn. That means long pants, long sleeves, and a hood over your neck and head underneath your bicycle helmet. This sounds like it would make things even hotter. The opposite is true. As long as the sun’s rays aren’t hitting you directly and you keep moving, you can create a small amount of cooling breeze.

Another day of headwind, this one fairly strong. What I find interesting about headwinds is the impact it has on performance. You have to drop down a gear and accept the fact that you’re going to go a little bit slower, otherwise you’ll wear yourself out. Looking on the bright side, I haven’t had a wind day where I needed to park the bike and give mother nature her due… I’m still waiting for the day I can tell Lieutenant Dan to hoist the Running Sail.

Occasionally, I will disturb some birds. For the sake of argument, I’m going to assume they were nesting somewhere nearby. Sometimes a couple of birds will follow me for a distance, circling overhead. I know they’re there for two reasons. I can see their shadow on the ground in front of me and I can hear them chirping. To me, it sounds like an angry chirp. A chirp that seems to blame me for having disturbed them. What is fun about this little game is they think they’re chasing me away, when actually I’m just enjoying the company.

I encountered 20 miles of narrow shoulder today. This is actually less disturbing than it may seem, as long as it’s not a busy road. Along with the bird game, I also play the shoulder game. The objective of this game is to keep the tires on the white line or slightly to the right of the white line. It can be a bit mesmerizing, but it certainly helps pass the time.

This shoulder isn’t even big enough to cry on.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Fargo, ND to Barnsville, MN

Metrics

• Miles: 29
• Average Speed: 8.69 mph
• Ride Time: 3 hours 13 minutes

Notes

• Strong headwind today.
• Dropping Ascent Metric. (See below.)

Thought #5

• Work on your character every day. Character is like muscle, it gets soft if it is not exercised.

I’ve removed the Ascent Metric from my daily ride summary. I’ve tried two different apps to measure ascent. Both are just giving me the net difference start-to-finish. What I was hoping for was a total of all the incremental ascents during the course of the ride day. it appears that maybe the AllTrails app will do that, but here’s the problem. I’m already running two apps continuously all day long, one for navigation and another for metrics. To run a third app to measure incremental ascent would have an impact on the cell phone’s battery life. I’m already carrying two spare battery banks to keep the cell phone charged. I guess this is why a lot of people use a Garmin.

I only did 30 miles today, but that was for two reasons. The first was that I couldn’t find a room in Fargo so I could rest today. The second was because I was facing a strong headwind today. Not a great day to experience that. I just have to marvel at how few tailwind days I’ve had on this tour. When I get back to Redmond, I’m gonna’ take the running-sail I brought with me to Gear Fix because it’s not doing me any good on this trip.

One of the things you need to pay attention to is what I call “Shoulder Crown.” (What I’m about to talk about assumes you’re riding with traffic, not opposed to it, which of course is what you should be doing.) A wide, flat, smooth shoulder is naturally the best, and a pleasure to ride on. often what you have to work with is something less than that. Narrow shoulders are bad, narrow, and rough are worse, but possibly the worst is a crowned shoulder. That is when somewhere between the white stripe on the left and the edge of the shoulder on the right, the shoulder slopes down from left to right. The highpoint is the crown. That could be anywhere on the shoulder. What is critical is the degree of slope from the crown to the right edge. If the shoulder slopes steeply from the crown to the right edge, you need to be very cautious. If you drift to the right of the crown, there is a chance your left pedal could come into contact with the ground on the down stroke. If that should happen, it could have serious consequences. Now we get to the heart of the matter. The size of your pedal is important. A narrow pedal has less chance of coming into contact with the ground in this situation than a wider pedal. YOY am I going into all this boring detail?

When I was in the bicycle shop in Bismarck to get a quick tuneup on the bike, I complained to the fellow there about my shoes. He said he could fix that. He was a professional bicycling shoe fitter. He measured my foot, did a heat map of my in-step and looked at the cleat position on my old shoes. He said you’ve got some problems here. One new pair of shoes later with custom insoles and a pressure relief insert in the right shoe to relieve cleat pressure and I was out the door feeling a lot better. Oh yes, my old shoes were the wrong size too. I won’t tell you where I bought them, but I will recommend that when you buy cycling shoes you buy them from somebody who knows their business. One last piece to tie this into my rant about Shoulder Crown. I told the fellow I wanted new pedals for the bike that were flat on one side and held cleats on the other. (SPD Combo.) He said he could sell me a used pair that he had just taken back in. He said the guy didn’t like them because they were too wide. I knew exactly what he meant. I bought the new pedals because I pay pretty good attention to the shape of the shoulder I’m riding.

I find myself singing this quite often in the morning when I first get on the road. My apologies to Willie Nelson for the liberties taken with his beautiful lyrics.

On the road again. I can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is sharing memories with my friends, I can’t wait to get on the road again

On the road again. Goin' places that I’ve never been. Seein' things that I may never see again, I can’t wait to get on the road again

On the road again. Like a band of gypsies I go down the highway. Where the friends back home, are insisting that the world keep turning my way… On the highway…

I’ve been following the “Cooking Oil Trail” for over 200 miles. I finally reached its headwaters…

The ingredients for your bean chips also come from here.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Enderlin to Fargo

Metrics

• Miles: 55 (+9 NIM)
• Average Speed: 9.69 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 37 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 0

Notes

• NIM, Not In Metrics.
• Metrics impacted by heat and road conditions.

Thought #4

• When you feel stress coming on, take time to relax. Focus on higher things than yourself.

I left Enderlin at 7:30 AM. A bit late. I slept in until 5:15 AM! It takes me about two hours in the morning to pack up all my gear, cook breakfast and get on the road.

One possibility for sleeping in might’ve been the light show last night! I went to bed at 8 o’clock and woke up to thunder and lightning at 10:30. It was like no thunder and lightning show I had ever seen. Perhaps it’s not unusual for the Midwest, but it would make that sort of thing back home look small. After watching the show for a few minutes I realized I’d better get the rain fly on the tent. I was sleeping without it because I wanted to enjoy the nice evening air. No sooner did I get the rain fly on and was crawling back into the tent when the rain started to come down. The rain was milder than I expected, that meant packing up the tent in the morning was pretty easy.

As I was in the midst of all that, a man walked into the picnic shelter where I was getting organized and we chatted for a few minutes about the tour. He lives just across the street. The park is so beautiful that he often walks down to it to do his morning reading.

Seventeen miles down the road I saw a sign pointing to the town of Leonard. The town was 2 miles off route. I had a feeling they would have a convenience store and a cup of coffee, so I turned off to go check it out. Well, they had a convenience store, so I went in. It was a score. I had my coffee and a breakfast sandwich and some terrific conversation with the owner of the store and her baker. The owner bought the store 15 years ago because she loves the town of Leonard. The store was set to close and she didn’t want to see the town die. Small towns on the plains have to have their convenience store. It’s the center of social life in the community. We chatted for a good long while. After I finished my sandwich, the baker gave me a cookie for the road. I just finished it a few minutes ago. it was fantastic.

As we were chatting, the Mayor of Leonard walked in. My two friends introduced me to her. We talked about the town and the tour. I was so impressed with Leonard, I asked the Mayor if she would let me have a picture of the two of us. She was very kind, and said yes. (See below.) if you’re ever in the Eastern Plains of North Dakota, not far from Fargo, drop in and say hello to my friends in Leonard.

I got to Fargo and found out every room in town is booked. Not quite, I found a hotel for $400 a night and I found a motel for $200 a night. I said no to both and moved on to a nice campground right on the edge of the city. It was booked too. I chatted with the campground host and we struck a deal. I asked her if I could stay in the campground using stealth mode. She was hesitant at first, until I explained to her that I would only be using standard Romulan and Klingon stealth technology and I would not break any intergalactic laws. Still a bit hesitant, she said that would be fine…

My plans for a rest day in a motel in Fargo have been dashed. The first town in Minnesota, 27 miles from here, has a motel that is also booked. It looks like I might be camping for a few nights. As soon as I find a motel, I’m going to take a day of rest, maybe two.

Parting shot: Here is some wisdom you really can’t live without: The first 10 miles of the day are the easiest. The last 10 miles of the day are the hardest. To prevent that from becoming your reality, you have to dismiss the entire notion.

Brad meets the Mayor of Leonard!

Kiwanis Park in Fargo.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Gackle to Enderlin

Metrics

• Miles: 74
• Average Speed: 9.94 mph
• Ride Time: 7 hours 18 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 112

Notes

• 58° when I crawled out of the tent. It reached 85° today.
• No wind to start the day.
• Ended the day with a slight Southwesterly. Not enough to call a tailwind.
• The Climbing (Vertical Feet) is ridiculously off. I need to research that.

Thought #3

• Use your gifts and your time to help others, not just help yourself.

I found a shoulder today, but I’m not crying on it, I’m riding on it! Almost all of today’s 74 miles was on good shoulder. I’m now into what is referred to as the “Dakota Plains.” That was a big help towards upping the mileage a little bit.

When I reached Enderlin, a lady pulled up next to me and asked me if I was looking for a place to eat. I said yes, she said go to the tavern across the street. We chatted right there, her in the middle of the street in her car and me sitting on my bicycle. She told me she was from Seattle! She worked for the City of Seattle. When she decided to retire and told her friends she was moving to North Dakota. They told her she was crazy. She told them she was moving to North Dakota because the cost of living was lower and the people were nicer. From what I have experienced, I can’t disagree with her. I feel really safe on the roads here. I’ve never seen so many courteous drivers. That includes the semi’s.

Dinosaurs on the prairie. It’s actually a collection of old thrashing machines.

Who would have thought the Continental Divide runs this far east. I’m just 75 miles west of Fargo. The James River and the Sheyenne River are separated by only a few miles in some places, but they are on opposite sides of the Continental Divide. Their waters will never mingle. The two rivers will end up about 3,000 miles apart.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Hazelton to Gackle

Metrics

• Miles: 66
• Average Speed: 9.01 mph
• Ride Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 571

Notes

• White Line Fever for the first 45 miles. (No shoulder.)
• Song of the day: “White Line Fever “ by the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Thought #2

• Anger can’t always be avoided. The best way to make anger go away is to first recognize it, then tell yourself to set it aside.

Up early. There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee the morning after a Midwest thunderstorm. I’m very pleased with the new tent and recommend it highly. There is one thing about rain storms I don’t appreciate, that is when you roll a tent up to put it into the stuff sack, it’s much heavier than when it came out. There’s no way you can get all the moisture off of it. I’ll probably be thinking about that all day long as I’m pedaling.

This may not come as a surprise to some of you, but it turns out I’m not the sharpest tool in the tool shed. I waited out the thunderstorm last night under a picnic shelter. That sounds convenient but actually it was very difficult to find a dry spot even under the shelter because of the blowing wind. After the thunderstorm passed and I got the tent up I decided to use the bathroom. It turns out the park has a lighted, heated bathroom facility. Instead of waiting under the picnic shelter I could’ve been relaxing in a nice heated space, in my camp chair, enjoying a good read.

The weather forecast for this location is for high overcast today, but no rain. When you live in a house and it rains, you can always go indoors. When you’re on the road, the weather forecast becomes a matter of some interest.

I was just thinking about how little I have to complain about, then I realized there is something. I have had only one day of tailwind since I left Anacortes, Washington. That is more of an observation than a complaint. It does make you wonder, since that is extremely rare traveling east for this many days.

As my parting thought for the day, I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “every journey begins with a single step.” Well, I have something to say about that. Every mile you travel puts you one mile closer to your destination. You can quote me on that if you’d like.

Nothing like a hot cup of coffee the morning after a Midwest thunderstorm.

A nice vacation rental!

Alfalfa in bloom.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark to Hazelton

Metrics

• Miles: 45
• Average Speed: 9.21 mph
• Ride Time: 4 hours 42 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 875

Notes

• I didn’t get out of Bismarck till 10:30 AM.

Today

• If you make a mistake, no matter how small, gracefully acknowledge it. Don’t forget to apologize if that is possible.

I got my new tent this morning and I’m headed out of town! I got a bit of a scare when the clerk at the post office came back and said he couldn’t find it. I showed him the tracking number and asked him to look again and sure enough he found it, thank goodness.

I got to my destination just in time for a Midwest thunderstorm. I was able to hunker down in a picnic table shelter and wait for a lapse in the storm. The rain abated briefly, so I quickly assembled the new tent and just as I was finishing another storm front rolled in. The tent is performing beautifully. I’m going to have a very comfortable night. At the moment, I’m writing this post sitting in a lightweight chair inside the tent. Possibly two of the best purchases I’ve ever made. At least when there’s a thunderstorm to contend with.

I should be in Minnesota in about three days. If memory serves, they are known as “The Land of a Thousand Lakes.” Looking at my map, I can’t find any reason to argue with that. I’m also looking forward to the longest paved bicycle trail in the country. More on that when I get there…

I’m met another fellow heading west. We chatted on the side of the road. He left May 15th. The other fellow I met four days ago left on May 14th. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more westbound riders very soon.

I’m going to read for a bit and then call it a day.

I was running ahead of the storm all day so I stopped only once to take a photos. The sky was dark. It wasn’t great weather for taking photos.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 11
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): NA

Notes

• NA - Not Available

A bicycle tour gives you a lot of time to think about things that you often don’t take enough time to consider.

I’ve been pondering some of the lessons I have learned in life and considering how best to benefit from them. Having the opportunity to step out of my normal routine has given me a focus that has allowed me to see these lessons more clearly.

The lessons I share here I have gathered from multiple great books. From the Bible to the Koran, to the teachings of Buddha and Confucius, even to Homer’s Odyssey, all the world’s great literature is a source of learning and inspiration. There is no better guide to daily living than the collected wisdom of the world’s greatest prophets and thinkers.

The question becomes, what do you do with this knowledge? Of course the first thing is to live your life every day in a way that follows these lessons to the best of your ability. That’s not all. It is important to keep close to you, people that observe these teachings, and shun, as much as possible, those that do not. This prescription applies to all that we do, from our recreational activities to our civic duties, including whom we cast our vote for at the ballot box. It is our obligation to strive at all times to build a better world. Never allow yourself to be led by someone that behaves in a way that is anathema to any of these principles, even if his promises benefit you materially… Especially if his promises are designed to benefit you materially.

Each of these lessons is short and to the point. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to fill in the blanks. In fact, there is probably nothing here you haven’t heard before. What I plan to do is pick one each morning and say to myself, “today I am going to make this lesson my focus for the day.” Some days will be easy, some days will be hard. The point is to live these lessons, one day at a time, one lesson at a time. These can be helpful guides to a more useful and satisfying life. A life lived with purpose.

Here are 31 lessons I have chosen. One for every day of the month. I plan to focus on one each day and allow it to guide me. In time it will become easier and easier to incorporate these into my life, with less and less effort.

It’s important to appreciate life while we are living it. Incorporating these lessons daily can be a huge step toward doing that. I begin tomorrow!

• Ambition is good but ensure it serves mankind in some way.
• If you make a mistake, no matter how small, gracefully acknowledge it. Don’t forget to apologize if that is possible.
• Anger can’t always be avoided. The best way to make anger go away is to first recognize it, then tell yourself to set it aside.
• Use your gifts and your time to help others, not just help yourself.
• When you feel stress coming on, take time to relax. Focus on higher things than yourself.
• Work on your character every day. Character is like muscle, it gets soft if it is not exercised.
• When you are required to make a decision, are you doing so with the best of intentions to follow a higher will, or are you doing so only to benefit yourself.
• Do everything you do to the best of your ability. 
• Be gentle. It is the strong that are gentle.
• Protect your heart from things that would lead it astray.
• Spend time each day to think of things higher than yourself.
• Happiness is temporary, joy is permanent. Build on those things that will bring you joy.
• Be committed to those you’ve committed yourself to.
• Your past does not determine your future.
• Change cannot be avoided. The stress that comes from change can be avoided. To do so, spend time reflecting on those things that are higher than you.
• Remember that your Creator listens.
• Take time each day to think about those things that matter most. Use those thoughts to help you set your priorities for that day.
• What is your purpose? Your purpose is to find your purpose. Let your Creator help you do that.
• Never quit.
• There is no distinction between your public life and your private life. Both should reflect what is best in you, and do so all of the time.
• Show respect to everyone. Smile.
• Work hard and take time for rest.
• If you lose patience, remember that obtaining patience is a lifelong endeavor. Take a step back, take a deep breath, then you will be able to move forward.
• Remember to serve others.
• Use the gifts you’ve been given to the best of your ability.
• Success is not what you own or how rich you are. Success is who you are. 
• When tempted, look temptation in the eye and then walk away. Laughing at temptation helps to overcome it.
• Remember to thank your Creator every day.
• Periodically evaluate your values. Make sure they are in alignment with your purpose in life.
• Every choice you make has consequences. Making good choices is a sign of wisdom.
• Be courageous and work on developing determination. 

I offer these thoughts first and foremost as reminders to myself. When I look back on this adventure, it will not only be an experience to remember, it will also an inspiration.

Church and Abbey in Richardton, ND. There isn’t even a coffee shop in this town, imagine that.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Bismark, Rest Day

Metrics

• Miles: 10
• Average Speed: NA mph
• Ride Time: NA hours NA minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): NA

Notes

• NA - Not Available
• After waking with the birds, I went back to sleep until 7 AM!

My favorite time of day is first light. That’s when the birds wake up and start to chirp. They are instinctively observing Brahma Muhurta time.

The General Sibley Campground where I stayed last night is beautiful. It sits along the banks of an old course of the Missouri River. The river now runs a couple miles west of here. General Henry Hopkins Sibley served in both the US Army and the Confederate Army. General Sibley served for 28 years in the US Army and saw action in three campaigns against Native Americans. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and served as Colonel and eventually Brigadier General. He was known for innovation. He designed the Sibley tent, which was a standard used by both the Union Army, and the British Army. In his later years, he served as an advisor in Egypt, helping to build fortifications on the Nile River.

The Sibley Tent is a conical design with a central pole that telescopes down to a tripod. It’s about 12 feet in diameter and 16 feet high. It can comfortably accommodate 18 soldiers. it would make my little backpacking tent look slightly inadequate.

Speaking of tents, today is a rest day while I wait for my new tent to be delivered to the central post office here in Bismarck. I’m going to get a motel tonight so I can get cleaned up and then Monday night, after picking up my tent, I’m going to come back to the Sibley Campground for one last night. Getting from Bismarck to the campground is a pleasure. There is a 6 mile long paved bike path that goes directly to the campground entrance.

It was a glorious morning! Camping doesn’t get much better than this. The field repair on the tent is holding, but I’m anxious to get the new tent in my hands. The new tent is a two person tent designed specifically for bike packing. It will be a lot more comfortable than this one. I now know I’m too old for this sort of tent.

Today’s Song: Life is a Highway Rascal Flatts.

Itinerary / Maps

Route

• Glen Ullin to Bismark

Metrics

• Miles: 64
• Average Speed: 9.23 mph
• Ride Time: 6 hours 31 minutes
• Climbing (Vertical Feet): 640

Notes

• It’s a beautiful day!
• Hot! Maybe Summer has arrived!

I started my morning in the Cenex gas station in Glen Ullin. I had a nice conversation with three locals. They meet there every morning, it’s part of their social network. Meeting at the gas station in the morning for coffee and breakfast sandwich is a very important ritual. They were kind enough to let me join them. On the way out one said, “hey peddler, how old are you?” I replied, “72.” The fellow said, “good on you, good luck out there.”

About 20 miles down the road I met a Cyclist going West. This is probably only the third Cyclist headed West that I’ve seen. This fellow started May 14 on the East Coast. Now I understand why I haven’t seen very many. As I go East from here I should start seeing more, I hope. This guy was particularly nice. We chatted for about 10 minutes alongside the road. I gave him my blog address, he was interested in following along. What I admired most about this fellow was the fact that he was pulling a Burley trailer. In the trailer was his dog, the dog looked like a medium size Collie. That takes strength and endurance that I’m not sure I have. But it is tempting to think that perhaps Mr. Tux would like to make the next road trip with me…

When I got to Mandan about 6 miles west of Bismarck, I saw a baseball game! I was thrilled! I pulled over, paid for my ticket and went inside the ballpark. It was boys age 16 to 18. It was fun to watch them and recall the days when I used to play baseball. That was a wonderful time in my life. The Home team won the game holding off a bases loaded rally in the top of the ninth. I’m hoping to see a Twins game in Minneapolis and a Guardians game in Cleveland. If not, I can say I saw a baseball game in Mandan North Dakota.

I wanted to stay in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park south of Mandan. There were no sites available so I had to press on. I ended up in General Sibley Park 6 miles south of Bismarck. I wanted to stay in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park because that was George Armstrong Custer’s homebase. There is a replica of his house on the grounds there. Custer was a complicated person. He wrote a lot for a periodical, which at the time, was noted for its serious historical and cultural articles. All of his works were eventually compiled into a book titled My Life on the Plains: Or Personal Experiences With the Indians." In the book Custer makes a serious attempt to justify his actions towards Native Americans. He also takes pains to point out their cultural importance. Some Indian tribes appreciated him because of those efforts, others did not appreciate him largely because of his actions.

I donated $15 to the Wikipedia Foundation today to celebrate the 4th of July! Wikipedia is completely “human” written by volunteer contributors. No AI is ever used in their articles.

Baseball. What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July!

I can’t stop taking photos of the beautiful sites that I see alongside the road.

Itinerary / Maps