Empire of Light

May 20, 2019

Devils Lake to Turtle River State Park

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Jackie’s avg speed: 8.4 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 10.6 mph
Weather: 41-60 degrees, north, northeast wind, 12-15 mph

The forecast for the next few days told us this was the day to make tracks. Winds, rain, and cold weather were coming, but this day would be glorious, if a little breezy at times.

After a slight delay to reattach a bracket on my pannier, we were headed east at 08:10. (For others with Ortlieb panniers. The horizontal cross brace is narrower in the middle. That’s where brackets can snap on and then slide across to left and right on the brace). The sky was pure vivid blue with a few small clouds suspended above. We pedaled alongside Devils Lake for a good hour or so, enjoying the open water that extended to the horizon on our right. This is North Dakota’s second largest lake, after Sakakawea.

The breeze quickened as the morning wore on. We reached Lakota, 27 miles east of Devils Lake, about 11:00, close enough to lunchtime to take a break at the Dairy Queen for ice cream (me) and cheeseburger with fries (Scott). Two other retired couples were there. Who else would be at DQ at 11:00 on a Monday?

A Magritte sky over a freshwater marsh near Lakota, ND.

The wife of a retired minister stopped at our booth and asked, “Do you do this every year?” She skipped the preamble since we obviously were cyclists and retired. She thought maybe we had seasonal routines for our retirement life like so many of our cohort. We explained when we started, how far we had come, and where we were going. Her husband had retired from the ministry in Alaska and resettled to the apparently more temperate climate of Lakota. They were returning from Fargo after visiting her sister who had just been through brain surgery. The sister had an ear infection that became acute and spread into her brain. I asked if the sister would pull through. My new and short term friend shrugged and said she hoped so. The DQ counter staff called her to come get her order. “Hold on, I’m visiting.” We all cracked up.

As we started closing up our handlebar bags, our fellow retirees told us to ride safe. When we got back on the bikes, we realized the wind had not lessened during the break. But the conversation and pause fortified us for the miles ahead. By 13:00 when we reached the halfway point at the town of Michigan, the wind abated. We took in the warmth, the view of blue sky, green verge, and black earth fields. Winter had hung on longer than usual, and most fields were still the rich dark humus color before crops had sprouted. The sky was perfect, like the works of the Belgian artist Rene Magritte. He is famous for his surreal images of blue sky and small white clouds, which are sometimes framed by the outline of a man wearing a homburg hat, or with green apples hanging in the sky. Our sky was like that, but intensely real and inspiring.

The wide open clear sky gives us a sense of peace and freedom.

We pedaled on and on, stopping frequently to take pictures on this photogenic day. No bad views! With about 15 miles to go, we felt the ground tilt down, giving us a boost for the end of this long satisfying day. About 18:30 we got to the Turtle River State Park and found our camping site. We paid for an RV space, which cost $25, plus a $7 park entrance fee, plus another $5 something to reserve the space online. The “extras” were annoying, but the park so well maintained, it was worth it. A week before Memorial Day, the traditional launch of summer, it was almost empty.

Turtle River, near the entrance to the state park with the same name. The brown haze is smoke from burning corn husks.

We pitched our tent and then showered in the sparkling clean shower facilities. We dressed for dinner, rehydrated the freeze dried lasagna and beef stroganoff, supposedly enough for four people. But a 70 mile ride with weight and some wind put us in another hunger category.

Before sundown, we walked the river scouting for turtles, much loved by our three-year-old grandson. Alas, they were hiding somewhere safe from the rapidly cooling evening air. The sunlight had sunk below the trees a couple hours earlier, so they had probably slid off the logs where they might earlier have been catching some rays. We went back to the tent and fell asleep in the twilight, serenaded by happy birds.

Fort Totten is near Devils Lake. Fisher's Landing in just across the Minnesota border. The distance of the Fort Totten Trail is about 100 miles.

Third sighting of wind turbines across northern North Dakota.

And more old trucks. Scott notices these a lot since we binge-watched American Pickers on our down day in Williston.

Today's ride: 72 miles (116 km)
Total: 860 miles (1,384 km)

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