August 11, 2022 to August 12, 2022
Shakedown Ride on the Fully Loaded Fargo
After not much physical activity of any significance for a while, I got the sudden urge to do something.
I got all my touring stuff together and packed into the panniers. I decided I'd ride 40+ miles to a county park and try camping for the first time in what seemed like forever.
I didn't ride out until almost 3:00 in the afternoon, but I had a rare tailwind from the northeast, and temperatures and humidity were much lower than they've been for months.
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I felt pretty good on the heavy bike. The tailwind and flat terrain undoubtedly helped. After about 25 miles I left the familiar road I was on and turned onto a country road that I'd never tried. Very nice and low traffic.
After 30-something miles I reached the crossroads community of Boxville, in Union county. I'd never been there, but the store that I'd seen on Google Maps earlier was, somewhat miraculously given the absence of pretty much anything else in the area, still in business.
The store's inventory was sparse, but I found a few snacks to buy. The woman working at the store was friendly, and mentioned that she saw touring cyclists fairly often - "One guy was even from Australia!" I was surprised by this, but maybe Boxville is on or near the Underground Railroad Route? And it seemed way too far from the TransAmerica Trail for any riders on that route.
There was a very, very modest motel, but, according to the woman at the store, it was closed "until we get our water problems straightened out."
About five miles later I reached the county park, which was nice enough, although I was disappointed by the lack of picnic tables at the tent camping sites. In fact, there weren't really marked sites at all, so I just set up on a flat spot overlooking the lake.
I walked over to the bathhouse and took a shower. It'd been a long time since I'd camped, and an even longer time since I'd stayed at a campground with a shower; at this point my camping on bike tours is limited to occasions when there are literally no other options, since I have a lot of trouble sleeping on the ground.
The park, or at least the side of the park where I was set up, was pretty empty. There was a couple staying in one of the primitive cabins, and I talked to them for a while. The guy had traveled separately to the park from Florida on a motorcycle, and I listened as he described how touring on a motorcycle was so difficult and exhausting, etc. etc.
I tried not to roll my eyes at this.
He mentioned that he'd ridden a bicycle for several years, "when I didn't have a driver's license." I immediately assumed he was what I always think of as a "DUI cyclist", one of those men you see commuting to and from work (or a bar), riding the wrong way against traffic, and carrying stuff in plastic grocery bags swaying on the handlebars.
My assumption was soon proven correct when he added that "I had a drinking problem for a while."
After that I walked back to the tent waiting for it to get dark enough to go to sleep.
Sadly, sleep did not come for hours, and then only intermittently, as children from the busier side of the park rode golf carts past my tent until nearly 11:00.
As usually happens when I try sleeping in a tent, I awoke every few hours for no apparent reason.
I finally got up at dawn and packed everything up quickly.
After several miles, including a section on a gravel road, I arrived in Clay, which is on the Transamerica Trail, and got a cold Diet Pepsi and snacks at a gas station.
Unfortunately Jeri's Cafe is no longer open for breakfast, which was a bummer. I was really craving pancakes.
I made my way to Dixon on hilly country lanes and a little bit of the Transamerica Trail, bought some snacks, and walked around with my camera, looking for anything at least slightly interesting to photograph.
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I'm wary of eating anything at this place after I bought french fries there once, and a few days later found out they charged my credit card $80 for them. A charge which I successfully disputed!
2 years ago
I stopped for a few minutes at a cemetery outside of town, sat in the shade for awhile, then rode out onto very familiar, very empty, and very pleasant narrow country lanes.
I was home by noon.
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2 years ago
Jeff
2 years ago
I hope to get out and do some sort of tour in a few weeks.
Would be nice if I could make it to Wyoming, but that might be a little too ambitious.
Jeff
2 years ago
You are always welcome.
And there is no more glorious time in Wyoming than September.
A loop out of Buffalo?
Señor Juan
2 years ago