Day 81 - still at Medora, ND - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of - CycleBlaze

August 3, 2023

Day 81 - still at Medora, ND

I slept well last night with ear plugs, though my lower legs woke me up a few times due to cramping. I think that was because of using leg muscles for walking more than normal. Popping a couple of Tums fixed that.

At 7:03pm, I took off on the empty bike for Cowboy Cafe. Their dining area is smaller than I would have thought. For that matter, the whole place is small. They were crowded, but had room for me. I did a little sightseeing around town after that, then headed back to the campground. 

It took a nap from 9:30am to 11:25am, then a shower and started my laundry. At 1:50pm a storm blew in. I knew it was coming, so had walked over to near the office where there's a porch area where I planned to wait out the storm. Chris, the campground worker who helps people find their campsites, wasn't as fortunate as I, since he had to get out in the rain to help people. It was fun talking with him when things slowed down. Every once in a while we'd look toward where my tent was and Chris would say, "It's still standing." Though, my bike did blow over. When the rain let up a little I went and checked. There was water here and there inside the tent. I bailed it using a handy wipe. The sleeping bag got a little wet also, so I threw it in with the rest of the clothes I had drying.

More rain was here at 3:50pm, so I was back under the porch for a while. The weather forecast was calling for rain the next 3 days. I'd already paid for tonight's stay, but went back and paid for two more nights. So unless I leave early, I won't be on my way again bicycling until Sunday morning!

The rain was a little more gentle now with not so much wind, so I finally decided I could put on my jacket and cap and ride into town for supper. It really wasn't that far into town. I decided on Medora Uncork'd Bistro and Bar, and had spaghetti with meatballs and lemonade at the bar counter. There was a young couple there. The wife Gina is quite outgoing. They included me in their conversations and that was so much fun. Regina does remote medical IT work. Her husband Marshall works in the ethanol industry. They agreed to a picture, then Gina had Marshall take one of herself and me. She shared that picture with me in an email, with a message written so eloquently that I wished she was writing my journal.

It stopped raining for a little while by the time we left, and I was back at my tent site at 9:45pm. I had a fun first day off, but should have been working a little more on uploading reports to the journal. Of course I'm thinking, "There's always tomorrow."

Jeff

Spent: $42 (campsite) + $26.88 plus $6 (breakfast) + $2.67 (Dr Pepper) + $6 (laundry) + $1.35 (black cherry flavored water) + $20.16 plus $5 (supper) = $110.06

Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 5 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 2 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 4 Comment 0
Heart 4 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 1 Comment 0
Gina and Marshall
Heart 6 Comment 0
Heart 8 Comment 0
Rate this entry's writing Heart 7
Comment on this entry Comment 2
Timothy SwitzerJeff, I was having trouble with leg cramps ... woke me about every morning about 0300. I tried some maalox (usually works) but no luck. My neice (RN) told me "try pickle juice." I did ... maybe about 3 ounces of dill juice ... and had none that night. So I read up on it and found that acetic acid seems to help with leg cramps but they don't know why. So I drink a shot glass full of apple cider vinegar before bed about 2 or 3 times a week and have had no more issues! :-) Tim FYI
Reply to this comment
1 year ago
Jeff TeelTo Timothy SwitzerTim,
Interesting. I can't imagine how much I'd cringe trying to drink vinegar! Fortunately, leg cramps weren't a problem most nights.
Sorry this reply is so late.
Jeff
Reply to this comment
1 year ago