Day 98 - ending at Cooperstown, ND - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

August 20, 2023

Day 98 - ending at Cooperstown, ND

Day 98 - Carrington, ND to Cooperstown, ND

Heart

Comment

In the early hours of the morning I woke up cold enough that I put on a set of clothes to sleep in. I was up at 6:41am. Rain was on the way and started at 7:05am. I worked on the report for a while then called my wife at 8:05am. We talked for half an hour until she needed to get ready for church. At 9:00am I ate some pop-tarts in the tent so I could take my pills.

I wasn't sure what to do with today. The rain was supposed to end by 1:00pm. I could stay here another night, though I really didn't want to spend another $35 just to camp. The steady rain on the tent was putting me to sleep, so I went back to bed at 9:15am and slept until 11:45am.

The weather radar was indicating the rain was about done, so I started packing at 12:30pm. It quit raining at 12:38pm. I was ready to leave at 1:55pm. My first destination for today was to get close to Pizza Ranch so I could use there wifi to post yesterday's report. With that done, I rode to Hi-Way Drive-In for lunch. Even at 2:20pm, they were fairly busy. As best as I could figure, here and Pizza Ranch are the only two restaurants open in town on Sundays. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and Dots, which are little tater tots. I asked if they had coffee. The counter worker said they could make some for me. I told her I didn't want them to go to that trouble, but she said that it would be fine, so I had a cup of coffee to warm me up. I was done with my meal and had just my coffee to finish when a fellow sat down across from me. He was interested in my trip. Then he offered to buy me some ice cream. He came back with a hot fudge sundae for me. Later, when I was outside getting ready to leave, he showed up to take my picture.

I did know the town I wanted to end up in this evening - Cooperstown. My at-home plan had me staying at the city campground there. Google Maps indicated there was a highly rated motel in Cooperstown. A warm motel room and a shower sounded pretty good to me, so I left Carrington at 2:58pm, hoping to make it to Westside Motel before it got too dark.

I had 47 miles to go on ND-200 into wind blowing from the east. Initially I was thinking I shouldn't have packed my jacket away where I couldn't get it easily. But pedaling warmed me up. It was an overcast, gray afternoon, so today's scenery pictures weren't going to be spectacular.

The highway got a little hilly as I approached James River. After crossing, I could see a church high on a hill. I stopped to check it out and take a break. I wasn't too much farther down the highway when I saw a sign. When I was close enough to read it I was surprised. It indicated I was crossing the Continental Divide. I don't remember crossing it earlier on this trip, but I must have.

I had marked on my GPS that camping was available in Glenfield, a town that I was approaching near 6:30pm. I stopped for a break there. The campground is part of the town's park. It looks really nice to me, even on this gloomy day. Lots of cottonwood trees.

I got back to riding with 21 miles to go. I was initially cold again. I think the wind had picked up a little, but at least it was a steady breeze and not gusty.

Being overcast it got dark earlier. I turned on my flashing lights at 8:25pm. I needed my headlights before I arrived in Cooperstown. I was just about in town when I was hearing something and wondering what it was. It didn't take long to find out. It was rain! I'd previously covered the front basket with plastic due to some earlier sprinkles. I just kept going now, thinking the rear cargo wouldn't get too terribly wet. I was on a curve at the edge of town at 9:10pm. After a second curve I saw a lit-up sign indicating turn left for the motel. There was a sign later for a right turn. And then I was there, and pretty wet.

I checked in at the office at 9:14pm, dripping water onto their counter. They weren't concerned about that, they wanted to hear about my trip. They got me all set for staying in room 4. Bryon and Debbie own this motel. As I was getting ready to get the bike into the room, Byron came over and offered that Debbie could make me a sandwich for supper. I didn't need to bother them with that at this hour. Byron told me an interesting story. They had a cross-country bicyclist stay here once. The fellow's seat had broken and he was riding on a piece of 2x4. Byron had a damaged new Schwinn bike that some truckers had left here, since it needed to be thrown away. Byron offered the bicyclist the seat and any other parts off that bike. When the fellow saw the bike, he said he'd like the whole bike. The fellow ended up getting it boxed up and shipped home, minus the seat, which he used to replace the 2x4.

I really like this room. It's old, but everything is spotlessly clean. Of course, the first thing I did was get a shower. I've been working on picture selection and the evening report since then. It's 1:15am now, so I think it's time to wrap this up. They have laundry here and wifi. There are places in town to eat. I'm keeping my options open for staying here another night. I'll decide that in the morning.

Jeff

Spent: $9.82 plus $2 (lunch) + $73.10 plus $5 (motel room) = $89.92

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 3,608 miles (5,807 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	9
Comment on this entry	Comment	0