Conquering the divide

July 11, 2021

Today we were planning a short ride of 35 miles to the town of Valley City. It is the last town with lodging and restaurants before Fargo, which would be a 95 mile ride (not for me!). We were able to sleep in a bit and get a good breakfast from the hotel before starting the day. We got on the road at 9:15 am. There were no planned stops today, no convenience store or rest areas. The day was sunny with highs forecasted to be in the 90’s and light winds. The entire route was on the interstate so we had a good shoulder. I like everything about riding on the interstate except when it gets busy it gets very noisy. At the end of our ride we had a 2 mile ride into town and we immediately noticed and appreciated how quiet it was. There are two highlights from today. First we crossed the continental divide. We always think of the continental divide being on the top of some mountain pass and we did cross it a couple of times in the mountains. We were shocked to find out that there is a continental divide in North Dakota at an elevation of 1485 feet. It divides rivers running to the Gulf Coast from rivers running to the Hudson Bay. The ride today was pretty fast. We averaged 10 mph which is one of our faster days. We got to town around 1 pm and went to a diner in the downtown area. I had one of my favorite meals, liver and onions. We were planning on camping in the city campground but when we got there none of the open sites had any shade. We did not want to bake all afternoon in the sun with temperatures in the 90’s so we booked a room at the AmericInn. This led to the second highlight of the day. The hot tub and pool were open and the hot tub was totally amazing. Hot water and powerful jets can really relax tired muscles.

Tomorrow we are heading to Fargo and our last day in North Dakota. I must say that I have really enjoyed cycling in North Dakota. We have gotten across the state in good time. The scenery has been good, from the badlands in the west to the farm land across the central and eastern part of the state. One thing that I was surprised about the scenery is how many lakes and ponds we rode past. I think I like the state because of the familiarity with the upper Midwest. I spent most of my adult life in the upper Midwest prior to moving to Washington and have biked thousand of miles through the farmlands and lakes. I am really excited for the next few weeks because it is going to be much more of the same.

The North Dakota continental divide. Waters to the south and west of this divide (the Missouri River and its tributaries) flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and waters to the north and east of it (the Red River and the Mouse River with their tributaries) flow into Hudson Bay in Canada.

Image not found :( — Some of the many lakes and ponds we passed in North Dakota.

Valley City has a nice old fashion downtown.

Jet plane in Valley City. From Bill Shaneyfelt: Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 1,777 miles (2,860 km)

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Jeanna & Kerry SmithLiver and onions- one of Kerry's favorite meals, too. Not a common favorite meal!
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