I rode the Interstate Highway almost all day.  I felt pretty good at mile 50.  With increasingly strong winds from the south and 90+ degree temperatures, I was exhausted at mile 70.  And I learned a couple of things about western North Dakota along the way.

First, it is hillier for a cyclist than it is for a motorist.  I can't support that assertion with empirical evidence, and I realize it defies the laws of physics and logic since both parties are on the same hills, but I just KNOW it's true.

Second, I learned something about the town of New Salem.  I already was aware of the fact that New Salem is the home of the world's largest Holstein cow, Salem Sue, which overlooks I-94 from a flat-topped mesa.  But I did NOT know that the town's high school sports teams are named The Holsteins.  I must say, I kind of like the idea of being named after what I've been told is the world's dumbest animal.  Most other sports teams are named after slightly more predatory animals.  I thought about this for awhile and I came up with a great idea for a banner that could be raised at the next pep rally for the New Salem football team:  "GO HOLSTEINS!  GRAZE THE PANTHERS INTO SUBMISSION!"

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Andrea BrownI love these madcap school mascot names, this one is a good one. My favorite non-threatening mascot name is in Tillamook, Oregon, home of the “Cheesemakers”. Bruce’s Florida high school mascot was the “Sand Crabs”. Their cheers went something like, “Dig! Dig!”. My hometown had “The Loggers” with locals starting up chainsaws after every touchdown or three-pointer.
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5 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Andrea BrownYou just provided three great (and hilarious) examples of weird team names. Seriously, I laughed out loud reading this. And, I'm afraid to ask, were they REAL chainsaws? Scary!

Dig! Dig!

Greg
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5 years ago

Andrea Brown100% real chainsaws. Nobody believed me when I told them this until recently, because, get this: the Portland Timbers soccer team mascot (Timber Jim) saws off a round whenever they make a goal, too, and IN FACT, there is a proudly decorated semi hauling a fresh Oregon log to Atlanta for the finals game. Oh, the humanity.
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5 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Andrea BrownGreat stories, Andrea. Thank you.
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5 years ago

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I went to a grocery store in New Salem and could not believe how empty its shelves were.  Possibly it was another sign of stores being unable to keep up with the demands of the oil boom.  While shopping, I tore my only pair of non-cycling shorts on the corner of a display rack.  It was nothing that a four-inch strip of duct tape couldn't repair, but I was a little embarrassed doing the rest of my shopping with part of my "upper leg area" exposed to the public.