Day 51: Napoleon, ND to Bismarck, ND

June 25, 2021

Running With The Wind

Heart

Comment

Climbing Today; 1,366 ft Climbing to Date; 75,185 ft

Up at 04:30, rolling at 05:30 today. Today's forecast calls for rain showers in the afternoon, but more importantly for us it also calls for favorable winds! We should have a tailwind component today; not a huge wind, but it will be from the east and south and that favors us. And so, even though we are tired from being beaten by the wind 2 days back, we are going to run 71 miles today and make it to Bismarck - at least, that's the plan.

As usual, there was a lot of wildlife out and about in the wee hours. On the video you can see a couple of deer that bolted out in front of me.

We made good time to Hazelton where the gas station served breakfast sandwiches and had a couple of tables, so we were grateful for that. We loaded up on gatorade and bought sandwiches for lunch - there were no more services prior to Bismarck, another 44 miles away.

With the wind at our back today, we were enjoying the feeling of running along at 15+ mph when we were moving. We stopped often for on-the-bike breaks to take photos, but kept the stops short so we could keep moving steadily.

When You See Trees It Means There Is A Farmhouse Nestled In There

North Dakota Isn't Flat; Rolling Hills Are The Norm

Pretty Wildflowers Are Hard To Photograph In The Wind

The Mustard Plants Stand Out Against The Dark Sky

Doc is Barely Visible As A Speck In The Middle

Traffic was minimal to non-existent on most of today's route, except for a 13-mile stretch of Highway 83 that had good shoulders. We got rained on several times, and mostly so during the last 20 miles where it slowly increased in intensity. The winds were favorable until the last hour when they began to shift and eventually became a headwind, but not too strong. The rain held the temperature down, and all things considered we were very happy with today's weather.

For my risk assessment friends, you should know that I was riding near Lake Oahe today - it brought back some memories of the Garrison risk assessment. For the rest of you; this is just some work-related memories.

So we are in a hotel in Bismarck. The world's largest softball tournament is being held in town this weekend, and it's nearly impossible to get a room here. We had to pay almost $200 for a room that isn't nearly as good as the room we had in Napoleon last night for $65, but we are happy to be inside out of the rain.

We are having problems getting a place for the next couple of jumps. Hostels listed on the ACA maps no longer exist, a listed motel won't answer the phone or return my calls (they are likely no longer in business), and the camping options are hard to evaluate because the contact numbers listed won't return our calls. So we don't know what we are going to do. A B&B may be the only certain option. The winds are unfavorable for the next 2 days, but they aren't forecast to be high - we have learned not to trust the wind forecast because it seems like the winds away from the cities are always higher than forecasted. One camping option is pretty rough - a city park with a water spigot, porta-potty and nothing else, but it's an option. Rain is also forecast for Sunday. If we can handle 2 days of 50-ish miles riding against the wind we could make it to Dickinson.

OK, we got to do things to get ready for whatever it is we are going to do. We know for certain that we will do something, and that is all the certainty needed at the moment. I hope there is enough certainty in your life to keep you moving ahead. Amateur video follows, good night all...

Today's ride: 71 miles (114 km)
Total: 2,667 miles (4,292 km)

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