August 18, 2023
Day 96 - ending at Harvey, ND
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It was cool overnight even with a south wind. I was up at 6:29am, and had yesterday's report posted by 8:05am, thanks to the wifi at this campground. I was ready to leave at 9:47am - before the checkout deadline of 10:00am.
I started out heading for the gas station/convenience store on the west side of town for breakfast. To get there I had to go back into town, then under the railroad tracks to get to US-52. On my way there I passed Velva Fresh Foods grocery store, and decided I might be able to find stuff to eat there. And I did. I walked across the street and sat on a bench in the shade while I ate. Then back on my way to the gas station, I passed Magic Bean Brewing Company, one of those shacks where you can drive through for coffee. So I bought a small coffee there. I finally arrived at Farmers Union C-Store, where I got ice and purchased Gatorade.
At 11:27am I was on my way toward today's destination, which was Westside Park in Harvey, North Dakota. Almost all of today's riding would be on the shoulder of highway US-52. Except four or five times I came to signs stating that the shoulder was closed. What I found interesting and helpful was, if the eastbound shoulder was closed the westbound was open, and vice versa. So I kept switching shoulders as needed.
Noon arrived before I was even to the first town past Velva. 5.7 miles to report for today.
There were several small towns I passed through that had no services: Voltaire at 12:15pm, Bergen at 1:10pm, and Balfour at 2:45pm. I went off the highway to tour the town of Balfour. Back when I was planning this trip, I'd decided I wanted to see this town, which looked almost abandoned. The road I took into town looked at first like it disappeared into a soybean field, but it did go through. What I most wanted to see was the church building. Then I walked over to what had been a school. After that I happened upon other buildings in town, all with overgrown trees next to them. I took a break sitting on the bench in front of the Community Hall building.
I got back to riding, looking forward to arriving in Drake, which has a gas station. I arrived there at 4:00pm and decided chocolate milk and a blueberry muffin would make a good lunch. As I was leaving Drake I noticed that this weekend they're celebrating Drake Daze. There's a campground here. If I needed a day off, this might have been a fun time to be in this town.
After Drake I went pass Alamoose at 5:19pm and Martin at 6:22pm. Both these towns have city park campgrounds, but Harvey is bigger and has more services.
A Canadian Pacific railroad line parallels US-52, so I got to see lots of trains today. I was pulled over taking a break when one train came by and I waved at the engineer. He pulled open his window and put his arm out to make sure I saw his return wave.
I arrived at Westside Park Campground in Harvey at 7:40pm. There were only two sites being used at the moment, so I had my choice of all the others. Before setting up I decided to head to the convenience store in town for something for supper. As I made my way downtown, I stopped to take pictures. Then I passed Pizza Ranch. It was almost 8:00pm. Google Maps said they closed at 8:00pm. I ran inside to double-check on their closing time. The clerk said I had time to order something and could sit down and eat it there. After looking at the menu, I settled on Cactus Bread (a dessert pizza) and a root beer. Eight pieces is a lot of Cactus Bread. I think I have enough sugar in me to keep me awake until I get this evening report done.
It seemed somewhat hazy and overcast most of the day. They were calling for a high of 101F, but I don't think it made it past 90F. The wind started out this morning from the southeast, but later in the day was from the southwest. Not too much of a hindrance, but neither was it a help. By the time I was setting up the tent, there was no wind to speak of and it feels hot. But not too hot to sleep, as soon as my sugar high wears off.
Jeff
Spent: $13.08 (breakfast items) + $2.69 plus $1.31 (coffee) + $5.89 (Gatorade) + $6.88 (chocolate milk, blueberry muffin) + $13.03 plus $2.44 (supper) + $12 (campsite) = $57.32
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 3,499 miles (5,631 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
8 months ago
Thanks for sharing all your research findings. Definitely interesting stats ;-)
Jeff
6 months ago