Da brim saga - The Metal Hip Club attempt the Northern Tier. - CycleBlaze

July 10, 2021

Da brim saga

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my helmet accessory Da Brim. My Da Brim is the original model. Janet had the sporty version which is much sleeker than the original. Hers is yellow and matches her riding vest. The original model looks like it was developed by a drunk college kid who put a toilet seat on his bike helmet and thought he was onto something big. A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I would be wearing my da brim again. I lied.  On our rest day in Dickinson we sent a package of stuff home. Sadly I must report that I included da brim. No more da brim for me, but Janet likes hers and wears it often. 

At breakfast we were watching the local weather show on Tv when a rare event occurred. The weather report said that there would be 4 mph wind out of the west for the next hour. We dropped everything, raced out the truck stop and hopped on the bike to catch this rare occurrence of a tailwind.   Actually we were just about done and the tailwind wasn’t really noticeable .  We wanted to start the ride on a secondary road. We went down the road for about 500 feet when it turned to gravel. We turned around and went on the interstate for the rest of the day.  The interstate was really fast today. We started out fast covering 12 miles in the first hour. We discussed why the interstate shoulder seems so much faster than secondary roads. One factor is that most secondary roads are chip sealed and the interstate tends to have smooth blacktop.   There were several stops today. The first one was a small gas station after about 10 miles. The next stop was a rest area after 20 miles for a bathroom break. At about half way Janet and I stopped for a lunch break. Ross was feeling good and decided to skip lunch and race the rest of the 28 miles to Jamestown. He arrived in town about 1 hour and 45 minutes before Janet and I.  Janet and I took our time and took an easy pace into town.   We got into town about 2 pm after 60 miles and checked into our hotel. 

Tonight we met up with Kerry and Jeanna Smith who are on a long tour that started in Florida. They ride a recumbent tandem and have a journal here:  https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/twofar2021/   We had a great dinner and talking about our experiences. One of the best part of this trip is meeting fellow bike tourers on the road. We share so many similar experiences and it is really neat to meet nice people who share common interests. 

Tomorrow is a shorter  day to Valley City. The following day will be a long day into Fargo. 

The sporty model of da brim
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The dorky model of da brim
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Start of the day.
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Sandy the sand crane wishing us safe travels as we leave town.
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Interstate rest area.
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Our goal for the trip was to see a bear, a moose and an elk. We saw a bear earlier in the trip. Today I saw an elk, although it may not count because it was an elk farm. I am not very optimistic on seeing a moose.
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Thomas RechTerry - Fun fact - The state of Maine has the largest moose population in the lower 48, so maybe you will get to see that moose yet on the far east end of your biking adventure ;-)
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2 years ago
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Lunch spot
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Kerry & Jeanna
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Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,742 miles (2,803 km)

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Francie GassHello from Bellingham, WA. My husband Ken and I recently finished riding the Southern Tier Route on our tandem on a SUPPORTED ride, so imagine my surprise to see you three doing the Northern tier rte UNsupported. Kudos to you!!! I had to write when I saw that you were meeting Kerry and Jeanna for dinner. Did they tell you about meeting us on the Erie Canal trail? After that 15 min meeting we emailed them a few months later and they took us on a tandem tour of northern Florida. Our blog is Gass-powered Tandem. Best wishes! Francie Gass
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2 years ago
Terry OBrienTo Francie GassHello Francine,
We did talk about you and Ken with Kerry and Jeanna at dinner last night. Kerry was going to send us your contact info since we are neighbors (we live in Birch Bay). Maybe we can get together when we get back and discuss our tours or go for a ride. Thanks for the message. Take care!
Terry & Janet
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2 years ago
Francie GassTo Terry OBrienDefinitely!
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2 years ago