Jackie’s avg speed: 8.6

Scott’s avg speed: 10.4 mph
Weather: blustery, 50-70 degrees
Wind: S/SE at 20 mph until 13:00, then S/SW 15 mph

This day concluded with a sense of the triumph like we had last year when we scaled our first Cascade Peak, Washington Pass. We (I) had been dreading the extra 15 miles we had to pedal against the wind to make up for the shorter day before. Temps were supposed to rise to near 80, so we dressed in lighter gear. But when we rode away from Stanley at 06:50, it was still barely 50 and colder with the wind. In 15 minutes, I swapped out my jacket, Scott put back on his socks and a sweater.

The landscape was starting to change, with fewer pump jacks and more farms. Traffic overall was diminishing, with fewer big trucks. One feature that endured were the “prairie potholes” that line Highway 2 across northeastern Montana and all of northern North Dakota. Retreating glaciers carved out depressions in the ground that filled with snow melt and rainwater creating freshwater marshes for birds and frogs. Despite all the noise and hullabaloo on the highway, the frogs and birds sang out loudly, paying no mind. They were good company. 

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This was our thirteenth day of riding and beating against the wind was hard, but not overwhelming like the first days. We kept a positive mental attitude, I considered this my intense workout. I would rather keep on pedaling, drawn to arrive at the day’s destination against whatever obstacles or challenges. Much better than sitting on a stationary bike watching a video screen with someone telling me to pedal faster.

About 10:30 we got to the mysterious RV park. The day before we had considered pitching our tent there despite it being closed. Good thing we decided against that. The place was decrepit with a few rusting trailers sinking into the dirt. The “clubhouse” with plastic siding that had broken loose and flapped in the wind. Sort of like a movie set for some horror about to unfold. We wanted to get out of the wind, so we parked our bikes out of the wind against the building. We tried the door. Unlocked. On cue, a black pickup truck drove over to us. Even behind the sunglasses, it was obvious these guys were high on something. The driver, who seemed to be the most lucid, asked what we were up to. Scott explained we just wanted a break out of the wind. The passenger gave us a loopy smile, revealing teeth going bad. Apparently they did not want to share this hidey hole with interlopers.

We went inside and sat at a table. Dirty dishes were piled on the sink, food containers with unidentifiable contents sat on the drainer, wrappers littered the floor. Still, it was a place to sit out of the wind. We ate our power bars and got ready for the next stop, a Cenex gas station eight miles down the road in Berthold.  

Weather apps are a cyclist’s best friend. You can find out all kinds of detail about conditions. In Berthold we took an hour for lunch because the winds were supposed to shift to south/southwest by 13:00. We had 23 miles left and man, did we fly down the road! We got to Burlington in a little over an hour and found a bike path that went the last eight miles into Minot. Although the path was bumpy with cracks and slowed us down a little, it was a smart thing to do. Cars can get cranky sharing the road with cyclists when there’s a bike path running parallel. Besides, we want communities to know their investment in bike paths is warranted. 

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After checking in at a not-so-Super 8, we left our panniers in the room and went to Val’s Cyclery to get my gears checked. The owner, Rory, first checked my chain tension and chastised me for not lubing my bike every 100 miles. I used to do that and my family mocked me for it. Vindicated! We had Caesar salads at Ebenezer’s pub across the street, followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen. Then it was time for bed.