"Oh! Poor North Dakota!" the postal worker said to us a few days ago when we mentioned where we were heading next. Several people have told us that there's nothing to see in North Dakota. From what we've heard I was expecting North Dakota to be a barren hellscape but it's actually quite pretty. Gently rolling grasslands with the occasional patch of corn, soybeans, or sunflowers, small lakes and ponds dotted about with a variety of birds enjoying them. I can only conclude that those who knock North Dakota have never seen the regimented and unimaginative cornfields of Indiana and Illinois.
This stretch of North Dakota is sparsely populated and yesterday's ride involved 75 miles with no services. We stocked up at the gas station in Enderlin before setting out. The cashier's eyes grew wide as we made multiple trips from the aisles to the counter, creating a mountain of chips, cookies, granola bars, and water. Duly loaded we headed west. The weather was hot and windy. Thankfully the wind was coming from the south, even occasionally the south-east, which didn't slow us down much. We took our first break at the Little Yellowstone campground at the side of the road in order to refill our water. Later breaks were taken at the side of the road. Mike scrambled up a pile of haybales at one point. That brought back fond memories of climbing on haybales with my friends (known throughout town as "The Helens") in our younger years.
Unfortunately the wind shifted in direction near the end of the day and the final 13 miles were a slog. Our reward was to stay at the Honey Hub in the town of Gackle - lodging created just for touring cyclists by a local beekeeper and his family. They have renovated their basement with all the essentials: hot shower, real beds, washing machine, couch, cold drinks, and wifi. We hung our clothes out to dry on the line and the wind made quick work of them.
Our hosts in Gackle, Jason and his family, own dozens of beehives that they have distributed along the highway west of Gackle. They used to get 120 lbs of honey from each hive but due to changes in climate and local ecology they now only get 60 lbs. The bees are well traveled and spend half of the year in California and half in North Dakota. The hives are loaded onto trucks (500 hives to a truck) and driven across the country each year. One of those trucks crashing and splitting open would be the stuff of nightmares.
We waved to the hives as we cycled out of Gackle this morning. Not more than 10 miles out of town we encountered a pair of touring cyclists headed in the opposite direction. We swapped stories (they had temperatures of 103 F/39 C and 20 mph headwinds yesterday) and blog addresses. I continually reminded myself to be grateful that the wind was not coming at us head-on. We're starting to enter ranching territory and have seen many herds of happy cows grazing on the grasslands. A convoy of giant combine harvesters took up the entire width of the two-lane highway. Mike drafted behind one for a little while but they accelerated up a hill and he dropped back to slum it with me again.
Today's route had only two towns: Napoleon and Hazelton where we planned to spend the night. We stopped for lunch in Napoleon at Mabel's Bakery. What a stop! They gave us smoothies, the last of their incredible tomato soup, and some baked goods for the road. We made it to Hazelton by about 6 pm and found their city campground. It's in the park and has showers for sticky people and electricity hookups for those with RVs. Tomorrow we continue trekking across North Dakota, I think we're about halfway now.
Yesterday: 76 miles
Today: 66 miles
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| King of the hay |
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| Gackle is a real place |
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| Happy cows |
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| Watch out! |
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| On the road |
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| Farm buildings in North Dakota |
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| Threshing machines |
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| If you look closely, you can see Rach's corn horns |
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| Sunflower field |
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| Our new home |
So your new home... Tiny homes are getting to be a big thing in France now so you'll be in good company. Dad is fixing our small home, the shelter roof, remove tiles, replace wood, redo tiles (they weigh a ton). We could do with your muscles! Xx
ReplyDeleteI like your new house - on the water so you will feel right at home. We've been concerned about the high temperatures for the two of you. I realize that sometimes you are trying to reach a specified destination, but consider siestas if the temperature is up in the three digits.
ReplyDeleteRide safely.
Cheri
The old homestead is still here. Thanks for calling though. Fire officials say San Pasqual fire was caused by sparks thrown into the underbrush by a tire rim. Relatively cool today: only 85. Yesterday went to Yorkshire and did some watering and bush control. Then to Doheny for cleaning and such then to Katie's for dinner and sleep. Then back to Doheny to wash more things and line shelves and such. Then on to Joe Jost's! Woo hooo! Ate lunch and then back to Poway where house still stands. You and Rach must go to Joe Jost's. It is a rite of passage.
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