To Bismarck, North Dakota -- 43.3 mile, 13.9 mph, 875 ft
It was another tough and windy day. We had just come up a hill on a seemingly endless two lane road, grinding away in our lowest gears at 5 mph,,, against a headwind. Meg, unceremoniously, announced that she was done. This was no longer fun, and she was all for taking the next train home. The biggest proglem was that none of the rest of us, fun or no fun, were quite ready to stop. Dex was dead set against ending the bike trip. Kylie, reluctantly, agreed to join Meg... if it came to that. Of course, in the meantime, there was no train in sight, just a long strip of asphalt and 20 miles of headwinds on the way to Bismarck.
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| Not fun anymore |
I had to concede, the beautiful riding conditions, and relatively carefree days in Europe were a distant memory. The weather, wind, cold, heat, and rain, coupled with our self-imposed schedule were taking their toll, not to mention causing a fair amount of aches and sore muscles. It certainly seemed like 55 miles a day with a rest day a week was reasonable, especially when compared to the cross country trips Meg and I had each taken twenty years ago. Ah, but we were younger then… and on single bikes… without kids… and for Meg in ‘98, heading east... without gear!
In the end, we decided the best thing was to make a mental adjustment. We'd have to stop fixating on the next 1000 miles to Missoula -- where we’ll meet up with friends April, Kevin, Kirk and Sue -- but instead, just take it one day at a time -- better yet, 10 or 15 miles at a time.
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| Kylie's rocks |
We pushed through the rest of the ride with a much better mental attitude. After all, the crazy blue skies and perfectly formed clouds were unreal; we would have killed for sunshine and blue skies just a month ago.
Our reward for another day of hard work was a night indoors at the Expressway Suites. Even the pool wasn't enticing to Dex and Kylie, and I think that’s a first. Nothing like lounging in bed, AC on, watching as many animated movies as possible, The Croods, Mr. Peabody, and Home. We need to remember it's the journey and not the destination. For the night, we'll just call the Expressway Suites in Bismarck, home.
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| Three great presidents: Washington (not shown), Jefferson, and... Reagan |
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| Mexican food for dinner |
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| The perfect position off the bike |
Our reward for another day of hard work was a night indoors at the Expressway Suites. Even the pool wasn't enticing to Dex and Kylie, and I think that’s a first. Nothing like lounging in bed, AC on, watching as many animated movies as possible, The Croods, Mr. Peabody, and Home. We need to remember it's the journey and not the destination. For the night, we'll just call the Expressway Suites in Bismarck, home.
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