Against the wind on I 94

To Glen Ullin, North Dakota -- 56.1 miles, 9.5 mph, 2125 ft

Today was a very, very long day, strong northwest headwinds the entire way. However, it’s what we expected, so no big surprise. Meg, in particular seemed to be in a better place.

We got a fairly late start. We realized that there would be few if any places to stop during the 55 mile ride, and, as it was Sunday when many places would be closed, Meg did some grocery shopping while I worked on the bikes... and the kids made a fort.

For the first part of the ride the wind was light and we enjoyed riding through Bismarck, Mandan and out into the country side, even stopping to check out the huge fish in the small streams outside of town.

It seemed totally unfair when we met Reed cruising effortlessly in the opposite direction. Oh well. At 3:00, we were delighted to find an open cafe, the Sunset Inn Cafe, right next to I-94. Highway 139, which we’d been following from Bismarck, apparently turns to gravel, so the only choice would be to hop onto the interstate. Inside, we met an older couple from Fergus Falls heading to Billings. The woman was very cute as she tried to wrap her head around what we were doing. “You’re not dressed for it. Aren't you cold?” Despite the wind, it was 80 degrees and keeping warm was absolutelty not an concern.

Reed heading east

The relentless headwinds and late hour meant our twenty mile ride on the highway took more than two hours. The roar of the wind mostly drowned out the passing cars and trucks. I just couldn't seem to muster any energy though we had just eaten. Some candy, Pop Tarts, and a quarter pound of Fig Newtons seemed to do little.

On our way to the park outside of town, where we had planned on camping, we rode passed the Rock Roof Inn. Margaret, the proprietor, confirmed there were rooms available. She and her her 87 year old husband, Pat, owned the property and had lived in and around Glen Ullin their whole lives. Considering it was after 7p.m. and we'd have to put up the tent and get dinner going, we were very excited to spend the night here.

The Rock Roof Inn