July 9

Day 32: (Rest Day 1)

For the first time we are going to bed in exactly the same place we woke up in…Fargo, North Dakota. After a month of riding, we decided to take our first day off in perhaps the largest city we will see for a while. We knew that from here on services will become less abundant, so we took advantage of the opportunity to get some rest, do some laundry, and make sure the bikes are ready for the next 1600 miles. Jake was probably most excited about the day off, and has been begging for a while now to be able to sleep in until 12 and not touch the bike for one day. Well, he got almost all that today. He slept till 11 while the rest of us walked to breakfast. Later on, Mom headed to the Laundromat to take care of some overdue laundry, Dad repaired a few tire tubes, and Maggie and Dad planned the days ahead. Jake and Zach took it easy at the hotel too…sitting in bed and watching t.v/catching up on the internet for a good part of the day. After a late lunch, and some more “doing nothing” we headed to the bike store to pick up the bikes. With new chains installed, a few replaced spokes (the wheels were rebuilt on Dad and Jake’s bikes), and wheel adjustments we are ready to go. We stocked up on spare tubes, chain grease, and spokes as well. Thanks to Larry and Zach at Island Park Bike Shop, you guys were great! From there we hopped on the bikes and headed to the Drunken Noodle for dinner, a great recommendation from Zach…thanks again! Even though Jake had hoped to avoid the bike all day, he managed to survive riding the few blocks to the restaurant. We are back to repacking and getting ready to go again in the morning. Looks like we will be battling a strong headwind tomorrow so we will certainly need our rest. Tomorrow we begin to ride out of the Red River Valley and across North Dakota.

Maggie

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