July 10

Day 33:

Unfortunately, we were forced to trade in our nice tailwind for a brutal 15 mph headwind from the northwest. We were up early after our rest day, but took a little while to find our way out of Fargo. Once we got going we rode on long, straight stretches of county highways …right into the wind. North Dakota is living up to its flat reputation; I don’t think we climbed a single hill all morning until stopping for lunch after 33 miles. Our chances to stop are becoming less frequent and Kelly’s Café was our first opportunity for food today, with nothing else for an additional 20 miles. While eating, we met with Dave and Paul from Vancouver and who are heading east to Newfoundland. They certainly were enjoying a nice tailwind today. It was very nice to chat with you both, good luck and we hope to see you in NH! A family of 4 headed to Maryland passed by while we were finishing out the last few miles before lunch…again we were jealous of their tailwind. After lunch we rode through much of the same farming territory. We stopped in Page at a small Café, a recommendation from Paul, for pie and ice cream. While there we stocked up with food for the night, unsure what we would find along the way. We continued to battle the wind for the final 14 miles until reaching Hope, ND. We ate dinner at the local eatery and then headed down the road to the city park to camp. The pool bathrooms and showers were left unlocked just for us, but only Zach and I were tough enough to handle to ice cold outdoor showers…it actually felt refreshing afterwards. Settled into our tents, we anticipate another windy day tomorrow across the North Dakota plains.

Maggie

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