COVID CROSS

Covid Cross Day #26 June 29, 2020 Fargo, ND to Enderlin, ND 58 Miles Start 7:53 AM Finish 2:19 PM Ride Time 5:20 Ascent 185 Feet Tour Total 2272 Miles Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200629-0753-35908 I had an interesting night camping in Fargo. Linwood Park was located at where I-94 crosses the Red River, and I snuck into campsite 10. The freeway was loud, but I was so tired that I was able to nod off. It was hot and I slept in my underwear with my side tent flaps open. It got windy in the middle of the night and the flaps started snapping. Then I heard the clap of thunder and saw bright flashes of lightening. I took a leak before the storm hit. My gear was secured on my bike. I wasn't using my sleeping bag, so I secured it along with my clothing and shoes inside my dry bag. I didn't know whether to move everything to a distant shelter or not. Crack-crack kaboom! I was somehow able to drift back to sleep. I had weird dreams about people...

Covid Cross Day #27 June 30, 2020 Enderlin, ND to Gackle, ND 75 Miles Start 8:02 AM Finish 2:16 PM Ride Time 5:43 Ascent 1422 Feet Descent 613 Feet Tour Total 2348 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200630-0802-27442 I slept well last night camped in Patrick Pierce Park alongside the Maple River, outside of Enderlin. I got a full night's sleep. The freight trains and nearby grain elevator complex didn’t disturb me. It was warm and toasty inside my tent, and I didn’t need my sleeping bag. I slept on my Thermarest in my underwear. The bugs weren't bad, but I found a new bite this morning on my right wrist. It was gray and 73°F when I hit the road. The forecast called for tailwinds and I was keeping my fingers crossed. I had a breakfast stop planned for twenty miles down the road, but decided last minute to stop at City View Fuel on my way out of Enderlin. I grabbed myself a Starbucks Frappuccino and a blueberry muffin. A little c...

Covid Cross Day #28 July 1, 2020 Gackle, ND to Hazelton, ND 67 Miles Start 7:50 AM Finish 3:37 PM Ride Time 6:31 Ascent 780 Feet Descent 741 Feet Tour Total 2415 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200701-0750-30941 I slept well last night on my firm queen mattress at the Honey Hub in Gackle. Fellow cyclist John got up before sunrise and quietly packed and ate his breakfast in the dark. Because the Co-op didn't open until 7:30 AM I was in no hurry to get such an early start. I was able to fall back asleep for a few more winks. As I was packing up I met Jason and Ginny's young daughter Hadley. I told her that I had been here last year, and she asked if I would be coming back. The cashier at the Co-op was wearing a mask and there was a plexiglass divider. There was little selection so I got a Starbucks Frappuccino, an orange juice, and a pack of mini chocolate donuts. It would be thirty-eight miles until my first stop in Napoleon....

Covid Cross Day #29 July 2, 2020 Hazelton, ND to New Salem, ND 87 Miles Start 7:34 AM Finish 8:22 PM Ride Time 7:28 Ascent 1923 Feet Descent 1687 Feet Tour Total 2503 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200702-0734-92138 I slept well last night camping in the City Park in Hazelton. There was a bright street light in the park that, several times, I mistook for the sunrise. Motor traffic from nearby Highway 83 could be heard throughout the night. I slept in my sleeping bag liner. It got chilly towards morning and I had forgotten that my sleeping bag was right next to me, still in it’s sack. There were bird droppings all over my tent from having set it up underneath a tree. Last night, after finishing my report, I blocked out the rest of my itinerary. I heard from Emily and Charlotte who didn’t make it to Gackle. They spent the night in Napolean, and I learned that they had had a flat earlier in the day. I stopped at the CENEX Stat...

Covid Cross Day #30 July 3, 2020 New Salem, ND to Dickinson, ND 83 Miles Start 8:08 AM Finish 11:54 PM Ride Time 7:08 Ascent 1504 Feet Descent 1656 Feet Tour Total 2583 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200703-0808-38342 I slept well in New Salem in North Park behind Gaebe Field in the same exact picnic shelter as last year. There was electricity and I was able to recharge my devices. I strung a laundry line to dry my wet clothing. A large RV was parked in the adjoining site. I heard sprinkles on the shelter tin roof early in the morning, and took my time packing up. My shoes and socks were still wet from yesterday's storm, and donning the cold damp socks was not a great feeling. I rode over to Tellman’s Market where I purchased five bananas, a Starbucks Frappuccino, and an orange juice. The clerk persuaded me to make the visit to Salem Sue the giant Holstein cow up on the bluff overlooking town. I couldn’t complain about the s...