Covid Cross Day #28 Gackle, ND to Hazelton, ND
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
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. This was the stretch last year, where I went off route in Streeter. I had found a Community Center and had breakfast with senior citizens. In light of COVID this wasn't a good option this year. It it was 64°F and sunny when I started.
There was some construction work on highway 46 where they were raising the road grade where it cut straight across the center of a large lake. There was no pavement, and only dark brown dirt and gravel. After a few miles I came to a second such construction zone. It seems as if the lakes in this region were rising. There was a turn off in the middle of the viaduct, and the side road was completely submerged.
Hadley told me that it had rained all night, but I didn’t remember hearing it. I had only noticed the downpour while I was at Dani's Bar. The rumble strips along the highway were filled with water. I was headed west on Highway 46 and the shoulder was narrow and full of cracks, so I rode to the left of the white line. I passed a black snake with two yellow streaks slithering along the shoulder.
I passed large fields of yellow canola flowers, and beige fields of wheat. A large truck carrying wooden beehives passed me. I saw numerous wooden beehive clusters out in the fields today. John didn't care for the North Dakota landscape, and was surprised at how it captivated me. It was unlike anything that I grew up around. I found the empty vastness here sublime.
I could see the turn off for Highway 30 a mile down the road. This was where, last year, I rode two miles up to Streeter. This was the end of Highway 46. I had traveled west in a perfectly straight line for 111 miles. Today I’d be dropping down south, stair-stepping south and west. I moo-ed at some chocolate brown cows before the intersection.
The mild wind today was out of the southwest. I believed that the weather system that came through last night was drawing air in its direction. The weather forecast called for a full week of rain starting Friday. It seemed that I'd soon be dealing with some foul weather, the first since Pennsylvania. Only time would tell. This morning the sun was bright and the sky was clear. I came to the Junction with State Highway 34 and took a right to go west. In the fields I noticed mounds of large rocks. Today was July first. One month ago I started this trip and one month from now I’d be home.
There were not many trees along the route today. They were few and far between. I wouldn’t want to be out of here on the open road in a storm. There was no cover. I reached 2000 feet in elevation. The terrain was rolling, and was definitely not flat. I could spot the thresher graveyard from a mile away. The collection of old threshing machines were lined up on a hillside one after another.
It was 11:20 AM, and I was starving. I reached the top of a long gentle hill and could see Napoleon far in the distance. I was delighted! First though, I would need to stop and visit the dinosaur graveyard. Napoleon was still another four miles after the collection of old threshers, despite the fact that I could see it in the distance. I was so hungry. I passed a sign for the Napoleon country club, but I only noticed agricultural services. I came to the junction of State Highway 3 and took a left to ride into town for some well-deserved food. The Napoleon cemetery was on the left side of the street and the Phillips Catholic cemetery was on the right. I rode into town and remembered the big ugly modern bell tower at Saint Philip’s Catholic Church.
I stopped at White Maid Restaurant & Bar where I ordered a Grilled Cheeseburger and two cokes. I was astonished at what was placed before me. Two grilled cheese sandwiches flanking a burger. It was a good thing I was burning through the calories. Mmmm! It was good! I met a friendly customer who asked about my trip. He told me that he had passed three east-bounders west of Moffit who were cycling east.
Riding out of Napolean, I discovered that it had warmed up. The sun was bright, and there was still very little wind. I spotted an otter with wet fur running down the shoulder alongside a lake. There were a lot of lakes in this part of North Dakota. I was finally able to get some photographs of the prairie birds that I’ve been enjoying since Illinois. My research team correctly identified them as the Western Sandpiper. They were ground nesters and were very attentive when I came down the road. They followed me and flew with me and squeaked to distract me from their nests. I've grown very fond of these birds.
I encountered east-bound touring cyclist Christian from Chicago, who was doing the Northern Tier from Anacortes to Bar Harbor. He had a frame pack and was traveling light. He mentioned that he had seen Chris and Sid. He had hit a lot of rain was making use of the Interstate. Like John, he found the North Dakota terrain uninteresting. He was huffing it to Gackle.
Several more miles down the road I ran into Emily and Charlotte who were riding from Anacortes to New Hampshire. Their Instagram handle was @willbikeforsnacks. They hailed from Washington DC and were staying with numerous Warm-Showers hosts. They had camped last night in the Bismarck City Park and were headed to Gackle today. They were the first female touring cyclists I had encountered this year, and I asked about their experience. They hadn't had any problems and seemed dismayed that (in my estimation) less than one in four touring cyclists were female. It was 3 PM and they still had another 61 miles to Gackle. They were in for a long day.
I could spot the Hazelton water tower from four miles away. I had stayed here last year. I stopped at Main Street Market for an iced tea and a replacement deodorant. The Ugly Bar, where I had gone last year, was just across the street. I rode over to the campground and pitched my tent under the shade of an evergreen tree. I left off the fly, and climbed inside for a nap. I took a shower when I got up, and then rode over to Road Hawg where I enjoyed the chicken fajita special along with a few bottles of Dos Equis. It was a great dinner. I was so glad that I didn't return to the Ugly Bar for warmed-up frozen pizza. I rode over to the CENEX Station and purchased a six-pack of Alaskan Amber and a bag of Rold Gold Pretzel sticks. I cycled back to the park and found a picnic table in the shade where I finished this report.
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