Day 3: Fergus Falls, MN to Mobridge, SD
I slept terribly last night; the hotel was noisy, the water tasted bad so I was thirsty all night, and they left someone’s packet of tuna fish in the trash when cleaning the room before I arrived, so it even smelled. I slept for about four hours, and then woke up for a couple, and then slept a few more. I woke up, got showered and dressed, and went to get strong coffee.
At least I’m getting better at loading the bike. Today it only took me about 15 mintues, including time to trim and melt the ends of the straps for my tank bag. Coffee was good, bagel was required, the wasp was optional but added a little soupçon of excitement. Not that I needed extra excitement…
Today my strategy was different. It’s a better use of time to move while I can and go a place, and stop and photograph there, instead of trying to stop and take pics from the bike all the time. The stop-and-go strategy is just Too Slow. I’m just about as tired as I was yesterday, plus a little extra soreness because this is the second day in a row, but, I covered about 270 miles in the same time (more or less). Which is a 35% improvement?!? IDK it kind of comes down to a thing from the original ZNM:
Plans are deliberately indefinite, more to travel than to arrive anywhere. We are just vacationing. Secondary roads are preferred. Paved county roads are the best, state highways are next. Freeways are the worst. We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with emphasis on ``good'' rather than ``time'' and when you make that shift in emphasis the whole approach changes.
If I were his editor, I might have suggested “We want to make good time_s_, not good time; emphasis on ``good'' rather than ``time’’...” but I wasn’t born yet. I think the point stands; it’s a better time to get somewhere and take my time making some pictures than it is to STOP and HURRY and TAKE THE PICTURE BEFORE A GIANT TRUCK WHIZZES BY so I think that’s more the plan going forward.
Anyway. The south east corner of North Dakota is as flat as Kansas, and it seems like they’re growing just as much corn. A couple hours passed and the only things that happened were a few right angled curves in the road to route around such-and-such glacial lake, or some farmer’s field who wouldn’t sell the right-of-way whenever the road was routed. I tried to stop in Milnor to use the restroom and get a cold drink, but the one convenience store was closed on sunday, so I had to wander down the main street to find the only open store.
The Dakotas are definitely red states; I haven’t seen a political sign for anyone but that fucking guy. Gives me a little bit of willies, like I’m incognito Californian, but also every single person I’ve interacted with has been nice to me (except at dinner tonight, more on that in a moment). I’m cis-white-male-presenting person, though, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows. This would not be as easy of a trip if I weren’t who I am. Not that it was super easy in any case; after the stop in Milnor I didn’t see a patch of shade at all until after lunch.
Stopped for lunch in Ellendale, which seems like they rolled up the sidewalks on sunday, there was only one place open, and I was their only customer. Really good barbecue though, the guy running the place was originally from Chicago and was, like I said, real nice.
Back out into the heat; when I stopped for lunch it was 82ºF; when I left Ellendale it was up around 85, and kept rising for the next two hours. I stopped in the first shady spot I’d seen in 100 miles and cooled off, in Ashley, and then moved on. Took one more stop half an hour out, cooled off inside a little store with an iced tea, and then finally got to my motel. I immediately showered to cool off. The motel tonight is pretty great but I’m out of words. need rest.
Anyway. Sorry this one is a little more disjointed than the first two. I might re-think my strategy of ‘brain dump everything that happened that day’ tomorrow. Also once I get into the mountains I may abandon my ‘get to a place’ strategy but man, the plains, enough already.
