Our last day in Bismarck allowed us to get some work done, finish some errands, and grab some beer at one of the breweries in town. We are trying to be more fiscally responsible so we are limiting our brewery visits to those that are highly recommended by a local and/or those that we have researched a bit and want to visit. The Laughing Sun Brewery was recommended to Anna by someone in town, and it ended up being pretty decent. The beer was good (though a little overpriced) and they had a great atmosphere. The outdoor deck was perfect for people like us with a dog and everyone we met was really friendly. (A guy named Jeremy even gave us half of a pizza!) Laughing Sun is also openly supportive of the LGBT community, which was a pleasant surprise. Much of North Dakota so far has been pretty rural conservative.
1,000 miles!!!
On Thursday (6/18) it was time to hit the road out of Bismarck. It took us a while to pack up and get moving, like it always does when we stay in the same place for a few days and let our stuff get super disorganized and crazy in the tent. Eventually we left the campground and after a quick grocery run, we were on the road. The scenery is getting pretty bland out here in eastern North Dakota, but we kind of knew that already and were prepared for it. The road was a slight uphill with a headwind that was just strong enough to be obnoxious. After a short 35ish miles, we found a county park that allowed free camping. There wasn’t any electricity or bathrooms, but at least there was water and soft ground. Adventurers can’t be picky.
After waking the next morning, we went through our daily pack-up routine and got on the road. We had 45 miles or so planned and the terrain looked pretty easy. After about 15 miles, we stopped at a truck stop that had electricity and shade so that Anna could work. We were there for several hours so it goes without saying that we attracted some attention. Overall, people in western North Dakota have been incredibly friendly, as have the Minnesotans that we have started encountering. Big highway truck stops, much like campgrounds, tend to be filled with travelers and adventurers. There seem to be less judgments and assumptions made about us when we stop at these places.
Most of the rest of the day went pretty easily. We had to jump onto the highway to avoid some gravel roads, but the shoulder was nice. Then, about 8 miles from our destination, things got shitty. The interstate rumble strips changed at the same time we encountered some construction, so we didn’t have a clear shoulder anymore. The thought of going 8 miles over rumble strips on a poorly-marked highway shoulder seemed terrible so we opted for a gravel side road instead – at least we wouldn’t have traffic to deal with. The first gravel road we tried had been washed out by the rain, so we went with option two. After a few miles we saw a sign that said that that road was closed too…we didn’t want to backtrack, so we just kept going, hoping that even if the road was closed, we could squeeze through on our bikes. It turned out the road had been closed due to high water, but luckily the water levels had receded enough that we were able to get through. The going was still tough though, as it always is on hilly gravel roads, and by the time we arrived in Medina, it was dark with huge storm clouds coming in quickly. Luckily, there was a city campground that only cost $10 right in our path. With electricity, showers, water, bathrooms, and a pavilion to take shelter under, it was a pretty perfect place for us to ride out the storm.
The Higgs!
The next two days were pretty uneventful. The terrain was mostly flat with some gentle rolling hills, lots of grass and plains with few trees. We had to sleep on the side of the highway in a mosquito infested clearing one night, but the next night we found a campground in Valley City with $10 tent camping. We hadn’t originally intended to stop at Valley City, but we were feeling a little tired and the thought of a cheap campground with showers was wonderful. We grabbed a case of beer and set up.
Everyone at the campground was incredibly friendly. First, we met Jeff (probably not his real name). He grew up in Valley City and was back in town to do some volunteer work. He gave us a lot of history and information about the area. He asked several times if we wanted him to drive into town to get coffee or any supplies. Very nice of him, although it should be noted that “town” was about one mile away. Next, we met Carrie (maybe not spelled this way but I like the Stephen King character), who lived across the street from the campground and came over to say hello. She is an avid cyclist herself and has done several multi-state tours. She was kind enough to offer us her garage if the weather got bad that night – apparently hail the size of golf balls is something that happens here pretty regularly. Lastly, we met Ole. He is from Norway originally and is biking across the US as well, from Boston to Seattle. Like us, he has no set-in-stone plan for his life after his bike ride. It is always wonderful to meet a kindred spirit on the road, I hope we cross paths again with him someday. We are also looking forward to following his blog!
Surlys Unite!
Our final day into Fargo was our longest day yet – close to 70 miles. Luckily we had a strong tailwind and the route was really flat. We did a great job of keeping our breaks to a reasonable length and just plowing through the rest of North Dakota. We have a wonderful Couchsurfing host in Moorhead (hehe…oral sex), MN who has been wonderful. She met us at a local brewery, Junkyard Brewery, where Anna and I had already become accidentally wasted due to all the insanely delicious beer there. Oh well, it loosened up our normally introverted personalities. After the brewery we went back to our host’s home, chatted a bit, watched some It’s Always Sunny, and passed the fuck out.
We have two full days in Fargo/Moorhead to get work done, get our bikes tuned up, and explore a bit. Soon we will be off across Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 mosquitos, at least two decent rail-to-trail bike paths, and a punk club that has vegan nachos and will have Against Me! playing while we are in town (though I don’t think we can really afford it). Bring it on!
Barely Functional Adults 
