Pedaling Pilgrim Blog Home

Miles to date: 1,915.7

Today somewhere near Abercrombie, North Dakota, we reached the halfway point to Newport, Rhode Island. It seems we’ve been at this task for months and we’re only halfway through the journey. But, halfway is a milestone. I mapped the original adventure at 3,740 miles, but with the extra miles we’ve put on at various points, I expect we’ll be closer to 3,800 in the end.

On the east end of Abercrombie where we stopped for lunch, we could see the trees lining the Red River; on the other side of that river was Minnesota. Not that we’re desperate to leave ND, but to have another state in the rearview will be a morale boost. Unfortunately, our trail ended in Wahpeton today as residence options in neighboring Breckenridge MN looked dismal. Tomorrow, we strike forth to our next state!

This morning was relatively routine: a lifeless motel serving a pitiful breakfast of Raisin Bran and English muffins, an uninspiring and stress-inducing start down 27 miles of ND Hwy 46, and of course the companionship our old friends headwind and heat.

Last night and again this morning, Hwy 46 was teeming with ominous gravel haulers traveling in both directions, though they seemed to always be empty. Like a shiver of sharks in search of prey, these rulers of the highway seemed ever present, and aimless in there east and west bound hunt. All but one were very courteous in their treatments of the Pedaling Pilgrims, but they induced a fear and wariness that kept us tense and straining to get out of their stalking grounds. We pressed through 26 of the 27 miles, then the Gypsy got a flat. (Gypsy: 6, Lecy: 4, Geeto: 3) Frustrated, sweaty, anxious… we decided to put some air in the tire and press on one more mile to the end of the Hwy 46 feeding grounds. We then changed the flat in the midst of the hay loading operation and then carried on to peaceful county byways.

The remainder of the journey to Abercrombie was hot, windy and uneventful. It felt like a task that just needed to be done: it wasn’t particularly enjoyable or memorable. But, lunch in Abercrombie was relaxing, refreshing and entertaining. Once again, we were greeted with a bar flies and fly swatters. A regular at the bar kept us amused: with her swatter in hand and riveted tonCNN on the tube, she had a 50% hit rate, including blind swats to her back.

We pedaled another meaningless 15 miles after lunch to the Baymont in Wahpeton. We enjoyed ice baths, hot tub, and some down time before we headed out for a Friday night in neighboring Breckenridge MN… a memorable Friday night.

We took a taxi to Wilton Eatery in Breckenridge based on a recommendation from Theresa in Abercrombie; she lives in Wahpeton and said this was the place to eat – it was excellent. We struck up instant friendships with Sarah and Cuyler. Our lovely dinner turned into after dinner Lebowski drinks, that lead to us visiting the basement to search for prohibition era tunnels to nearby supply and distribution points. It’s not often you’re allowed into the basement of your dining establishment, but when given the opportunity, take it.

We have 74 miles to travel tomorrow, but… it’s Friday night! We asked Cuyler where we might find a night cap… Grumpy’s. We walked a block down the street and felt we dropped into bar Heaven. A few folks have given me compliments on my writing… I don’t think I can do literary justice to the fabulousness of Grumpy’s. Either, we were suckered into another island of Calypso, or we died and went to bar heaven. It’s weirdly indescribable. It was everything we could have wanted, though we had to substitute Grain Belt Premium for Miller High Life it seemed like an upgrade; and shortly after Lecy and Geeto racked up their billiards game, Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb played on the juke box… three consecutive times. Terry the bar tender was kind and hip. We’ve been expectantly waiting for a memorable evening social… tonight scratched that itch.

We were perplexed… how could this great restaurant and world class bar exist in this same small town? We hopped into the Danny’s cab home nearly speechless, and somewhat fearful of the Minnesota surprises in store.

Tomorrow we’re headed to Alexandria MN. We plan to camp, but we have no definitive plans for our stopping point: organized or stealth camping… we’ll see. Day 27: Wahpeton to Alexandria

For today’s playlist addition..,

Lecy has had the speaker off during our ride for several days. I mostly appreciate the silence, but in the boredom of today, I was glad for a little entertainment. We’ve traveled through Walcott, Geln Ullin, Hazelton, Napoleon… we’ve seen a lot of small towns recently. When this Jackson Briwn song played on Lecy’s speaker today, I felt very reflective about our small town experiences: The Road

And… in honor of Grumpy’s and their affinity for Pink Floyd, this was the second to last song we heard at Grumpy’s before we phoned a cab. Shine on You Crazy Diamond . And… these guys I’m riding with are diamonds (that’s the only positive thing I plan to say about them).