Northern Tier Day #34 Round Lake, MN to Fargo, ND
Northern Tier Day #34
June 23, 2019
Round Lake, MN to Fargo, ND 86 Miles
Ride Time 6:37
Tour Total 2724 Miles
I slept well last night at Tamarak Resort Campground. It rained off and on throughout the night. I slept on a bed of moss, which sounds comfortable and it was. But the damp moss meant mosquitoes, and there were plenty of them trying to get into my tent. Early in the morning when I went to use the bathroom, two mosquitoes snuck inside. I wasn’t able to get any more sleep until I killed them.
I had a slow methodical start. I moved my tent over into to the sun to dry, while I adjusted my saddle, organized, and packed. The sky was crystal clear blue, and it seemed like it was going to be a hot day. The road was still damp from last night’s rain.
Because there was barely a bar of service last night at the campground, I wasn’t able to upload photos to my report. I found two bars out on the road and I began the uploading process while I was pedaling. I was wearing my long-sleeve cycling jersey and my cycling shorts.
I stopped at the Strawberry Lake Store for a Starbucks Frappuccino and a banana. I talked with the friendly clerk for a while. I asked why there was liquor and beer in the store, whereas at all the other businesses it had to be kept separate. She explained to me that we were on an Indian reservation and that she was a Native American. Minnesota State liquor rules didn’t apply here. She was familiar with the Northern Tier route, and mentioned that a lot of cyclists stopped there. It was the only service for 10 miles in either direction and there wasn’t much here. She said that it would be getting warmer today and later this week. There was a small free book exchange library in front of the store. I’ve been leaving stickers with the backs still on them in every one of these that I encounter.
A small dog chased after me while barking. He was under my petals and I didn’t take him too seriously. I told him to go home or he would get hurt, and he eventually retreated. Later I had two big dogs start barking at me from their house and I had enough time to crank out a lead. They ran across their yard towards me. There was a black one and a beige one, and they were both big 100 pound dogs. The black one was now on the road gaining on me, so I peddled even harder while pulling out my pepper spray. Thank goodness he eventually gave up. That got my heart pounding!
The parking lot was packed at the Northern Lights Freedom and Life Sunday 9 o’clock worship service. I stopped at the Richwood General Store and got a Starbucks Frappuccino and a pack of Hostess frosted Donettes. It was the only store for miles, and it was busy. People were buying groceries and gas, and looking for a place to socialize. I met the owner of local winery and a guy who had just seen a giant buck with huge velvet antlers.
I flipped my map section to the last panel that would direct me to Fargo. Panels 67 and 68 were skinny half-panels squeezed together on one regular sized panel. Up ahead was nothing but straight lines heading west. After Richwood I noticed much fewer lakes on the map.
Highway 14 was perfectly straight and I could easily see 3 miles down the road. I passed a few small lakes and marshes, and was surrounded by grass fields and some corn cultivation that was only 4” off the ground.
I was having difficulty with my phone’s dictation function. It wouldn’t work with the built-in microphone, but did work with the ear pods. Unfortunately I needed that port to charge my phone. The road was so straight and the traffic so sparse, that I could type while I was pedaling.
The sky was hazy by noon. There was a slight headwind coming from the west. When I cut south on Highway 7 for a mile, I could crank. I passed a large roadkill turtle and two mallard ducks swimming in a lake as I rode into Hitterdale. Somebody had done a half-ass sloppy job painting the yellow curbs in town. Come on people! Show some pride in your work! There were no services in Hitterdale. I thought maybe I could get something to eat and drink at the bar, but it was closed on Sundays. Hitterdale would have been my last service stop in Minnesota.
It was getting hot so I put on my short sleeve Brooklyn jersey and covered myself with sunscreen. This was the sunniest it had been in over a week. There would be no services for the next 20 miles until Fargo Morehead and the North Dakota border.
The lakes that I passed were mirror-like and more reflective than what I’d been seeing the past couple of days. Today was calm and sunny, and there was less wind producing fewer ripples and waves. My saddle micro adjustments felt good. I’ve fallen off the morning chamois butter routine and need to get back on that. My morning routine is complicated and jam packed.
My entire 86 mile ride today was fueled on two Starbucks Frappuccinos, a banana, and a small package of frosted donuts. TransGang cyclist Scott would not have been able to do that. I was hungry and was going to need to get something to eat in Fargo. I heard back from two Warm Showers hosts. I texted the one who gave me his number. I hadn’t yet heard back from him and was keeping my options open.
Minnesota was one of my favorite states of the tour. The people were great. I enjoyed the different regions, particularly the Mississippi river valley in the southeast, the lakes, the north woods, and the amazing breweries.
I could feel the terrain getting more remote. There was less of a human presence, and the land was getting flatter and the roads were perfectly straight. I stopped seeing any more lakes. I had a telephone line to my right and I was surrounded by grass. That was it.
I saw three wind turbines far the distance to the north, that weren’t in operation. I saw a white mother goose swimming in the middle of a lake with her tiny goslings. I went in a perfectly straight line for 20 miles, and could see the intersection with Highway 9 for over a mile. From there it was another 12 miles to the border.
My bike and panniers were filthy. There was dirt and dust stuck to everything. I don’t remember my bike getting as dirty last summer. I was hungry and I still had many miles to go. I thought about my emergency stash of granola and the can of tuna I had stored in my right rear pannier. I passed a field of corn that hadn’t been harvested last fall. The rotting ears of corn were still attached to the brown withering stocks.
At long last, I took a left on County Highway 96 towards Fargo. I could see a green lollipop style water tower far in the distance. I was keeping my fingers crossed that my destination was near at hand. I was hungry and thirsty.
I heard back from my Warm Showers host. I had postcards and a report to write, and many beers to drink. I saw a jet taking off in the distance and another jet flew in low overhead. I was definitely near a large airport. The Fargo Morehead combined population is 230,000. It was the largest metropolitan area I’d encountered since Cleveland.
I met a day cyclist named Michael who was a local school principal. He was out training for a triathlon. We rode together for awhile, and he offered me water at his house, but I declined. I told him about my trip and about Warm Showers. He lived right on the Northern Tier route and I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a host. He mentioned that I wouldn’t have been able to cross over the Red River a month ago because of the flooding. He encouraged me to leave my route because his way was better. I don’t know if trusting him was a good idea. I was tired and starving.
He sent across a bridge and I was in North Dakota. Unfortunately there wasn’t a border sign for my documentation. There wasn’t even a Red River sign. I needed my photo documentation for social media and my report. Ugh. I don’t like leaving my ACA routes.
I plotted a course on Google Maps to the Junkyard Brewery. I was now riding through nice little neighborhoods passing other cyclists and folks mowing their lawns. I found myself on the very pleasant Fargo Mickelson/Tricorn Bike Path that had a new concrete surface and followed the winding Red River. I crossed my ACA route and found the bridge that I was supposed to have taken over the Red River. I went up on the bridge, and there were no border signs for either state. I was in state number 12 and had no obvious way to document it.
I rode to the Junkyard Brewery which was actually back in Morehead Minnesota. It was packed with people and had great beer. Unfortunately they had no food. I set off in search of border sign and a brewery with food. I met a friendly woman who used to work at the trendy Great Northern Bicycle Company located in the old train station in Fargo. She could tell from my rig that I was going cross country, and said that she missed talking to long distance cyclists. She took my photo in front of Fargo sign which is going to have to suffice for state #12. After taking my photo she exclaimed. "You have so much energy!".
Fargo Morehead is essentially one city, and there’s no real distinction between the two. There was a lot of construction and street closures on the Fargo side, and there was also an event going on. I found Drekker Brewery and ordered a Hell Bent American Brown Ale. They didn’t have real food, but I was able to order chips, pretzels and a charcuterie plate.
My Warm Showers host Shawn met me at the brewery. He lived close by, and we cycled back to his place. He was an engineer for John Deere and was a cycling enthusiast. I took a shower and did laundry while Shawn cooked me dinner. He mentioned that he was going to Glacier National Park next week by train. It was a 15 hour drive from here. I spent the night in one of his kid’s rooms.
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