Day 4: Fergus Falls, MN to Fargo, ND.

Wednesday, July 5. Fergus Falls, MN to Fargo, ND.

One of the riders, Ken, and his wife Janet, who is following us and assisting with the rest stops, cooked us a hearty and delicious breakfast before we headed out for the day's ride.  I wanted to try a local coffee shop called TÖAST, so Jeremy and Janet joined me, but it caused me to be a solid 30 minutes behind all of the other cyclists.  I had a lovely lavender-cardamom latte, though, so it was worth it!

Leaving Fergus Falls, it was uphill and windy.  The sun was out, but the wind chill made it probably only 55°F.  Thankfully, I had planned properly to have tall socks, a wind breaker and wind vest, a beanie, and full finger gloves.  Unfortunately, I was chilly all day, even though I was also sweating.  Once out of Fergus Falls, on Rt 88, everything started to level out and it was all corn fields and a town called Barnesville, which has a potato festival coming up in August!  A potato festival sounds fun.

When I got to Rest Stop 1, I was the only cyclist left to come through, so I tried to make my stop as quick as possible.  The gas station clerk lost her brother in his 50s to MS, so she was really touched by what we are doing.

Carrying on westward, I biked along Rt 52 until the end of time.  I followed train tracks, corn fields upon corn fields, some prairie, and who knows what else.  At one point, a train passed me and I waved to the conductor, so he blew his train whistle in return, which gave me a boost of energy.  However, the 15 mph headwind was totally stealing all of my energy and I thought I might lose my mind out there.  I made up a country song about being all by myself out in the middle of nowhere with the wind blowing through my hair, but I can't seem to remember the tune or the rest of the lyrics.  I talked to myself and at one point I looked around and realized really just how isolated and rural it was, not a house in sight.  It was kind of eerie and maybe a tad disconcerting.  I decided not to worry about whether or not I had cell service, but a car would pass every 5 to 10 minutes, in case I actually needed help.  I said out loud, "This is what it's all about!" (meaning, experiencing rural America), but then I corrected myself and said it's about riding for those with MS.  I noticed a train bridge trestle that looked in need of repair, but there was no one to tell.  I noticed old, abandoned cabins along tree groves, and did mileage and pace math in my head.  Not following detour signs for a road closure was entertaining because it meant I got to stop and look at my map.  Eventually, dark clouds moved in and I looked all around for signs of tornadoes, just in case, because of the wind being so bad.  For the last 5 miles to the 2nd rest stop (it was a much longer leg without a stop, at 26 miles long), I did Fartleks (speed play) riding sprints for 30-60 seconds on the smooth, main Rt 52 highway road, then pulling off onto the shoulder when vehicles would pass.  The wind was hell.  I stared at a grain barn for the entire 5 miles, waiting for it to get closer, knowing that must be close to the rest stop, which it, thankfully, was!  It was all I could do to not stop and ask someone for a ride.

Once at the stop, I was tired and shaky.  I had chips and salsa and my double decker Oatmeal Cream Pie, which somehow sprung me back to life.  Route Leader Emma rode with me the last 12 miles to camp and I felt like a new person.  We had a great conversation and it was exciting crossing the (skinny) Red River into North Dakota, even though there were absolutelt no welcome or farewell signs indicating such a transition into a new state. Boo.  Emma used Apple Maps (instead of Google Maps) and took us on a mild tour de Fargo, complete with construction hike-a-bikes.  I somehow felt good and didn't mind seeing the suburbs of Fargo as we made our way into downtown.  Fargo is a lot bigger than I anticipated and has a vibrant downtown scene.  

After arriving at the beautiful First Presbyterian Church, I set up camp in a recreation room in the basement, then headed for a (free!!!!) shower at the YMCA, complete with complimentary towels and a sauna.  It instantly made me want to go to sleep!

Jeremy and I went around the corner to the amazing Black Bird 🐦‍⬛ restaurant for fun pizza (sausage-apple-sage), Mediterranean meatballs, local craft beer (I had a yummy Cider Boy Peach County cider), and a brownie with a salted caramel sauce (they even cook the brownie in their authentic Tuscan pizza oven!).

Returning to the church around 7:15pm, I organized for tomorrow and am writing to you...but I'm so exhausted. We have a 79 mile day tomorrow, a 97 mile day on Friday, then a 72 mile day on Saturday. I fly home Sunday. I'm not sure I will make it to Sunday with the way the headwind has been, but I have no choice at this point.  Again, I'm riding to raise awareness about MS and to fundraise for projects for those living with MS.  My discomfort is but a drop in the bucket compared to those who deal with MS daily.

Thank you for following along!

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here:

https://ride.biketheusforms.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1436

Day 3: Osakis, MN to Fergus Falls, MN

Tuesday, July 4: Osakis, MN to Fergus Falls, MN.

Happy Independence Day!

Though the quiet and dark auditorium of the high school was conducive to good sleep, I didn't sleep well, thanks to numbness in my arms from sleeping on something other than my Purple mattress and to a snorer and another person coming in and out. Part of the group camping experience!  The morning started out overcast, but we knew rain was on the way.  Tim, Jeremy, and I had a hearty breakfast (biscuits and gravy for me!) at the local AJ's Cafe in downtown Osakis.  It was delicious!  However, as soon as we paid, the skies opened up, so we put on our rain gear and headed down the road.  All the locals in the restaurant, who were playing a dice and quarter game called 6-5-4, looked at us with pity as headed out into the rain.  I don't blame them.

We remained on the Lake Wobegon Trail for the entire day and the rain stayed with us the entire day, as well.  My rain jacket decided it was no longer a rain jacket, so I was soaked all day.  I couldn't stay long at the rest stops because I chilled too easily, but Route Leader Emma very kindly had a gas station hot cocoa awaiting me at the second rest stop.  Jeremy rode with me most of the day and we powered through the 58 miles, only stopping for a couple photos of deer, a Purple Heart Chapel, to eat fresh raspberries, and to look at the prairie grasslands.  There were probably 30 chipmunks that ran across the trail today.  I'm guessing they don't see many cyclists every day.  I had a filthy rooster tail of dirt up my back because I don't have fenders on this bike, so I was more than ready for a hot shower upon arrival.

Of course, within minutes of arriving into Fergus Falls (population 14,117 - one of the bigger towns so far for me), the sun came out ablazing.  At least I can dry my gear now!  We are staying at a local church called Zion Lutheran who welcomed us in and it even has a shower!  We were surprised to see a big display of snacks and treats. How generous!!

We got in so early that we had time to be leisurely with showers and finding rooms in the church to sleep in.  We walked around town, discovering the Fergus Falls, which is a dam. We had to walk a few blocks to the grocery store because every restaurant in town was closed for the holiday.  Jeremy and I picked up food to make tacos and stopped into a really fun and cute ice cream shop called Uncle Eddie's on the way back. Ice cream before dinner. Why not?!  The owner was really nice and said she has a friend with MS, so we returned later with some of the Bike the US for MS stickers to give to her friend.  The ice cream tasted even sweeter after making that kind connection.

In the evening, the church hosted a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, which was really more difficult for me to be around than I thought it would be (not that we participated or intermingled).  After the meeting, many from the meeting were gathered out back conversing and smoking cigarettes. It reminded me of visiting my friend that passed (in November 2021) in rehab.  Addiction is so rampant and the drug epidemic in our country is severe.  For many years, addiction seemed like it didn't affect me, but losing my mom to lung cancer because she never quit smoking and losing others to various addictions leaves me feeling so powerless.  I spent a lot of my life trying to help others who have addictions, but it's only been in recent years that I've realized there is really little I can do, other than offer love and support without getting tangled into what the disease does to people. We didn't sit and talk with anyone, but I felt very deeply for these people in their suffering and struggle.

By the time it was finally dark, after 9pm, some of the neighbors set off fireworks, since we didn't make it to see the local display at a race track across town.  Though it's always a little strange when I'm not home for the 4th of July, I'm thankful to have the freedom to be doing this ride, as well as the bodily freedom to be able to physically do this ride.  Whenever I hurt on my bike, I know it could also be far more difficult.

Thank you for following along!

Donations to Bike the US for MS can be made here:

https://ride.biketheusforms.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1436

Day 2: Royalton, MN to Osakis, MN

Monday, July 3. Royalton, MN to Osakis, MN.

(I had to re-write this, as I lost my draft, so now I'm a day and 58 miles away from those memories already, so my writing is probably less colorful.)

I went to bed at a decent time, but I woke up to a drunken man talking sternly to his dog (I almost intervened), and then later to the sound of heavy rain drops that sounded like a wall of pouring rain as it approached. It only lasted maybe 15 minutes, but my bath towel and bike chamois I had left out to dry were certainly no longer dry!

In the morning, I was packed and ready to leave with most of the group.  Our wonderful camp hosts left us donuts and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, as well as hot coffee!  Hooray!

Leaving camp, we stopped for photos as we crossed the Mississippi River, which wasn't as wide as I expected it to be.  Though, we are fairly close to where it starts, I suppose.

Two miles down the road, we hung a left onto the shaded and cool Soo Trail, which features a few small towns along the way, a fun Boho Art/Coffee house, a random, oversized snowmobile statue made of wood, and a covered bridge.  It led us into the town of Albany where we connected to Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Trail®️.  It was 26 miles to Rest Stop 1 in Freeport, MN where there were super nice Sinclar gas station hosts that gave us coffee and I bought a double decker Oatmeal Cream Pie!

Carrying onward, it was 16 miles to

Rest Stop 2 in Sauk.  I bought a foam roller for the group (but really for me that I will leave with the group!) in Walmart and a Caribou Coffee iced mocha. Hallelujah for my first Caribou on this trip!!

It was hot in the sun, though windy, and uphill the entire rest of the way to Osakis.  I'm still in a lot pain - seems to be a pinched nerved in my back or neck causing pain in my upper back and shoulders, and numbness down to my fingers.  I spent most of the day stretching while riding. I don't understand how anyone could possibly be comfortable on a bicycle.

Once in Osakis, I was thankful to stay in Osakis High School, which the Principal very kindly opened up for us.  It was great to have a real, nice shower.  Many of us set up our tents to dry out in the sun.  Jeremy and I went to the 24-Hour Laundromat to get a quick load in, then headed for a truly delicious dinner at O-Town Tavern - complete with cheddar cheese curds!  The burgers were also fresh and so good!  We talked with the bartender about the trip and she was pretty amazed at what we are doing, as are most people when they learn about the distances we cover.  While wandering around, we went in to Barnyard Bowling and threw a pretty pitiful game!  It was lots of fun, though.  We were the only ones bowling while the locals ate dinner.  Surely, they're used to people bowling since its adjacent to the restaurant.  Next, we went for dipped twisty cones at the Tip Top Dairy Bar, which opened in 1955.  The sun was very much still up at 9pm, but I headed to bed as soon as possible.  I wanted to try to get caught up on some sleep!

Thank you for following along!

If you feel compelled to donate to Bike The US for MS, here's the link:

https://ride.biketheusforms.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1436

Day 1: Dalbo, MN to Royalton, MN

Sunday, July 2. Dalbo, MN.

In the morning, Jeremy built my bike, which, thankfully, didn't take too long. The pedals, seat post with saddle, handlebars, wheels, and front brakes needed to be reattached. I could have done all except the front brakes, but I was really thankful to have his assistance while I was trying to get myself sorted out. I unpacked my duffel bag into one of the cubbies in the trailer and also threw a few items into the rest stop van. Back in my day... (when I last rode in 2014 and 2015 with BTUSFMS), the van and trailer (V&T) was at the rest stops and the lead van went on ahead, but now it's a reverse set-up, which seems to work great (except I'm constantly confused about which van to put my stuff in).

Before everyone departed camp, we took a group photo with the awesome host Donn. As usual (on prior trips), I was the last out of camp and broke my valve core while filling my rear tire. It seemed to be bent already, so maybe something happened during the flight. Jeremy happened to have a spare that I could use! Hooray!!  He rode with me all day, even though I got slower and slower, more tired, and had severe, full body pain most of the ride.  When I have pain, I need to remember that my pain is but a drop in the bucket to what those living with MS experience.

The total mileage was nearly 60 miles (though, my Garmin was somehow 6 miles short), with stops roughly around 20 (in the town of Millaca at a Kwik Stop that had a great bakery) and 40 (in Morrill where someone randomly donated $5 to us - jumped out of his truck at a stop sign!) miles-ish. The scenery was basically all farm lands with some very heavy manure scents mixed in. It was also very hot and sunny in the upper 80s, but not super humid.

I was really struggling by the time we got to camp at the Royalton Sportsman Club Park, which is situated along the Mississippi River.  It was only 2:30pm!  Plenty of time to set-up camp, shower, and relax.  I skipped tubing in the Mississippi River in order to get camp set-up and organize my stuff. I'm pretty tired from getting about 6 hours of sleep each night the last 2 nights, so I needed to chill a bit.  Jeremy and I waded into the Mississippi River, but decided it was too gross to swim in - algae that likely had a lot of farm run-off with it, if ya know what I mean.  I was happy for a shower, but I couldn't seem to adjust the propane-heated, garden hose tent shower correctly and ended up with an ice cold shower, which actually felt great.

Now, I'm writing to you while sitting on the shore of the Mississippi!  The very generous and welcoming camp hosts made us delicious steak and cheese with a kale pasta salad and potato salad, as well as yummy bakery treats.  We are under cover awaiting a storm to pass, but I'm super sleepy.  I'm surely going to fall asleep early tonight!

Thanks for following along!

If you'd like to make a donation to Bike the US for the MS, you can do so here:

https://ride.biketheusforms.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1436

My Week with the BTUSFMS Northern Tier Team Begins!

Saturday, July 1. Harrisburg, PA to Minneapolis, MN.

After my uncle's funeral, I headed from Harrisburg to BWI to catch my 7pm flight to Minneapolis.  I really felt sad leaving my dad, sister, and all of my extended family.  The drive to BWI was solemn and I felt so emotionally drained. Saying goodbye to my Uncle Mike has been really hard.

Once at BWI, my flight was delayed 30 min, which was good because hauling my big bike box and rolling duffel from the economy lot onto the shuttle bus to check-in was quite the effort. I had to repack my bags a bit to avoid an extra $100 surcharge, but it all worked out. The flight was mildly rough from storms in DC, but I safely arrived in Minneapolis around 9pm local time.  One of the route leaders and team mechanic (and friend of mine!), Jeremy, graciously picked me up and even brought Taco Bell!  We enjoyed pre-July 4th fireworks displays along the way up to Dalbo where the group was staying in a cool bike hostel, called the Adventure Bicycle Bunkhouse.  We arrived shortly before midnight and I quickly and quietly found the nearest cot to go to sleep on.

Thanks for following along!

If you'd like to make a donation to Bike the US for the MS, you can do so here:

https://ride.biketheusforms.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1436

Day 66: Winthrop to Diablo Lake, WA

The first night back in my tent was really warm going to sleep, but I ended up really chilly overnight.  My nose got really stuffy from the dry air and the nearby smoke from the forest fires nearby or in Canada as the smoke is blowing into Washington.  It certainly adds some haze to the scenery.  I hardly slept, not out of anxiety, but because there were lots of sounds to listen to; babies, sirens, chirping, someone throwing up.
 
Since the weather forecast was for hot weather again (near 100°F), everyone woke up early and I was up at 5:30am.  I packed up, made oatmeal and hot cocoa for breakfast and left camp by 7am.  Most cyclists rode into Winthrop, which felt like an old Western or mining town, to have breakfast at a local bakery.  We started peddling by 8am and I had a nice ride with Chelsea, a cyclist who had joined the trip part-way through.  She was really smiley and pleasant to talk to.  The mountain views were really beautiful and we were blessed with the sun being behind the mountain ridge as we had a long day ahead with a big mountain climb.  We took a rolling backroad off the main Rt 20 to get to our first rest stop in Mazama at the Country Store.  We also got 2nd breakfast and snacks.  I also had my first donut peach and wowee, what a delicious fruit that is!!!  We hung out for about an hour at the country store, talking to locals about the trip and gave out stickers.

Both excitedly and reluctantly, we headed up the mountain, but it was starting to get hot out. It was 23 miles to the summit of Washington Pass and Rainy Pass, 5,477 ft at the pass.  We played leap frog, it seemed, with a number of riders with the 4K for Cancer cycling group, but otherwise I kept to the shoulder on this 2-lane pass over the Cascades.  I got a flat tire on the middle of the long climb, with about 10 miles to go to the top still, and there was no shade to change it. Luckily, Reed saved the day with his good tire pump. Mine isn't as good as I'd hoped it'd be, unfortunately.  The water in my bottles was hot and I was already feeling scorched, not even halfway through the day. Luckily for me, but unfortunately for the route leaders, the van was over heating on the long climb and I was able to refill my water bottles with cool water, which only stayed cool for 10 minutes, but it was still a God-send.

Upon finally reaching the top, the views from the two summits of the passes were beautiful.  It was spectacular looking back at the road we had climbed and being to see mountain and after mountain.  At Rainy Pass, we stopped and walked into a park where there was a lake with a waterfall.  The water was frigid and the rocks were slippery, so I just ventured to the waterline, knowing I’m not the most graceful person and this was still the first day of the trip. After an hour at this lake, we headed down the road as it was still another 30 miles to camp at Diablo Lake. While mostly downhill, strong headwinds prevailed and we all felt gipped on the awesome descent.  I rode mostly by myself, as I took an extended bathroom break leaving the lake.  So, I played catch-up to the group while enjoying the descents.  I finally caught a few folks, but by then I felt as though either heat exhaustion or altitude sickness was starting to set in.  Even the headwind was giving me a headache.  I just wanted to close my eyes and take a nap. I also felt lightheaded and a bit nauseas. I met up with Emily, Brian and Yong at an overpass and let them know how I was feeling.  We rode to another overpass, looking way down on Diablo Lake and we knew we were minutes from the finish.  We rode down a very steep and fun descent together into camp.  I think I hit 44mph that day!!

Once at camp, instead of eating dinner right away, I decided I needed to cool off and jumped into the glacial lake with 2 other riders.  I actually struggled to get out because I was numbing up so fast, and perhaps the shock also caused such a dramatic reaction.  However, the water was a beautiful teal and did refresh me!

For dinner, I boiled mac ‘n cheese and stirred in canned tuna.  Our campsites are way up a hill that the van and trailer couldn't make it to, so we unpacked our tents and sleeping bags and hauled them up the steep hill.  It was like being in Fern Gully; so heavily wooded and green, very lush.

Though I felt exhausted from the heat today and had my moments of struggle, it's been really nice reconnecting with the riders and hearing all their great stories. They're ready to go home, but I'm still excited to just be getting started again.  It was a really tough first day back, but so rewarding!

Downtown Winthrop

The mountain we climbed.

Taking over the Mazama Store before our hill climb.

I did it!

Emily, Yong and Brian looking down over Diablo Lake.

Camp was at the far side of the picture at Diablo Lake.

Day 65: Tonasket to Winthrop, WA

Though my day actually started in Omak, the rest of the cyclists started their day in Tonasket, about 25 miles north of me. I went to grab dental floss at 7am from the gas station down the street when I noticed riders starting to pass me while I was walking. Apparently, many of the cyclists wanted to beat the predicted 105°F heat and left camp at 4am!

As the riders passed through Omak, it was really funny reuniting with them. I got big, excited hugs from everyone and even a look of surprise, though they knew I was coming back. It was usually a look of "Who's this person?" and then with the realization that it was me a big smile would come over their face, followed up by a big hug. It was a lot of fun. I think it also helped to take away briefly from their 9 weeks of exhaustion.

I felt a lot of joy and excitement to be in van again, cheering everyone on their hill climb, even though I really wish I could have been riding with them. It was easier and possibly safer for me to ship my bike to Winthrop because of logistics, so I didn't get to ride today. The group summitted Loup Loup Pass and, since I was in the support van, we ended up hanging out at the pass for 4 hours while cyclists came through for water and lunch. I can't complain about hanging out on a mountain top all day.

We ended the day in Winthrop, which feels like an old mining or western town. It's really cute and I think it's a fairly major vacation destination with winter time skiing. Once we got to the KOA Winthrop campground, I claimed my bike from the front office and started to assemble it. I was missing my rear skewer, but luckily Svetlana actually had a spare wheel set that she let me have her rear skewer from. I did as much reassembly of the bike as I could on my own, then set up camp, and headed to the local pizza place (about 3/4 mile walk) for dinner with the rest of the group. The pizza and mud pie were delicious! When I got back to camp, Lucas (the route leader bike mechanic on the trip) had finished setting up my bike and she was riding better than ever!

That evening, we all hung out at camp and I got to hear many of the fun stories I had seen on Facebook while I was away. I'm really bummed I missed all the fun and bonding of the last 8 weeks, but it's nice to feel welcomed back in, even if it's just for the last 5 days. In anticipation for the next day's heat and final major mountain climb, we were all in bed more of less by dark after celebrating Alex's 22nd birthday.