Day 28. New Salem to Bismarck, 38 miles

Today was an A+. I woke up refreshed and ready to tackle my tire. Allan had told me I was welcome to hang out on their adorable patio in the morning, and I took advantage to spread myself out and attend to finding the cause of my flat.

I know this type of flat: it’s radial wire or whatever it is that some tires shed, and I’d almost certainly gotten it on I-94. Expedience indeed. Today I was taking the scenic route instead, hills be damned. Kevin had recommended it “if you like that sort of thing,” which I do.

I didn’t find any wire, but after spelunking with a safety pin I pulled out a small chunk of glass that had to be it and, wary of using all my spare tubes, patched it and hoped for the best. I stopped at Tellman’s, the grocery store, on the way out of town to stock up and thank the proprietor and his wife again for their kindness. While there, I ran into another eastbound cyclist named Todd; he was moving much faster than I and soon passed me after stopping himself at the store.

I had enjoyed Kathy’s company so much and suffered the results of overreach the day before, so I texted her in the morning to see if I could see her in Bismarck and maybe stay with her, and she responded immediately and enthusiastically ❤️ Knowing I had a short day, I took my time doing my 30+ miles, stopping wherever and periodically checking my tire to see if it was holding, hardly daring to hope. And it was!

I felt incredible: competent, capable, and confident. This is hard as heck, but I was Doing It.

I kept expecting to recognize something, since Joyce and I had ridden this exact route nine years ago, but nothing was looking familiar until I got to Mandan, a suburb of Bismarck, and saw this chicken, a little worse for the wear since my photo of Joyce with it in 2013.

Mandan also featured a bike path! Such a joy to see, always, however janky the maintenance.

I crossed the Missouri again entering Bismarck. Bismarck had a lovely riverfront trail with shaded benches, and I had a sit to plan my city time.

I stopped in the city and did city things: late lunch at Subway, CVS for sunscreen, a bike shop for a new spare tube. Then I headed to Kathy and Kevin’s place, where once again Kathy and I immediately set to chatting like we had things to catch up on. We hung out for a bit talking, and she gave me a tour of their house, which she painted herself. (Did I mention her second career as an interior painter?)

Kathy took me to dinner at a local brewery and restaurant, and we got to know each other better, and she remained an utter delight to me. Such a warm, funny, interesting human. Then she gave me a tour of Bismarck, including the historic downtown and the lookout/necking spot.

We headed back to the house and talked some more and watched the weather report and called Kevin on speakerphone. He patiently answered my questions about ND once again, including the one about the I-94 exits to nowhere. Turns out when they put in the interstate it bisected existing agricultural holdings; to avoid making landowners travel 20 miles out of the way to cross the interstate to the other side of their property, they added exits to allow access. Aha!

I enjoyed the excellent company of dear Yogi and admired Kathy’s rose bush, which came from her mother.

Clean and happy of heart, I went to bed far past my bedtime as Kathy ran a load of laundry she insisted she was doing anyway with my day’s riding clothes. What have I ever done to deserve such kindness?