Day 32-33 Thursday-Friday 8/6-7/09 Stanley to SE of Minot, ND

Day 32-33 Thursday-Friday 8/6-7/09
Stanley to SE of Minot, ND
67 Miles
1403 total miles

Beat my way against wind and rain all day today heading slowly towards Minot. There's a stalled front here and even though the weather is coming up out of the soutwest from Wyoming and Montana, it is creating counter-rotational airflows which blow out of the southeast. It was a lot of effort and I probably achieved a 7-8 mph average for the time I was in the saddle. I stopped briefly in Minot to pick up a new tire and camping fuel and then rpceeded down the road, 10 miles southeast on HIghway 52, to the farm of relatives of one of my "out-laws". Bill and Marilyn Goheen were ever the patient and gracious hosts, receiving me at almost 9 p.m. They are aunt and uncle to my sister in-law Sherry Ellefson, and were wonderful hosts. As an added bonus, Sherry's mom was also visiting and I was able to get to know her a little bit. Bill is now retired from farming and real estate, and he and Marilyn enjoy their solitude on their lovely spread in the country, keeping 4 llamas, 2 alpacas and 4 goats. Even those will soon go, as he and "Ma" wish to simplify things even more. I spent an extra day, working on my bike- installing the new tire, tuning up, cleaning the chain, etc. Then I helped Bill with a few small chores around the pace and he toured me around the spread in his truck. Later that evening he and Marilyn hosted me to dinner at the nearby Cowboy Corner café in Sawyer. Very much appreciated! The weather doesn'tpromise to improve much over the next day or so, as the front is defeintely stalled over this area and the moisture is a fine drizzle or cloud-like mist that has humidity at 100%, thought the temperatures are in the 60's so it's tolerable. I spent some time at the kitchen table withi Bill's road atlases and checked my remaining course and still intend to ride the Michigan UP and then ride along the north shore of Lake Huron and then descend to Manitoulin island and cuct across southern Ontario over to New York and cross somewhere before Cornwall. I still have a little less than 2000 miles to go, so it's time to pick up the pace a bit! I figure about 5 more days to the Bemidji area, then another 5 or so to the UP from here. If I do 65 miles a day from hereon, with rest days every 5 days, I will make it to Maine around September 15th, my initial goal. I can do that!