Balta and Your Road to Adventure!

This post is totally backwards. I keep trying to fix it and make it more coherent, but somehow...it just is this way. I will continue editing, so, to be continued...


July 15th. We rode from Devils Lake area to Balta, ND - a total change in scenery. The land appeared flat, but in reality (which you can tell if you are biking) it is not flat at all. Biking into Balta, their town sign read:

BALTA: YOUR ROAD TO ADVENTURE!

MMMhhhmmm, right. We rolled into town, not expecting too much. But low and behold, despite Adventure Cycling maps neglecting to mention, there is a BAR in Balta. the Balta Bar owned by Tom. I stopped and said "Maya, we're going in."
Soon enough we had made plenty of new friends. I even got to decorate my own dollar bill that now hangs on the wall in Balta, North Dakota, advertising our trip, of course.
Here we are all hanging out at the bar together, after Maya lost a round of the game we were playing and had to pay for everyones beers. However, later that evening, feeling guilty, they guys donated to our funds - Thanks Everyone!! It was getting to be a roudy evening of drinking and it kept getting later. Maya and I were supposed to bike down the recreation area and set up camp, but beers seemed to refill themselves right before our eyeballs.

July 14: Maya and I on the road through the water! Water on both sides of this long stretch of rode, whoooaaaa. The wind was picking up here...careful not to get pushed in.It was on this day that Maya and I rode all the way to the Casino just south of Devils Lake! It was a long day, indeed. It was hot and I was sweaty and extremely salty. This photo of my shirt is to show you just how salty. You see those white lines? My shirt was crusty and stiff...kind of nuts. Side note: Cars R Coffins, a bicycle advocacy group based out of Minneappolis, check it out. On the far right, we have Maya feeling strong after our 100 miles. In the middle, we have me...

Devils Lake Casino Camp Ground: The casino where the camp ground was - was a trip. We only wandered in briefly to buy ice cream. Totally exhausted we ran back to the tent and went to sleep. We were awoken during the night by the campers next to us threatening each other (swearing and saying mean things). That was awkward. Didn't stop us from getting up a half hour later though, packing up our things and heading out on the dark road. It was just after 4 am. The sunrise was incredible (July 15th). Maya and I kept stopping on the side of the road to take photos. It is one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen before. Clear and calm lakes reflected the sky perfectly and the colors changed every second.


July 13th:
Only after eating the Howard Johnson breakfast (eggs, french toast, real toast, orange juice, coffee, etc) did we cycle away from the hotel, into flat lands and wind. On and on we rode till we finally saw Hope. Hope, North Dakota. In this small town we stopped for the evening. Due to strong headwinds we vowed to stick to an early morning routine as to get in as many miles as possible before the winds picked up. We had already done around 30 miles when we biked into Cooperstown, ND. We settled into a gas station cafe for some coffee when three guys showed up for their breakfast. Some of the first cyclists our age we had encountered, we were eager to exchange stories. They were tall and skinny and carried close to nothing on their speedy bikes. They told us they were doing anywhere between 70 to 140 miles a day. Good thing they were riding east...cause we didn't want to try and keep up that mileage just to ride with them! I believe it was Brian, Dan, and Pete. Very funny and we were happy to hang out with them- Hey Guys, hope you are doing well!!

Below, there is a picture of hope.
After Papa left, Maya and I were lucky enough to get a "free" rest day, right there in the Howard Johnson motel, pool and all. We slept in and generally spent as much time as possible in bed, reading, writing, watching TV, whatever mindless activity could be done reclining.

Later in the evening, we finally roused ourselves and went for a swim, which resulted in cramping leg muscles! I blame Maya. Hers started first and then were passed on to me. It hurt a lot. I suppose it was due to the lack of movement throughout the day. We spent some time doing physical therapy in the hot tub. Afterwards we put on some clothes and went to check out the bar connected to the motel. Turns out there was a Tattoo competition that had just ended, so there were a ton of people around. There was also some live music that was just starting, gambling, pool, and a lot of good beer on tap. Wow. We kind of missed out on all the festivities. Who knew Fargo was so lively? And all attached to this Howard Johnson?

Papa and I have wonderful peach martini's at the Mexican restrauraunt in Fargo, ND. It was delicious. Our last hurrah during our two week biker gang parade.
Before biking into Fargo, we looked at Maps. Aren't we happy?
Swimming in Pelican Lake was great because it was so insanely hot. Over here, we have the bike shop in Fargo, an amazing old train station!!! Huge space inside, all dedicated to bikes, accessories, and beautiful bike mechanics.