I biked a combined 115.8 miles on Thursday and Friday (9/14 and 9/15) and arrived in Fargo, N.D. around 7 p.m. on Friday evening. Most of my route was along a busy stretch of Hwy 10, from Detroit Lakes through Audubon (pop. 561), Lake Park (pop. 725), Hawley (pop. 2,233), Glyndon (pop. 1,312), and Dilworth (pop. 4,634), before I arrived in Moorhead (pop. 44,668), and then crossed the state line into Fargo, N.D. (pop. 126,748). Thankfully, when I got to Dilworth, my Chief Navigator Trudi helped me find a route that got me off the busy highway and eventually onto a quiet bike trail that took me across the Red River into downtown Fargo. I appreciated the wide shoulder alongside the busy highway but did not like the strong headwind I rode into most of the day. Yes, yes, I know this is all my fault because I chose to ride cross-country the wrong way–against the prevailing winds–and so I have no one to blame but myself for this.

When I talked with Anthony, the young cyclist I met yesterday, he asked if I had seen any interesting wildlife on my trip. Perhaps you might be wondering about this also. I don’t have a lot to report in that regard. Unfortunately, when you ride along the side of roads, especially busy ones, you see a lot of roadkill–I’ve seen a much wider variety of animals that are dead than alive: skunks, porcupines, raccoons, snakes, turtles, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting.

As for live animals, I’ve seen a lot of interesting birds, many of which I can’t identify, but I did watch in amazement as an eagle flew right across my path in northern Minnesota about a week ago. I’ve also encountered deer on a number of occasions, including one doe that was directly in my path and stood still as I came closer and closer, staring at me for a surprising length of time before scampering off into the brush. As I went through Moorhead, I saw four or five deer bound across a very busy stretch of Hwy 10. I winced as I watched them dart between the fast-moving cars, sure that one of them would be struck. Miraculously, they made it across without a scratch.

Here was a frog I saw on the side of Hwy 10 just west of Detroit Lakes. It looked alive and I thought I might help nudge it to safety, but alas, it was in fact already dead.

As interesting as my surroundings are, including wildlife both dead and alive, I continually remind myself to prioritize the need for constant vigilance in watching the road ahead. I came across what appeared to be a deep sinkhole of sorts along the shoulder of Hwy 10 on today’s ride that was at least a foot in diameter. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I wasn’t paying attention and had hit this with my front wheel.

In Lake Park, I stopped at a Casey’s General Store, where I bought a crispy chicken sandwich for lunch and had a chance to meet Marilyn, who was working behind the counter. I joked with her that I needed to eat the sandwich in a hurry, because the “sell by” date and time on the sandwich was only about 10 minutes away. Marilyn assured me that this is just their deadline for being able to sell the sandwiches, and that it would still be safe to eat for a while. Not wanting to take any chances, and also being rather hungry, I nevertheless ate the sandwich rather quickly.

After wolfing down the sandwich, I came back into the store to ask Marilyn if it would be OK for me to fill up my water bottles there. She said this would be fine except they didn’t have a water spigot on their soft drink machine. I told her that was OK–I could just fill them at the sink in the bathroom. She said she couldn’t have me do that because the sink was right next to the toilet, and it would be nasty to drink water from there. Marilyn said she buys a large jug of bottled water for her personal use throughout the day and was just about to buy a new bottle, which I could use to take what I needed. I thanked her for this kind gesture and offered to buy the bottle for her, and she said no–she was happy to share her water with me. I said, “well, I suppose at least you get an employee discount,” and she said she didn’t, but that the water was only $2.79 and that she didn’t mind.

I asked Marilyn if she grew up in Detroit Lakes and she said she was from Chicago but had lived in the area for about ten years. When I asked her name, she said, “Marilyn, just like Marilyn Monroe.” I asked if her parents had named her after the actress and model and she said no–she was named after her Aunt Marilyn. We both agreed that Marilyn Monroe did not appear to have a very happy life and it would be better not to be named after her.

Marilyn may not be named after the model but has a great smile and was very happy to let me take this picture of her.

My bike trail route into downtown Fargo took me across the Red River, which separates Fargo, N.D. from Moorhead, MN. I was surprised at how slow-moving and peaceful the river looked from the bike bridge. As many of you know, the Red River flows northward through the Red River Valley and eventually into Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay. Here are views of the river from both sides of the bridge.

I treated myself to a room at the historic Jasper Hotel in downtown Fargo tonight and this weekend, thinking it would be a fun place to be as I plan stops across North Dakota in the coming week. I was given a room on the 12th floor, where I have excellent views of downtown and the surrounding countryside, and a wonderful desk that is perfect for posting a blog. No need to sit on a bed or cross-legged on the floor as I have during less-luxurious overnight stays!