Our planned 60 mileage today was a needed inhalation in preparation for another 100 push to Bismarck on the morrow.
It began with delectable gluten free pancakes, blueberries and coffee courtesy of Emily, Lela’s mom, and we bid her farewell before pushing into oil country.
Low on tubes and thin on tread, we pushed our tires to the brink, requiring one state trooper bailout ride, many foot pump pitstops and a couple-hours roadside scramble to patch tubes as automobile gusts tousled our greasy heads.
Despite it all, we limped into Dakota Cyclery in charming Medora, a cotton candy Conestoga tourist trap of a town, where we upgraded our tires to top tier Schwalbe Marathon Plus sets — puncture resistant like rhino hides. The upfront cost will be offset by less time and less tubes.
Medora took hours, so our 60 took all day, but we capped it with a Dominoes feast immediately followed by a Dominoes feast, and were then ushered into a lovely campground by our new friend Jim, who radiated all the rosy kindness of a certain yuletide kahuna. He paid for our campsite and ensured us our mileage wishes would come true if we got a good night’s sleep and took care. So we will.
Despite the fact that ND contains almost 20 percent of the world’s lignite coal reserves, we look forward not to anthracite lumps in our stockings, but clean sheets and fresh soaps, with a continental breakfast under our Bismarck tree.