Day 48

Stats
Hettinger, ND → Bowman, ND
Net Elevation gain: 279 ft. (2700 ft. to 2979 ft.)
Average Speed: 10.9 mph
Top Speed: 29 mph
Time spent biking: 3 hours 48 minutes
Total time for the day's travels: 8 hours 30 minutes
Miles biked today: 41.6
Total for trip: 2274.3 miles

Despite our interrupted sleep, we woke up early and enjoyed a leisurely start to the day with a good breakfast. We hit the road by 9:12 and stopped shortly to buy food at the grocery store on our way out of town. We got some natural peanut butter, blackberry jam, an avocado, cheese, crackers, water and black olives. The store was nicely located right on our way. We love when that happens!

In the distance, left of the bath house in the background, you can see the sick train that kept us awake last night.

Cherries and cereal for breakfast! Jenny mostly ate the cherries.

We were very excited to have a tailwind this morning!! We rode fast, hoping to get to Bowman by about lunchtime, and then the next state line (Montana!) before nightfall. It was going to be three state lines in three days! The terrain was flat, with a few rolling hills, making for really good riding. However, the sun wasn't helping, and there were no clouds all day. We put sunscreen on after a few miles, and we were still moving along pretty well.

This calf had somehow gotten outside the fence. When we biked by, the cows got scared and made for the hills. This little one ran along the fence for a while before finally dashing through the wire and rejoining the rest of the herd.

Staying right on Route 12, we got overheated as we got close to Scranton. Brett sat down in the little shade that there was while Jenny made some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When we felt well enough to keep going we biked more slowly and stopped more frequently whenever there was an underpass to give us some shade.

Jenny stirs the peanut butter. It took some real convincing for the oil to mix in.

We did a double take when we saw this sign.

Brett picks out little stones stuck to the tire. The pavement was so hot that the tar on the road gets sticky and picks up stones! When they stick to the tire it makes a sound like: "WHump! WHump!" as we ride.

Around 2:20, we arrived in Bowman, tired, hot and hungry. We pulled into a little park and lay down in the shade for a few minutes before braving the heat one more time to find a place to eat. When it's this hot outside, we really shouldn't be biking, we decided.

It was just too hot today.

After we found a place to eat some food at Eats and Treats (one of the three places open in town to get food) we decided to stay the night in a motel in town. It was disappointing to give up our goal of making it to three different states in three days, but the sun was so hot and we just wanted to be done for the day. We took our time in the diner, and Brett had a phone interview with a perspective assistant for his extended day program. While he was on the phone Jenny chatted with some nice folks who were Model T Ford owners and enthusiasts on their way back to Seattle. By the time we were done eating it was getting to be early evening time, but it was still just as hot outside.

Ahh, air-conditioning and food!

After going to three motels, we found the cheapest one, which also turned out to have one of the nicest rooms we've stayed in so far. It felt so wonderful to take showers, call our parents, relax and take care of our bodies after such a hot day.