I thought today would be a good time to look back at the worries and the happy expectations I had listed before we left. Turns out there are not a whole lot of surprises.
Snow and cold? It's over now, but the rainy day early in the trip, the one with the high of 47 degrees, was definitely the toughest we have had. On the other hand, all my worries about Neihart were wasted. We managed to show up there on the warmest day they had experienced since last August. Now I can just worry about adjusting to heat. That one offers more flexibility; if it's too uncomfortable, stopping helps. When it's cold, stopping just makes it worse.
The many days in a row did turn out to be rough. We ended up modifying the itinerary and all was well. Reservations in general - not sure I would get so detailed another time. We need to know how far we have to ride to have any choices, and the thought of arriving in a town 80 miles from the next possibility and finding it all filled up thanks to some local festival is pretty unnerving. Still, we have passed a few I would have enjoyed seeing more of, and we've been to a few we would definitely have stayed at an extra day or two if the schedule hadn't been set.
The big worry about the space between Williston and Minot was eliminated by, unfortunately, the terrible flooding the town is experiencing.
The new shorts are perfect. Enough said.
The food is even less varied than I anticipated. It's a rare menu that has more than iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato from the vegetable kingdom. Oh, I guess I have to count white bread; it is technically vegetable.
The one worry there is no way around is missing everyone. I am very excited about seeing family tomorrow, and seeing everyone in September will temper any sadness I may feel when I take the last pedal stroke.
The things I was looking forward to are pretty close, too. Great birds, wildflowers, wildlife, scenery. Great chances to experience new terrain. Wonderful people everywhere.
I am not reading as much as I expected to. After we ride and eat and I make this entry, I usually don't read more than a few chapters before I fall asleep. Oddly enough, most of the books I read are about long bike trips. Cycling Home from Siberia (the author is British; he rode about 24,000 miles over a couple of years) certainly keeps me from thinking I have any actual problems. Temporary inconveniences perhaps.
And I must say I had hoped to be able to throw away a lot more of these spare calories burned on ice cream. Most towns just don't have it. Ok, I admit I did a search of Bismarck on Google last night. There are three Dairy Queens, a pizza place that might be ok - no details offered - and a rather surprising Coldstone Creamery at the far end of town. But when it's available I take full advantage.
It is a little harder than I anticipated to let go of things, to allow them to stay in the background. Kitty, you have no idea how hard it was for me not to sneak in a few questions. I don't count asking about new babies; don't think there is any need to wait until September to hear about the twins.
The biggest non-pedaling issue on the trip is not knowing what's next. It's reassuring to know that it's ok to wake up someplace different almost every day; that I don't really care that much what the mattress is like; that I can go this long without my usual breakfast. I am very happy that those are no big deal. The big deal is getting out there and looking around, and I like that more all the time.
I am glad we are taking the whole three months; I am amazed by how fast we are passing through places.
I am glad we are going all the way across; I am glad that the future vacations I daydream about out there often involve the bike.
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