Rest day?

Rest days are another surprise. I think I sort of pictured exploring the areas we had chosen to honor with an extra day, reading a book or two, rethinking any bike or packing or itinerary issues that might have come up. The thing is, those issues do come up, and there's laundry, and often a massage opportunity, and just how did I picture exploring these places? Part of the point is staying pretty much off the bike.

So they turn out to be days of chores and errands (and massages and leisurely meals), but they reinforce my feeling that I am getting only a hasty look at all the places we are passing through. Fargo, for example. I have reason to believe that there is a town somewhere containing buildings older than the ones we are seeing: the mall, Barnes & Noble, TGIFridays. The guy at the bike shop told us about a cool hotel there with rooms with all different themes. But with the heat & the long days ahead, we probably won't see any of it. Not what I expected. On the other hand, these familiar places are very comfortable and restful. We know what to expect. We even find plenty of vegetables with our meals. So really, this is more an observation than a complaint. But if I were traveling in a more restful way (a car, or maybe even a bike trip with no time constraints) I would find a way to look more closely.

This makes me think of the early 20th century people who traveled in a country for a couple if weeks and returned home seeking recognition as experts on the place - I believe the US and England each had quite a few of those types. And also of Ford Prefect in Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, whose multi-year stay in earth led to the text describing the whole planet: Mostly harmless.

I am here just long enough to get a brief impression, and to leave longing for a closer look.

By the way, two entries back I mentioned the four severe weather warnings that Fargo offered. Turned out that was nothing. When we arrived last night I took another look. Fargo had six: tornado watch, tornado warning, excessive heat alert, severe thunderstorm warning, flash flood warning, and a general severe weathet outlook. The massage therapist I met with this afternoon told me that Fargo had won (won??? I thought winning was supposed to be a good thing!) the number one spot for severe weather in the US.

Minnesota tomorrow, the fifth state on the route.