Menk's Across America - Journal Entry #4
By Jeremiah Menk
July 6, 2002
July 2: The ride from Glasgow, MT to Culbertson,
MT went very well. We were fortunate enough to have a tailwind
the whole ride. The total ride was 105 miles. We stayed in
the city park that night and were able to listen to the neighborhood
kids' fireworks display until late into the night. Ron and
Linda pulled in a little while later. Nothing to exciting
happened on the ride. Most of Eastern Montana has been flat
and dry.
On July 3 we rode from Culbertson to Theodore Roosevelt
National Park, North. It was the first day we had a head wind
and we suffered. The ride totaled 94 miles and seemed to take
forever. I rode with Mom and Dad until they stopped for ice
cream in Watford City, ND. The ride from Watford City to the
Park was a grueling 15 miles directly into the wind. It was
very hot and dry in the park, but the scenery was beautiful.
July 4 we woke to a very strong headwind. Mom said
that she was going to switch with Ben so Dad shortened our
ride to 40 miles to convince Mom to keep on riding. We rode
through occasional showers and fierce winds from the Southeast.
I biked with Mom and Dad until we caught up with Dan at 20
miles. Dan had a flat tire and was waiting for us to draft.
I rode ahead with Dan and lost him after a couple of miles.
I kept riding into the wind and rain. The rain pelted my skin
as I rode down hills. I pulled into Killdeer, ND as Ben was
filling the camper with water. It was a tough ride. Dan pulled
in soon after and packed up to go solo to Sioux Falls, SD
for a week. Mom and Dad followed. Everyone was pretty tired.
We missed the parade and bingo in town and were a day ahead
of the rodeo.
July 5 we were expecting the winds to change according
to the forecast. Unfortunately we woke again to a wind out
of the east. The ride was 86 miles from Killdeer, ND to Center,
ND. Ron and Linda had caught us in Killdeer on July 4 and
rode with us for the first half of the ride. The ride was
one of the toughest so far. I rode ahead of Mom and Dad after
the first 30 miles. I had refilled my water bottles once as
Ben passed me, but I still ran out of water ten miles from
Center, ND. The last ten miles I pedaled directly into the
wind. I pedaled down hills to reach a speed of 10 mph and
the climbs were becoming unbearable. As soon as I saw the
camper I rode through a ditch to get there as quick as possible
and hydrated. The temperature had risen to over a hundred
degrees and I was exhausted.
Today (July 6) we rode from Center, ND to just south
of Bismarck, ND. We are staying in General Sibley Park. The
ride was 45 miles into a headwind again. So far we have had
a headwind every day in North Dakota. We planned to meet Ben
in Mandan, ND for breakfast. After about 25 miles of riding
I pulled over to wait for Mom and let her draft on me. She
had taken a break earlier and hadn't caught up with us yet.
I was standing on the shoulder clipped in on pedal when she
passed me. Her supersonic speed knocked me into the ditch
and I bruised my arms and legs and broke my rear derailleur
cable. I now know that I am cursed. I didn't have a spare
cable along so I rode to the truck stop at Highway 25 and
Interstate 94. Ben was waiting there and I was able to grab
the other Sun Tour Lever and put it on my bike. I am thinking
of converting all of my components to Sun Tour. Hopefully
my bike will make it to Maryland in one piece. Mom fell of
her bike in Bismarck. I think she was trying to push me over
again at a stoplight. I looked around at the intersection
and saw a number of people shaking their heads. Hopefully
tomorrow we won't have a headwind.
Photos
Photoset: July 2-July 6
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