Fergus Falls to Long Prairie

July 7, 2003

Back up to Fargo to Cambridge

Westbound: Fargo to Fergus Falls                                        Eastbound: Long Prairie to Cambridge

                                      July 7: Fergus Falls to Long Prairie—Minnesota at its best!

I woke up fairly early, got some juice from the motel’s buffet, and went back to the smoke shop for breakfast. The air was no better in the am than in the pm but the eggs were ok. I got some more juice from buffet and finished packing.

The road from Fergus Falls at first was just as nice as on Sunday, but soon the shoulder ended. I had not properly understood the Minnesota highway map’s descriptions. Rats. Inasmuch as I was at a gas station convenience store when I ran out of good road, I took the time to order a five or six inch pizza and to consider my choices. After checking my resources, I found that I was essentially at the corner of Minnesota 210 and the Adventure Cycling Route’s spur to Dalbo. Hmm. Staying on the highway did not look good and I had paid for the ACA maps. Everybody else liked them (even if I liked the Interstates and they didn’t). What the hey. So I put my computer generated maps back in the bag and joined the Adventure Cycling Posse.

                            Another Continental Divide

ACA warned that this spur didn’t have the best of roads. The early stretch made me hope that these were the bad ones. It also seemed like ACA’s penchant for seeking out hills was in full swing. On the other hand, after climbing a really modest hill, it was rewarding to reach a continental divide. Not the east west one in the Rockies but the north south one with Hudson Bay.

As the day went on, the roads improved and the peace and quiet of seeing no traffic validated ACA’s choices. I had a second, light lunch at Parker’s Prairie—a sandwich and nice milkshake—and arrived at Long Prairie well before 5pm. That gave me time to do my laundry, get another, larger and tastier pizza, visit the supermarket, and still get a good night’s sleep. In all, an excellent day thanks to the folks in Missoula.

83.55 miles in 6:16 on the bike for an average of 13.3 mph.

Back up to Fargo to Cambridge

Westbound: Fargo to Fergus Falls                                        Eastbound: Long Prairie to Cambridge