North Branch, MN

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25889797@N07/ -Photos

First, we forgot to mention Russel in our last post. We were at a gas station somewhere in North Dakota after a hard days riding. I can't remember where or exactly how long ago it was. At this gas station we met Russel, one of the most outgoing and friendliest people who we met thus far. He knew all of our names and said goodbye to each of us personally after showing much interest in our trip. Russel and people like him are why we enjoyed North Dakota, and are enjoying our ride so much. (Sorry if I misspelled the name)

Highlights:
Fargo to Rothsay- On one of our breaks we stopped at an abandoned grain elevator, which I took the liberty to explore. It smelled musty/moldy, was covered in dust and had birds living in it. It was awesome. It was one of the best places to explore. I believe that it was abandoned around 2000, since I saw a calander from around then. It still had all sorts of paperwork and random things scattered all over. Then we left and battled 30 mph headwinds (this may or may not be accurate).

Rothsay to Albany- Fruit. We stopped at a fruit stand in Fergis Falls, the most attractive fruit stand we have seen yet, where we bought a large bag of peaches and another bag of cherries. When we were about to leave one of the workers approached us with a watermelon, which they gave us for free. I packed all of the fruit on my bike and we left. About 70 miles later we ate the watermelon. It was very juicy and very messy.

Albany to North Branch- The torrential downpours today caused me to put on my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the water that was getting in them. When I reached into my pocket to get my sunglasses I realized that I had a snickers in that pocket and was slightly hungry, so I started eating. About that same time my dad recieved a rush of water and sunscreen in his eyes and was prompted to stop. I was riding closely behind Dan Mork (a friend of mine from St. Olaf) who was closely behind my dad. When I heard the sound of screaching brakes I had just unwrapped my snickers. I quickly slammed on my brakes with the other hand. I avoided hitting both Dan and my dad, but not the ground. I flew a couple of feet off the bike, snickers still in hand, and landed on my left elbow. I hardly even got a scrape. I then ate my snickers while admiring the gracefulness of my fall. Perhaps I should become a professional faller.

--Patrick Henneghan