Day 17: Kindred, ND to Fergus Falls, MN

Waking up at 6:15 wasn't easy for Will or me. Especially after our luxurious stay at the Element in Fargo. Getting off the elevator, we were greeted by a surprising number of folks up for breakfast. A swarm of kids were staring us as we exited the elevator with our bikes horizontal on the rear wheel.





After dropping the bikers at the Kindred cemetery, I headed back to the hotel to take advantage of the workout facility. It was state of the art, free weights, upright bicycles, treadmills, a Bose stereo system. The whole sha-bang. Once I had exhausted myself for a good hour, I stepped outside to get a breather and was greeted by pouring rain. On par with the rain in Sandpoint, this rain was also horizontal. However, I knew Wes and Will had rain-gear, and were prepared for this.









I returned to the room, did laundry, ate breakfast, then packed the car. It was still raining hard as I pulled out of the parking lot. I found a nice church to go to mass at 10:30. After communion, around 11:15, I got an urgent text from Wes. Along with the torrential downpour, he had flatted in the front. To make matters worse, the temperature had also dropped. I zipped over to their location, but got word they had repaired the flat and were continuing to ride. I located them 3 miles down the road, slowly making progress.

The rain was really coming down as we all sat in the car for a solid half hour, waiting for a break in the storm. The bikers busted out the shower towels and extra rain gear, to get into more comfortable apparel. After a good ten minutes more, the storm began to pass. All suited up, the duo braved the weather and pushed on, behind schedule but determined.

The delay in schedule called for supper at 4pm in Cormorant. We grabbed some grub at the local pub. The surrounding area started to remind me of the midwest again, especially southwest Michigan. The rolling hills of farmland sprinkled with a lake here or there was much like the drive to Three Rivers.

Around 8pm, the krew rolled up to the Jewel Motel in Kettle Falls. The town was a fairly well off community with a decent town center and a large population. The streets were like the suburban streets of the north shore back home. Before we headed off to dinner, we met a fellow biker staying at the same motel. Tom Swanson hails from Port Angeles, WA. He is doing the bike trip from his hometown to Cleveland as part of a charity ride. As we were leaving, the bikers decided to stick together tomorrow, to keep each other company.