Hmm. What to write about on this rest day in Bismarck, North Dakota?

I'm going to start by thanking my wife, Lailla, again! She has been wonderfully supportive of what is primarily my adventure. She has booked lots of hotel rooms, driven almost 3X the miles I've ridden (just since I started riding, not to mention the miles driven from home to Anacortes, Washington), shuttled me to and fro, helped me out of a few jambs like flat tires and out-of-order soda machines, and more. I'm not sure I could have done this without her.

Next, I'd like to thank our friends Carrie and Sherri! They volunteered to be part of the support crew and have been helping Lailla and I for quite a few hundred miles now. They have shuttled me to drop-off spots early in the morning and picked me up late in the afternoon. It's wonderful to have them along for the adventure.

I'd also like to thank my friend Bill who has completed a similar journey across the United States in 2022. Bill and I rode Ride the Rockies together a couple times, which is a week-long tour of Colorado. For his transcontinental ride, he started from his home in Berthoud, Colorado, and headed east. When he reached the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he packed up his bike and flew to San Francisco, California. There he resumed his trek eastward until he reached his home again. Like me, he blogged about his adventure: https://crossingamericabybicycle.com/. I also wanted to point out that Bill started his adventure at 74 years old and he turned 75 years old during the middle of his ride. He worked with Guinness World Records and he can now claim to be the oldest person to have completed a USA transcontinental bike ride. I'm inspired by Bill's ride and the advice he provided to me during the planning stages of my adventure.

And just to make sure there are a couple pictures with each post, here are a couple related to rest day activities:
We did laundry. Here are the jerseys drying on the rack that were used since the previous rest day.

We looked at the maps and tried to plan out reasonable distances and logistics (like hotels) for the next few days. I plan to complete North Dakota after three more days of riding, after which I'll be in Minnesota for three (or possibly four days). I'll probably take a couple rest days in or near Minneapolis to do a little sight-seeing.

Tomorrow I'll finish the last few miles into Bismarck and then proceed on to Napolean, ND. Over and out.

Comments

  1. Bill WallaceAugust 29, 2025 at 11:24 PM

    Thank you for the shout out, Craig. I thank you for the encouragement and support you gave me as I picked up cycling in those Ride the Rockies days. Perhaps a fun fact: When I came through Steamboat on my cross America ride, I took a detour to the free-style skiing water slide you showed us when we did that RtR. Fun memories!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rob TAugust 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM

    Wow! You and Bill are an inspiration!

    ReplyDelete

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