Day 22 Barrett, MN -> Sisseton, SD via North Dakota

Friday 12 August 2011. First Day Week 4
It would have been easy to stay another day at “Pearls Place” in Barrett, MN but we have to move on. Today we will add two new states to our quiver. 
The weather radar showed two nasty storms systems moving east. One was just below our route the other a little above it.  Could we be so lucky that the 30 mile corridor we are riding will be rain free?? Well we were. No rain, no hail or wind just over cast sky’s and moderate temperatures.

Ten miles out of town an older well dressed women passed us in her car and stopped.  She wanted to know where we were going and where we came from.  She told us she used to have a restaurant and would give free breakfasts to cross country cyclist.  Another good person doing good things for others, this country is full of them.

Sometimes when you enter a new state on a remote back road there is no sign or even a marker identifying the border crossing.  We try and get a photo next to each states “Welcome” sign whenever possible. When our GPS said we entered North Dakota there was no “welcome sign” to be found. We knew this would be the case from looking at that location with Google Earth. We knew the only available welcome sign is on the highway. 


 We rode our bikes past the Dakota Magic Casino on the border to the on ramp of the freeway up to the sign. For some reason that lane of the freeway was closed to traffic so it was done easily and safely.

Some photos are just harder to get.

As we crossed the Bois de Sioux River into South Dakota we could see some people fishing below the bridge.

The river was flowing swiftly over a spillway.  In the water were a few Pelicans working.  It seemed a bit odd to see a bird like this in the Midwest! Last time I saw a Pelican I was in Florida!  The river was beautiful and full of fish.  We could see them jumping up out of the water and returning with a splash. Most fish looked to be about 16 to 18” long.  The Pelicans would try and gobble up any fish that jumped too close.

Not far from the river you could see a change in the landscape. It looked like we may see some more varied vegetation when we saw a field of beets growing and a curving road.  But this soon gave way to straight flat riding.

A  while later we crossed the north/south Continental Divide.

We see less corn and more wheat and hay being harvested. But there is still plenty of corn to look at.  It is incredible the amount of corn we have seen so far beyond what anyone could imagine without seeing it.
We ended our day in Sisseton, SD.  A small town in the middle of a soybean field.

Tomorrow if all goes as planned we will rendezvous with the package that was shipped to us on Monday from Connecticut.  Inside the box we have new tires tubes and some other needed supplies, maybe some goodies from the bakery?.

89 Miles

1566 Feet of Climbing

Temperature 60 - 75 degrees




And now today's report from the WWTII reporter on the road

2:30 PM EST.  North Dakota complete.  Looks flat
11:18 AM CST (12:18 PM EST) The team reports crossing the border into South Dakota from Minnesota.  Headed for North Dakota to check in and then head South West into SD to land in Sisseton.
Updates as they are available

On the road to North Dakota.