It was great to get back on the bicycle today. It's been too long and I've been itching to move forward. The terrain was very flat and a fairly steady cross wind was blowing as I travelled south from Grand Forks.
The shoulders were generally pretty good except for one section where they had decided to create rumble strips that covered about 80% of the shoulder. Combine that with bushes encroaching from the ditches and it made for an interesting obstacle course for about 20km.
Rochelle missed me when I had stopped at a visitor center and ended up almost at Fargo before she realized it. So we decided to just meet at the campground. As a result, food for the day was limited to a few protein bars and I even ran out of water just as I was entering Fargo. That is the first time that I've emptied my 3 litre hydration system on a day. I guess it's getting hotter.
Instead of taking the highways around Fargo to reach our campsite, I decided to go through town. It was a much more interesting ride although I had to constantly stop and figure out where I was.
Our campsite is quite a nice spot at the bend of the Red River.
With a weekend coming up, we are going to have to be more careful about getting a place to camp. This campground was quite booked up and one that we called for tomorrow night is already full. I guess the summer camping season is in full bloom!
Now that we've reached an area that is more populated, there are more options for routes to take from one place to another. It looks like I can reach Fergus Falls tomorrow via smaller roads instead of taking the interstate. The following day, it looks like I should be able to spend most of the day on a paved abandoned railroad. I am looking forward to that!