Day One Hundred Eighty-five, Date Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Time in Saddle: 8:19
Distance for the Day: 90.85 miles From Alvwood To Pitt, MN
Accumulated Trip Distance: 9126.8 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 1058’/942’, Highest: 1187’ Accumulated: 725’
Speeds: Avg: 10.9 mph, Max: 27.6 mph
Weather: 48° clear, hazy warming to mid-70s with cumulous puffies
Expenditures: $28
Time in Saddle: 8:19
Distance for the Day: 90.85 miles From Alvwood To Pitt, MN
Accumulated Trip Distance: 9126.8 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 1058’/942’, Highest: 1187’ Accumulated: 725’
Speeds: Avg: 10.9 mph, Max: 27.6 mph
Weather: 48° clear, hazy warming to mid-70s with cumulous puffies
Expenditures: $28
Woke up and got up at 6am to a cool, clear, but foggy morning, with tendrils of fog drifting around at treetop level, and fog on surface of lake. It was cool enough to keep the mosquitoes dormant, so the ones that were still on my tent, I killed just by pushing on them with the tip of my finger – got about a dozen of ‘em (heh, heh!) I ate a banana, changed my “croth” (crotch cloth), and suddenly realized: I forgot my cheap, brown jacket that I got in San Simeon, CA back at the coffee shop (Demitol!) I would have to get another cheap jacket again, soon. I broke camp and was ready to roll at 6:56am. I entered
Northam at 8:18am, and got a choco drink, muffin for breakfast, and some trailmix, too ($7). I spoke with the local hardware store owner, gave him my blog site, and he was able to give me some valuable info on the road conditions in the NW Angle (he actually owns the northernmost property in the contiguous 48 United States, which is an island). The road is hard-packed dirt and gravel, which my trike should be able to travel, so it looked like I would be able to hit that northernmost point, after all. Along the route up, I saw my first live porcupine at 11:15am. I chased it a bit and took some pictures. Slow critters, that bristle their spines when
approached/threatened. Of course, this approach doesn’t work on cars, which is why when I usually see a porcupine, it’s all smushed-up on the roadway. The road up to Baudette was long, flat, and surrounded as far as the eye could see with brush and some low trees sticking up. I had a nice tailwind, which made things a bit quicker – always appreciated when the weather is cool. The sky was totally clear blue. I made Baudette at 4:40pm, and stopped at a conveniently placed and timely sports clothing store to replace my light velour jacket ($21). All they had was black,
or avocado green, and the women’s fit me best, so I got the black. I went until about 7:45pm – the camp prospects weren’t very good, so I took what I could get: a gravel road perpendicular to the main road that didn’t seem like it would get much traffic (N48 44.014’ W94 49.635’). I set up my tent on the side by 8:15pm and hopped in, whereupon a vehicle drove by about a minute later. Great. But, they didn’t stop or hassle me, so I guess I was still okay. A few more vehicles whizzed past, making my tent fly flap a bit, but still no problems. I read my book and ate and drank for a short bit, but went to sleep pretty quick – about 8:45pm. There was one more
annoying vehicle pass at 4:50am, but other than that, I got some good sleep. There were mosquitoes, but not too aggressive, so I didn’t get any hits (yay!).
Northam at 8:18am, and got a choco drink, muffin for breakfast, and some trailmix, too ($7). I spoke with the local hardware store owner, gave him my blog site, and he was able to give me some valuable info on the road conditions in the NW Angle (he actually owns the northernmost property in the contiguous 48 United States, which is an island). The road is hard-packed dirt and gravel, which my trike should be able to travel, so it looked like I would be able to hit that northernmost point, after all. Along the route up, I saw my first live porcupine at 11:15am. I chased it a bit and took some pictures. Slow critters, that bristle their spines when
approached/threatened. Of course, this approach doesn’t work on cars, which is why when I usually see a porcupine, it’s all smushed-up on the roadway. The road up to Baudette was long, flat, and surrounded as far as the eye could see with brush and some low trees sticking up. I had a nice tailwind, which made things a bit quicker – always appreciated when the weather is cool. The sky was totally clear blue. I made Baudette at 4:40pm, and stopped at a conveniently placed and timely sports clothing store to replace my light velour jacket ($21). All they had was black,
or avocado green, and the women’s fit me best, so I got the black. I went until about 7:45pm – the camp prospects weren’t very good, so I took what I could get: a gravel road perpendicular to the main road that didn’t seem like it would get much traffic (N48 44.014’ W94 49.635’). I set up my tent on the side by 8:15pm and hopped in, whereupon a vehicle drove by about a minute later. Great. But, they didn’t stop or hassle me, so I guess I was still okay. A few more vehicles whizzed past, making my tent fly flap a bit, but still no problems. I read my book and ate and drank for a short bit, but went to sleep pretty quick – about 8:45pm. There was one more
annoying vehicle pass at 4:50am, but other than that, I got some good sleep. There were mosquitoes, but not too aggressive, so I didn’t get any hits (yay!).
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