North Dakota Hospitality

Day 33: Devil's Lake to Lakota, ND--28 miles

This was going to be our day off, but we decided to do a short ride to get us closer to Minnesota. We left very early again because we were inspired by very overcast skies. I had been wondering how I could possibly handle another sunny hot day. My nose is bright red and hurts when I make any nose-wrinkling expression. The SPF 54 we have put on every day is just overwhelmed by the sweat and the hot sun. So the clouds were very welcome!

Devil's Lake appeared along the side of the road for a good portion of our ride. It seems to have grown up out of the farmland. Since 1993, it has been getting bigger during every rainy season, and doesn't shrink during the other years. As it has grown, is has taken out some ranches and houses in the low-lying areas. They are still there in the middle of the lake--just filled with water! And the lake is HUGE--about 30 feet deep, and now considered the premium spot for walleye fishing in the world!

We saw white pelicans again today and lots of the ducks that make this a prime duck hunting area (hunters and fishers, take note!). And we got passed by a million boats who were on their way homr from the weekend's fishing tournament. It reminded me of home and the fishing on Grand Lake. As we passed by all these wetlands and lake spots, we were bombarded by bug clouds! Suddenly, you would be pelted with about 100 bugs at once--and heaven help you if your mouth was open! As Jeff Russell can attest from taking lots of pictures of me, my mouth was open for EVERY single bug cloud!

We stopped in Lakota at the SunLac Inn at about 10:30 (yes, the end of our day). It was PACKED with people! This is the town's gathering place on Sunday (the only place open), and today was especially busy because it was the end of the Polkafest. There was bedlam in the lobby with people checking out and people paying for their breakfast. Of course, this is a town with 781 residents and 6 churches, and everyone goes to SunLac for Sunday brunch! What a hoot! We really enjoyed meeting and talking with the locals.

Another gang of friendly people in North Dakota--as we've come to expect. Great folks and they are all very interested in our adventures. Here is our impression of ND--towns punctuated with a church on almost every block (many Lutheran and some Catholic, with other denominations thrown in). Beautiful, manicured lawns with fabulous flower gardens at almost every house. A fantastic North Dakota accent that you love to listen to. Very civilized and the residents have lots of pride in their small towns. People here seem to be Nordic descendants--with last names like Bjorn, Olsen, Nelson, etc. This state has a different feel than the "Wild West" feeling we got in Montana, and we have really enjoyed our time here.

We lounged all afternoon--took showers, naps, toured the town, and David cleaned the bikes so we'll be FAST tomorrow! We're bound for Minnesota!