That was quite a thunderstorm last night. I slept a bit damp, but well.

With a shorter ride today and little of apparent interest along the way, todays ride was a good one for reflection. However, there was one interesting sight right outside Napoleon, that put the reflection business on hold.

A row of vintage threshers that a farmer had collected and placed in an interesting arrangement. It’s called Dinosaurs in the Prairie. I took a little walk here and found this farmer’s corn looking pretty good.

Back to reflecting…

Back in February I decided that I would take on this adventure and from that time through to now, the whole process has energized me. Sometimes when I’m peddling through a tough stretch, I’ll remind myself what I’d be doing if I was home. No adventure, no wrong turns, but a lot of the same, safe routines. For me, this excitement and sense of exploration really motivates me to keep going.

Even before I left on this adventure, the thought occurred to me that I should try to find something that would excite me in the same way after this adventure is over. I even mentioned this to a couple of friends. One reply was that you would have plenty of time to think about it over the next three months. The reality has mostly been different, as my mind has been busy with navigating, eating, finding shelter and writing this blog.

However today was different, and that same question came to mind. One thing that is clear, is that finishing my bachelor’s degree must come first. I believe I can do that in two more semesters. One philosophy class, one english class and two more of the dreaded Spanish classes. What then? Should I take all the short stories I have written and put together a book? Should I do more research on the City Point and Army Line Railroad and perhaps write a meaningful book about it? Something else?

Would I do another long bike adventure? Probably not…but some shorter ones could be in the cards.

Tonight, I’m staying in a unique place. I’m in the Honey Hub. This is the basement of Peter and Ginny Miller. Peter is an ex-Apple employee and triathlete, who has joined the family business of beekeeping and spends summers in Gackle, North Dakota tending to his bees. The rest of the year Peter and Ginny tend them in Northern California. They move the bees back and forth, as well. Peter’s father was a Marathoner and beekeeper who wanted to incorporate honey into energy bars. He partnered with several other people to create Honey Stinger. By the way, Honey Stinger products are available from REI!

The Honey Hub is set up as a refuge for passing cyclists. two beds, WI-FI, a bathroom with shower, a laundry, an assortment of Honey Stinger products and cold drinks. If you prefer, you can set your tent up in the yard. There is no charge, but you can make donations. Jason says that since COVID, activity has been slow, I’m the first visitor in a week. He said that before COVID, they would have cyclists almost every night.

40 miles covered today to reach Gackle, but it was enough, as the last couple of days left my legs a bit tired. Total mileage is now 1625. There are not a lot of services between here and Fargo, I’m going to have to plan meals carefully.