Thursday July 12, 2012

Left this morning and stopped in at another Walmart before hitting the road. We need a new battery for the camera and some more SmartWater. Unfortunately they didn't carry our battery. When I checked the tire pressure this morning we were a bit low (the Bridgestone guys at WingDing recommended I run 41 pounds of pressure in both the front and rear tires of their Bridgestone Exedra tires) so we stopped at a gas station for air and I topped off the tank. We eventually were back on highway 2 headed west at 0830. Again the ride on the 2 was peaceful, passing by farms and forest lands. It was amazing to see the damage caused by the sever storm the area near Grand Rapids experienced about a week ago. So many trees were snapped in two by the winds that blew through the area. The twisted and downed trees went on for miles. In all the carnage one of the things that we both commented on was the fresh smells from the forest lands. You know there is a reason they call Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes! We passed by so many lakes big and small, just beautiful! There is something about riding a motorcycle and smelling all the scents in the air (the majority of them are pleasant!) We stopped for lunch at a deli in a little town called Fosston. After lunch we finished the ride through Minnesota and arrived in North Dakota. Again, the "welcome" sign to North Dakota was on a bridge and no place to stop! Kinda bumming about that as I really like showing the bike and the states welcome sign! Oh well maybe tomorrow Montana will do it right! Speaking of states, so far I have travelled through 18 states and a few a couple times like Washington, Oregon, and Oklahoma. After we passed through Grand Forks, North Dakota we noticed to the northwest of us the skies turn dark and the temperature dropping. We started getting a few sprinkles and the winds began to pick up. The weather channel this morning called for thunderstorms in the area and it sure looked as they were brewing. Not wanting to get caught in the storm I wanted to outrun the rain. We made it to a little town called Devil's Lake, North Dakota and checked into a hotel around 3:30pm that had a carport awning, so I was able to park the bike in a weather protected area. We rode 283 miles today for a total of 7,968.

Job 36:33 His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.