Journey to the center of North America: Part 6

Way back in July 2010 the Man of 3 Names and I set out from Grand Forks, ND on bicycles to sojourn to the Center of North America (Rugby.) I continue this story as we head west towards our destination and spend the night amongst old things.

It was a bit chilly the morning of July 5th. Dew had settled upon our tents. The bathrooms were still closed. We ate a bit then torn down camp. We stopped at the local watering hole to use the facilities before heading out.

By then the sun had come up and it was getting a bit warm. 

What we failed to realize was Munich was the birthplace of Quentin Burdick, former Senator of North Dakota. No plaque enlightened us to this fact.

We headed south a bit then west along a rail road which happened to hold a lot of rolling stock. Not sure why these cars were stored here but we encountered quite a few spots along the tracks where there were a mile of cars. 

We passed Calio which just looked like one big farm.

We stopped at Egeland to have a rest.

We continued and could see a storm front descending upon us. I surmised we could find shelter under one of the railroad cars along the railroad. 3 Names felt we could bypass the brunt of the storm by heading south immediately on a country road. We did and it didn't help. Rain and hail pelted us as we tried our best to speed our way down a gravel road. 

Eventually the rain subsided and we picked up US-281 and rode it into Cando. It rained off and on during that stretch. We found shelter in a park and made some hot beverages while I consulted with our home contact. Below is a photo of the Cando Auditorium. It was a remarkable building in a pretty regular farm town.

The options were limited- continue south to Church's Ferry or head west to a place called the Hawk Museum. With the former option we would concede our goal to get to Rugby. The latter sounded like a bird sanctuary in the middle of nowhere but it was better than quitting my quest to get to the center of North America. I called the place and told them 2 bikers were coming. I did a little re-supplying and we headed west once again.

After further drudgery of biking into the wind, 3 Names and I found ourselves at the Hawk Museum. The place was mostly deserted except for one cat that wandered around. The Hawk Museum has nothing to do with raptors or birds. It is a sort of farm and olden times living museum which has a campground. There were a smattering of old building including a church and various barns. Also there were many old steam tractors and old ag implements on the grounds. 

With no one to direct us we set up camp near a picnic bench under a canopy of trees and fixed dinner. There was a mobile home parked nearby but it appeared to be unoccupied. However, there were bathrooms with showers and they were open! As I prepared my dinner a intermittent rain storm passed through. I was not happy. I had enough rain for one day.

I took a warm shower that night. It felt good. 

The rains brought in a cold front so I had to dress in layers that evening. At this point I wish I had brought something long sleeved. I ended up wearing my arm warmers to bed.