Well, today was rather difficult... the first challenge was getting out of my own bed! It's true what Rory said - don't sleep at home on the last night if you live in Minot, it's really tough to get out of bed.

Once we did get out of bed and ate cereal, we were on the road by 7:00. We got out of bed at 6. We then ate cereal, and realized how cold it was. Ron was smart, opting to wear a sweatshirt.

The wind was STRONG from the west, while we headed south. It slowly changed a little to the north, but it was still a terrible crosswind.

Jesse & I quit waiting for Ronnie, he was slowing us down and people were getting tired of Jesse and I passing them, stopping, letting them pass us while we waited for Ron, and then pass them again.

I could tell we had slept in, as the faster, more familiar group of people we recognized (including the Colorado people) were way ahead of us, and we were passing everyone.

Anyway, Jesse & I got to Max and rested, called his mom. Then we continued on our way, after a conversation with a gas station worker, a candy bar, and Jesse filling his water bottles with pop.

Twelve miles later, the cross winds that were helping us became our enemy... headwinds of 30 mph or so .. for six miles.

I had to concentrate on the activities of the week, day by day remembering what happened as I pedaled. If I concentrated on pedaling, the trip would seem to take forever and be impossible. I was passed by a man who said "Boy, this is gonna leave a lasting impression!", since there were only six miles left of CANDISC, perhaps the toughest six miles.

In the end, I was very happy I did it. My knees were sore and I was tired when I reached Garrison, but I had a good time. I was glad Ronnie came along and it was nice to meet Phil. I was surprised at his determination. He had a crummy bike for much of the time, he hadn’t trained for the ride at all, and he still made the trip.