Day 4: Wednesday

Depart: 6:08 A.M.
Time in Motion: 5:42:31
Distance: 100.12 mi.
Average: 17.5 mph.
Max: 35.9 mph.
Temperature: 83 °F
Wind: SE, light

The alarm sounded in the motel room shortly before five. I reluctantly climbed out of the ever-so-pleasant cot.

Before long, I found myself having a bowl of raisin bran in the casino buffet. Once again, I enjoyed my breakfast in the company of Ed and Vi.

Once on the road, I was smiling. The sun was creeping above the horizon and the fog was just starting to burn off. Frequent hills dotted the area as well, which surprised me. Here are some snapshots of the morning scenery:

After a few miles, I came across an odd structure perched atop a hill . I later learned from William Jackson's More Dakota Mysteries and Oddities that this "Skyline Skiway" was built in 1932. Its design is similar to the Lake Placid ski jump of the same era. The jump is 118 feet long and has a slope of 38 degrees. This jump and others like it in the state were used by Olympic skiers. The jump closed in 1938 but still stands today.

Before long, I came upon some Burma-Shave-like signs informing me that I was about to go to heaven. With a bit of concern, I pedaled onward. Before long I arrived, as promised, in Heaven -- a wonderful rest stop put on by the New Life Fellowship. As I pulled up to the stop, a crop duster was just taking off from the highway adjacent to the rest stop .

Once the plane had departed, I walked through the pearly gates , signed my name in the Book of Life, visited with angels , and had a "heavenly" snack. Everyone seemed very pleased to visit Heaven, and I hope they win for "best rest stop." They have my vote so far. But I still say the next rest stop should have been "Hell."

When I arrived in Fessenden, I took the century option -- a few extra miles to make my total mileage for the day over 100. The "option" consisted of a ride straight north of Fessenden a few miles and a return trip on the same road . Even with the option, my bike computer said I was four miles short. To get the century, I rode west of town for a couple miles and back. Other bikers said they came up short on the miles as well.

Once Jesse and I set up camp, we wandered around for a while. Fessenden's strategy for extracting biker money was a combination of vendor booths near the campground and a beer garden. The beer garden seemed to be quite popular with the bikers and the locals. The vendor booths included crafts, all kinds of home-baked goods, and my personal favorite, the raspberry sundaes made with fresh-picked raspberries.

For supper, Jesse and I opted to visit Rosa's Pizza. Rosa's is a small, family-owned pizza business that has franchises in Montana, Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, South Dakota, and Texas, according to Cliff Naylor's Dakota Day Trips. The pizza was delicious. Highly recommended by this biker.

We joked that all a CANDISCer does is ride bike and eat. Today was certainly no exception.

Snapshots from Fessenden
Old-fashioned billboard on the back of the hotel:
Fessenden Co-op Association Elevator: