Thurs., June 2 - This was my travel day and all went much more smoothly today. The only problem was the road closings in Bismarck due to the flooding. Fortunately, I brought our GPS with me so eventually I got successfully re-directed to the airport. As I was going through the various neighborhoods, it was quite depressing to see so many of the homes with loads of sandbags up against their foundations. I pray that they are successful in preventing flood damage.
Jim and I talked briefly while I was waiting for my connection in Minneapolis and all was well. We talked again when I pulled over on my ride home from Philadelphia. He said that today was a very tiring day, dodging all those trucks on Hwy 200 - traffic was unbelievable. At least the weather was dry, so no wet dirt to splash on him today! He was wondering where he was going to be able to get water. After walking about 20 miles, a sheriff stopped him to check his ID. He asked him about water and he told Jim that there was a small park a mile or two up the road. Well... it was actually 5 miles up the road - a community park in Grassy Butte. There was also a bar in town so Jim checked there to make sure he could set up his tent in the park - no problem. There were actually 11 camping trailers set up there - apparently temporary workers in the area. Needless to say, Jim was the only one in a tent! The park was quite nice - again, picnic tables in a pavilion and electricity for charging his phone and e-reader. Unfortunately somewhere around the 10-mile marker, he realized he was getting a blister coming below his big toe. He really had no choice but to keep walking since he needed water. There was a gentle wind blowing all day, but given the heat (probably 80), the breeze felt good. He is concerned about tomorrow, since heavy winds (gusts up to 50 mph) are forecasted.
We talked again briefly after I got home. He said he still hasn't been hungry all day after that wonderful dinner we had on Wed. evening. He spent much of the evening sitting in the pavilion reading and doing sudoku puzzles. He definitely needed the rest after 9 hours of hiking. He described the evening as brilliantly sunny - breezy but pleasant.
Miles Today - 25..... Total Cumulative Miles - 189.5
Fri., June 3 - We talked around 9am this morning when Jim had been on the road a little over an hour. Today's traffic appears to be construction equipment doing paving. The good news is that they have half of the road shut down, so that means alternate traffic - that should help reduce the vehicle traffic.
We talked again around 1pm when Jim was at his campground - primitive though it may be. He began the conversation with our favorite bible quote: "This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). He said this because he came through the day safely even though the strong wind was trying to blow him into the truck traffic (does he really think I need to hear this?). He said he was often "staggering like an old inebriate". When he got to the sign for the campground, he went down a dirt road for 1/2 mile and there it was - a pavilion with 3 picnic tables, a restroom with a pit toilet (UGH) and no water supply! What kind of campground doesn't have water??? There were plenty of puddles, so he will use that water after treating it (and adding flavoring) to be safe. It was quite a challenge to set up his tent in the heavy wind. He said today's walk was pretty decent and his feet are not hurting him in his sandals. Today's road (the same Hwy 200) had a nice wide shoulder and traffic not as bad as yesterday. He arrived at the campground just before 11am and sat at a picnic table until it became too chilly. At this point, it became too windy for us to hear each other, so he was in his tent. We talked again at 7:30pm and he ended up spending most of the day in his tent - too chilly to be outdoors. He kept checking his tent stakes to make sure they were secure. He actually had to go into the restroom to light his fire to cook supper - how charming! He continues to read Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" on his e-reader. Before leaving home, he was a bit concerned that he wouldn't be able to charge the reader often enough, but so far so good - he is quite pleased not to have to take up the space of actual books.
Miles Today - 11.....Total Cumulative Miles - 200.5
Sat., June 4 - We talked briefly this morning and the wind has died down (thank you, Lord). It was cloudy so far and he was hoping for no rain, since it is quite cool (low 50's). We talked again about 4:30pm when Jim was camped at the town park in Watford City, ND. He arrived in town about 1 pm and had a wonderful lunch at Outlaws Bar & Grill. He said that today's hike was pleasant enough except for the truck traffic, which became heavier and heavier as the day moved on. Today's hike gave him the best scenery in all of No. Dakota so far. As he went through the Badlands, he could see horizontally striated rocks, similar to the Grand Canyon. The placards that he read said that the color is due to a combination of sandstone, shale and clay mixed with lignite coal and scoria. I looked up this last word and it is a "volcanic rock containing many holes or vesicles". Today's hike was quite a bit of up and down walking for the first time - much change in elevation and canyons all over the place. Now for the BAD NEWS - as he was leaving the lunch place, he noticed only one hiking shoe attached to his pack! Somehow, one shoe fell off sometime this afternoon. So he will have no other choice but to wear sandals the rest of the trip, whether it is raining or on gravel roads - certainly not ideal. The good news is that his foot with the blister is not bothering him at all.
He was able to hand wash his clothes and they were drying on a picnic table when we talked. He also showered and shaved, which made him feel a lot better. Again, there were quite a few campers in this park. He was a little nervous crossing the river today - he was pleased to see that the bridge was well above the river (flood stage at other points). However, this bridge had no pedestrian lane. He waited and timed it so only one vehicle was crossing when he did - it was a 4-minute walk - a bit risky but he managed (once again, why does he think he needs to share everything!).
We talked again this evening after Jim came back from Sat. evening Mass at the local church. There were only about 35 people in church - apparently a small congregation. He said it was nice to be able to sit at the picnic table tonight, unlike yesterday (I could hear kids playing in the background).
Miles Today - 20.....Total Cumulative Miles - 220.5
Sun., June 5 - Jim called around 8:45 this morning. He didn't have a great night's sleep last night - too noisy with truck traffic and a very loud motorcycle, When he called he had just finished a great breakfast at a local restaurant on the way out of town. There was no shoulder where he was walking, but a man at the restaurant did say he should have a good wide shoulder most of the way into the next town of Alexander. He said the day was starting out as a beautiful one - nice and sunny and no breeze - he is optimistic for a good day. He is still finding it unusual how late the seasons are in ND - the lilacs are just beginning to bloom - so far behind us. There was a heavy dew this morning so his tent was soaked and he had to pack it up that way. Hopefully it will dry out once he gets to his destination.
Today he is seeing many trucks loaded with dirt in addition to the usual oil tankers.
We talked again around 3:15 and Jim was in the town (Alexander) park with his tent spread out to dry before he sets it up. This park is really very nice - again a picnic table pavilion, a gazebo and a real restroom (although only cold water - he will heat some to wash up). As of now, there is no one else camped here. He says he came through today with flying colors, even though it was surprisingly warm early on - he very quickly shed all layers except for one shirt. As hoped for, there was a decent shoulder to walk on most of the way today. He reports that Alexander is a neat little (emphasis on little) town. The post office (where he will have a re-supply package waiting tomorrow morning) is across the street from the park. there is also a bar but it does not appear to be open.
He next said "I've got a good story for you" (you always have to wonder when he starts out like that!). Around the 7 or 8 mile mark today, Jim's legs starting feeling unusually tired for that early in the day. Then he said he felt the beginning of a leg cramp - not good. He quickly decided it was probably an electrolyte imbalance (you go, Dr. Gregoire). He carries NUUN tablets with him - mix one with water or any liquid and it usually does the trick. Unfortunately, you need about 16 ounces of liquid and he really didn't think he could spare that much water so early in the day. Around 10am, he actually found a 12-pack of various soft drink cans by the side of the road. They apparently had dropped off someones truck - two were damaged in the fall, but the others were perfectly fine - "ask and you shall receive". Some of the cans that had fallen into the grass were actually still nice and cold. He drank 1.5 cans of Mountain Dew (with the electrolyte tablet mixed in) right away and took a can of orange drink with him.
Now Jim says you may believe one of three things (I think you'll know what we believe):
- this was pure coincidence
- this was an answer to prayers (with the time difference I was praying in Mass at this time)
- this was the work of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers
You choose!!! Yesterday, something falling was Jim's undoing (losing his shoe). Today, something falling was his rescue! He felt completely better after drinking the Mountain Dew.
Jim had to walk in full sun today - absolutely no shade anywhere along the route. When he got to town, the bank sign read 82. When we talked he was sitting under a fir tree since it was the only place with shade.
Jim made an interesting observation today. Despite all of the heavy truck traffic (even tandem oil tankers), the ND roads are in excellent shape - no frost heaves or pot holes). This is in sharp contrast to our east coast roads. They appear to make their road surfaces differently than we do. They are much thicker and durable - maybe we should learn from that!
Jim expects a lot less truck traffic after he leaves Alexander tomorrow. The road will fork outside of town and Jim will head west and he is pretty sure that the truckers will head north. Tomorrow will be an eventful day - he will cross the border into Montana - one more state will be done.
We talked again around 6:45pm and Jim had just finished a delightful conversation with a couple who was just kind of hanging out in the gazebo. They had a black & white pit bull with them and the dog was very friendly with the kids in the park. They asked Jim "what are you doing, hiking through here?" So Jim gave them an abbreviated version of his "hiking across the country" story and they chatted a while longer. They told him they were going to drive to Williston to go to WalMart and try and get a tent since there were no motel rooms available. They had just found out that there is no marriage license waiting period in ND, so they were planning to get married tomorrow! Jim said she appeared quite young and he was quite a bit older and covered with tattoos!
Jim was able to charge his phone and e-reader in the park and he finished the Dan Brown book and had started a Jodi Picoult one. The day was still quite warm and he was planning to cook his dinner soon.
Miles Today - 21.....Total Cumulative Miles - 241.5
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