28 miles out and back to Mandan
My hosts in Bismarck showed me the North Dakota Fourth of July. We rode bikes to Mandan (across the Missouri River) this morning to see the parade (marching bands, local businesses, lots of farm equipment, fire engines, antique cars, etc. After the parade had mostly finished we continued to the “Art in the Park” festival to see lots of booths of crafts, woodworking, tie-dye, jewelry from a large number of vendors. It was a really fun day and obviously very different from the Seattle celebration.
Philip and Laurie rode one of their three tandems:
I rode my bike with no panniers to weigh me down, and it made it feel so easy!
The weather was hot all day (97 in the afternoon when we were riding back to the house), and then a thunderstorm passed through and dumped rain for about an hour. There has been a drought here since early spring, so everyone is glad to get some rain.
Thank you for all the encouraging comments on yesterday’s post. One of the big learning experiences of this trip has been for me to figure out how I want my tour to go. From my conversations with other cyclists on long-distance trips, I have recognized that everyone needs to figure out what kind of tour they want. Some riders want to camp every night without every paying for a campsite. Some want to cover 70 miles or more a day. Now I’m realizing that I need to plan on 50-mile days, more or less, unless there is a reason why I need to cover more. And I need more days off, and/or more short days, especially if the weather is hot or there is a lot of wind. The heat over the next few days (or maybe more than that) is going to be a challenge. It’s 90 percent mental – for sure.
Judy's Bike Ride 2017 
So glad you have found some solutions to problems that have come up. And great to hear you’re adapting your ride to fit what you are discovering about how you want to travel. Thanks for all the good updates. And keep having a good adventure!
I look forward to hearing about what you do to tailor your trip to your wants and needs. Sometimes it takes a while to know what they are, and to let go of preconceptions or assumptions. Sounds like you are more clear now about what works for you. I worry about the heat – take good care of yourself with enough water! I look forward to your next post.