family photos

So I'm sitting here in the kitchen of trip leader Isaiah Berg's family's farm in rural North Dakota. It's Starkweather, to be exact, a tiny town of about 150 people, 26 miles north of Devils Lake, where we actually rode 116 miles into this afternoon. Upon arriving at a church there, where our bikes and gear are stored, we were trucked, vanned and school bussed up to the farm. Isaiah drove me and a few others up, along the way telling us everything he could about the countryside around us, frequently pointing to distant tree lines that he identifies with specific neighbors. We'll be staying here tonight, eating some good food, taking tractor rides, petting the horses (maybe milking the cows), and sleeping under the stars, if the sky decides to clear.

Its a small house, filled with more people than is probably safe (us and probably the entire town of Starkweather), but the land is huge. Isaiah told us that his family farms about 4,500 acres, in addition to the cattle and few horses they also raise(both for milk and beef). His family is incredibly nice, and along with his neighbors (i.e. the people that live within a 5 mile radius of him), they seem to be cooking up an amazing meal for us. Lining the wall are photos from Isaiah and his siblings younger years, as well as (auto?)biographical binders of each child's life. The one of Isaiah is pretty enjoyable. He's a smart kid, spelling bee champ and even Presidential Scholar (overachiever extraordinaire). But he photos are the most amusing.

There are people all surrounding me, some waiting to use the computer, so I'll end soon. The ride was nice, pretty fast, we had little wind, with the exception of a rare tailwind late in the day. There were a few incidents, however. At about mile 27, while in an incredibly fast paceline of 14 riders (averaging probably 22 mph), Quang hit a rock and took a massive spill right in front of me. I thought he was going to take me and the rest of the people behind me out, but he swerved into the road and we all managed to miss him. A disaster seemed imminent, but it was averted. Poor Quang though, it was his second spill of the trip. Then around mile 100, we ran into a bad thunderstorm and had to take cover under some lady's porch in the middle of nowhere. It was pretty scary, we were seeing lightning in the distance for probably 5-10 miles before the clouds got really low, the lightning got really close, and I thought I was going to die. Other people took refuge in a Dairy Queen, some beside a hay bail, and others stupidly rode through it. I don't know how they were so brave, my heart was pounding, and I was ducking ridiculously on my bike, thinking that somehow I would be safer if I moved my face closer to my handlebars. Anyway, we left at 6 this morning, and with a few unplanned delays, made it to Devils Lake at 2PM. I'd say that was a pretty good pace.