69.6 miles, 2020′ of climbing, (1533.7 tot) – to read from the beginning, click here.
Alex, the guy we talked with yesterday afternoon, proved to be a weather seer. Today we did indeed have a tailwind and it was delicious. Still had 70 miles to cover today and it took us 7 hours. We made a stop at the market in Napolean as the bartender at Dina’s told us they had better selection and prices than the Co-op in Gackle (which wasn’t much more than a convenience store).
We finally pulled into Hazleton about 4 and went to the campground and took showers but did not setup the tent yet. We passed The Ugly bar on the way in and headed that way. I saw a Credit Union and was waiting for a local to get cash, but he was having such trouble seeing the screen in the sunlight that I said I’d come back when it was darker. At the bar, we met the owner/bartender, Jessica, and Gwen, a retired teacher. A minute later, the guy who was at the CU ATM came in and we quickly learned that Tim was Gwen’s husband, who for some reason sat at the other end of the bar from Gwen. They seemed to like each other.
A bit later, Doug sauntered in and since Jessica was in the back cleaning, walked around the bar and got his own drink. Doug was a bit on the sarcastic side, to say the least, but he warmed up once Dana worked her magic. Soon, we were hearing their stories. Since it was happy hour, mixed drinks were $3. We started off with Gin & Tonics to toast the first anniversary of Dana’s dad Bill’s passing. I switched to beer, but Dana had another G&T and then a shot of Bullit Bourbon.
That proved to be a mistake. Well, not that shot, but all we had to eat was bar popcorn (the local restaurant closes early) and then Doug & Dana got her another one. THAT was the straw. Soon we were saying good-byes and giving everyone a hug, and Dana was, let’s just say, a bit tipsy. The pics tell some more of that story.
Back at the campground/park, there were many families and a group playing volleyball, so I laid Dana down on the picnic table bench and started making dinner. Tonight I actually cooked the 89 cent Mac & Cheese we got at the market in Napoleon. While I was heating the water, Gwen stopped by with a big block of Velveeta and a tube of Ritz crackers. She said Dana might need to eat something more than popcorn. As mentioned above, it was way too late for that. I tried to feed her some cheese & crackers, and later Mac & Cheese, but she wasn’t having it. I finished the M&C, cleaned up, and by that time the park was deserted except for us and a couple of RVrs.
I set up the tent and moved the bikes to the pavilion next to our spot, plugged the devices in to charge and fetched Dana and helped her to the tent. She slept soundly. Tomorrow we head to Bismark and a couple of camping options.
Hah! This reads like a sitcom pilot : )