should’ve done something about it sooner, but as i started to pull out of the motel parking lot this morning near 7:30, i found my front brake mechanism was again wobbly. both denise & michelle (group #2′s leader) took it apart & found that the screw was stripped that holds the assembly to the bike frame. i took the bike over to scheels (in the nearby mall) as soon as they opened at 9:30, then waited while the mechanic put in a new screw. at that point it was 10:30, so joanne & i decided not to try catch-up on the road, & got a ride to rugby in the van.
at the town of towner, we stopped to wait for patty. while there we chatted with this fellow; he’s doing the northern tier route from seattle to bar harbor, ME, self-supported & camping along the way. he lives in northern wis. he did the transam route in ’07. on the back of his bike he has a bear canister (with the red & white stripes on its bottom); joann recognizes it from her back-packing adventures. the rider confirmed that that’s where he keeps his food. bears, racoons, & other critters can’t get in.
also at this convenience store were these 2 young cyclists. they’ve both just finished college at different schools on the west coast. they decided to get home to new hampshire via bicycle! they left vancouver about a month ago. given that we’re mainly following adventure cycling’s official northern tier cycling route, we see quite a few cyclists like these.
this large sign along the drive to the convenience store proclaims towner’s claim to fame. that’s linda c. returning to hwy 2 to continue on to rugby.
we got to rugby early afternoon. gloria, joann & i walked a short distance to a little cafe & had lunch. then i spent the rest of the afternoon seeing the sights of rugby. in 3 hours of walking, a person can cover much of rugby! it really is a very attractive & well-kept little town.
a short ways from our motel, the northern lights inn, is the monument proclaiming rugby the geographical center of north america. flags of all 3 countries on this continent fly nearby.
alas, wikpedia’s take on the geographic center doesn’t quite match rugby’s: “The United States Geographical Survey states that the geographic center of North America is ’6 miles west of Balta, Pierce County, North Dakota’ at approximately 48°10′N 100°10′W / 48.167°N 100.167°W / 48.167; -100.167, approximately 15 miles (25 km) from Rugby, North Dakota. The USGS further states that ‘No marked or monumented point has been established by any government agency as the geographic center of either the 50 States, the conterminous United States, or the North American continent.’ Nonetheless, there is a 15-foot (4.5 m) field stone obelisk in Rugby claiming to mark the center.”
also nearby is the northern lights tower & interpretive center. i’m not sure what the tall tower in back of it is for; it’s fenced off so no one can climb it. i’d like to see the northern lights tower illuminated at night, but it stays light so late around here that i can’t imagine being awake then.
also nearby is the prairie village museum. it’s extensive & detailed! old buildings representing life on the prairie have been moved here, & relics of every description from early times populate every building. this photo shows part of the compound; it’s very easy to get from building to building on the boardwalk.
& finally, a caboose. i’ve been hoping to see one. & i got to go inside, too. that was fascinating.
in the corner of one room of a 2-story school was a replica of clifford thompson, the world’s tallest man, who haled from around here.
as i left the museum after an hour or so of browsing, i chatted with the 2 fellows who were greeting & selling tickets at the entry, harlan & john, whose photo is below. i told them what an interesting & well-done museum this is; harlan (on the right) said that many volunteers spend lots of time keeping the displays & grounds in good order.
i stopped by the motel, then walked toward downtown. turned out that nothing was happening on main street late saturday afternoon, but i enjoyed seeing the area. this niewoehner bell tower, near a funeral home close to downtown, is very interesting.
i got back to our motel just in time for the map meeting at 5:30. tomorrow we’ll ride about 81 mi to the spirit lake casino near st. michael’s. we travel mostly on back roads, & often near some lakes. should be pretty.
Advertisement
