We left Wolf Point after breakfast at an expensive cafe. I don't remember the name. The food was average and the price was high. The kids went to McDonald's instead to save some money.

We will spend the next several days on or right next to Highway 2. Today we took a side road and it was not too bad. It stayed paved and there was almost no traffic. We had the wind at our backs and were making great time. Then Chris told me to slow down because nobody else could keep up. Hmmm I guess 16 mph with a tailwind is just too fast for the rest. Though my speed came in handy when I hit 22 mph trying to get away from a mean dog. Nobody else could catch me to spray the dog, but they were yelling and able to distract him. Thank goodness!

They had a HOT but good day today. Roger said it hit the low 90's, but they also had a "kind of" tailwind today. They were all very happy not to be facing into the wind for yet another day. He also said the traffic was lighter and they had better shoulders to ride on today.

We talked about Glacier National Park, a stop they hope to make and spend about 2-3 days at. About a week ago they met a biker who came through there. He said it wasn't open yet because they still had about 3 feet of snow. I guess the park averages about 30 feet of snow a year. So 3 feet left isn't too bad by July!?!?!! The hope is by the time they make it there in about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks the snow will be gone. These 90 degree days should really help with that issue.

We woke up in the fabulous city park in Circle, packed our things, and left to find breakfast. There were not many choices, so we returned to Kays because it was the choice and it was close to where we needed to go anyway.

After breakfast we left on the highway towards Wolf Point. There was not much of a shoulder for us to ride on, but the traffic was light and were moving over nicely for us. We were told at breakfast that the road was hilly and we had the wind against us AGAIN! We can't see to catch a break with mother nature....I think she may have a bounty on our heads!

Yahhhhhh, they are back on Hwy 2. They made up the 100 miles they lost by driving south to safely get out of North Dakota. I did some checking, and this means they are about 240 miles short of what they would have pedaled if they could've just continued across on Hwy 2. Not to worry folks, they will make this up in little ways. They don't count the miles when they bike for food or to a store for needs like more tires and/or tubes. (I don't really care if they make it up or not, just as long as they are safe.) For those who have chosen to donate to Katie's 2 Fundraisers like I have, believe me, she has more than earned the $$$ you have committed to. I am so proud of Katie. She chose to help others while doing this bike trip.

So, continuing our adventure from yesterday, we dropped the truck off in Glendive Montana... over 100 miless off route. We figured the 100 miles wouldnt' be too bad.......we were wrong. The bike gods must be angry that we rode in a truck earlier.

First, it was hot. Really hot. We have been struggling to keep warm with most days at 59 to 61F, now it is 90F plus? We are not used to this! You know it is hot when you search for shade anywhere you can get it.

Yesterday was an overall good day for our group. They turned the rental in and quickly got back on track. They made it to Circle and camped in a city park. After the stress of the decision and then actually fleeing all that flooding, they all sound like they are back in riders mode. As the picture and blog from Chris shows, Chuck is never far from their minds either.

They did get a good workout yesterday. The weather was hot, the ride was almost a headwind all day and it was pretty much uphill the whole way. They climbed 1000 feet in 1 day. Here is Rogers perspective: Devils Lake, ND is at 1600 ft. - Glendive, MT is at 2200 ft. - Circle, MT is at 3200 ft. Yup, a workout.

Sorry for the delayed post. It has been a rough couple days. As you know, we headed for Devils Lake because it was a larger town with more services if we were to need any additional options for dealing with the flooding.

We woke up in Devils lake after Roger and I speant another long night trying to find a route accross North Dakota. After several calls to the DOT, crossing options off on a state map, there was only 1 remaining road open to the south. Nothing to the North. Only the Interstate to the West. We needed to get South, and on the interstate. The news and DOT revealed that conditions were getting worse, and more towns were being evacuated. Several towns were cut in half, some areas with no reliable roads at all.

Our group is safely out of North Dakota. They arrived about 10:15 this morning in Glendive, MT. They returned the rental and headed to a grocery store to stock up. Next they will plan out a new route to get them back to the Adventure Cycling route. Just a quick note to let you all know the latest info. More later.

This was a difficult yet somewhat easy day for our group. They needed to know exactly what they were facing with the dangerous flooding in Minot. They hear on the news that the water level is beginning to drop, yet everytime they check the DOT maps there are more roads closed. They also know the alternate route they thought they could take has been made into a major detour for all highway traffic. This has now become so dangerous for them as bicyclists, they called the NDDOT this morning to find out what their options were. Can they get through Minot in 2, 3 or 4 days (it will take them 2 to 3 days to bike there)? What they were told was the flooding is extremely dangerous with more roads being closed all the time. There is no way to predict when they could get through Minot.

The day started after leaving the Prarie View Lodge in Piken. We ate breakfast from our packs, and hit the road. I highly recommend this lodge, although not if you are sensitive to perfumes.... why hotels can't try to remove smells rather than adding more is beyond me. North Dakota is great, but the state is not big in indoor air quality. We have been in grocery stores that would be condemned in Wisconsin, every place seems to have mold and mildew problems, and I think every roof in the state leaks. Nobody seems to mind....they just add some perfume. Also, the state still allows smoking, so hotel rooms and restaraunts always have a funk.