Evan Malinchock

I woke up with a massive crick in my neck due to the awkward sleeping position that I volunteered to take up on a mini couch. But today was not a day for complaints, today was Brian's birthday and my gift to him was an absence of complaining. We quickly packed up our stuff in the biker hostel and said goodbye to our westbound friends. We thankfully made it out on the road in a break in the rain, but after an hour or so of riding the downpour began again.

Trying to outrun a storm heading our way

The rain that we have received recently is the type that makes you forget that being dry was ever a concept. It soaks you to your bones and leaves your whole body looking and feeling like a raisin. Instead of being just another negative post about how rain is putting me down, here's some positives of the rain:

You never get hot
It hides your tears super well
You never really need your water bottle
???

After grinding out 40 miles in torrential rain and powerful headwinds, we pulled off at a cafe in Marion where we drank coffee and played cards while waiting out the rain for a good three hours. Once we got kicked out of the cafe, we hit the road again but this time the rain subdued to a light drizzle! The next 36 miles zipped by as the scenery changed from fields to river valleys to forests and as our bodies began to dry out from the relentless winds!

We pulled into Enderlin, North Dakota exhausted from the long day, but after filling ourselves with pizza, cookies, and birthday cupcakes we set our tents up in a park near downtown. The day was a tough one but the prospect of a new state fueled us to continue on despite the horrid conditions.