Day 35 & 36

Day 35
51 Miles
I woke up to the sounds of thunder. I packed up quickly. I back tracked 2 miles to the closest town. I wasn't about to have a day like yesterday. The rain was light after breakfast. I bought some actual food for the day. I didn't want to rely on C-stores.
I hit a detour about 15 miles into my day. I headed North to make my own detour. I rode a very busy US-20 for nearly 20 miles. It was a direct route into Fargo though. I was very ready to be in North Dakota. I was beginning to tire of Minnesota. Maybe tire isn't the right word, rather I was just ready to be somewhere new. I was ready for some progress. I came to a Walmart shortly before Fargo. I purchased a new inner tube (I should have just bought some good patches). It was getting later in the afternoon and I wanted to find the campground in Fargo as early as possible, so I opted to wait to change the tire.
I rode into Moorehead, which is basically the Minnesotan side of Fargo. I crossed the Red River and just like that I was in Fargo. Hello North Dakota! I maneuvered my way through the city. I followed a lot of bike trails. Somewhere along the way my tire finally gave up. I walked the last 2 or so miles to the city park with a campground. I set up along the Red River. I asked a random Ontarian couple if I could charge my cellphone at their RV's power outlet. They kindly obliged. I must mention that Fargo has terrible AT&T service. I was appalled by how slow it was. I had a feeling that most of North Dakota might be the same.
I fixed my tire before showering and eating.
There was rain before I went to sleep. I joked with a friend on the phone that they would be sorry if I was washed away by the river in the night. I, of course, wasn't swept away.

Day 36
79 Miles
I got up fairly early. The tent wasn't as wet as I had expected. The sun was shining. It could be a good day.
Finding my way out of Fargo was a little harder than I had anticipated. But getting lost gave me a chance to really see the city. I, much to my surprise really, really like Fargo. And that isn't just because Fargo has the best mullets. (Seriously, I saw some pretty bad-ass mullets in Fargo). Getting lost I somehow ended up riding to the airport. This actually brought me a great deal of joy. I love airports. I love planes and I love travel. What's not to love about an airport? I smiled as the planes flew over my head.
I finally found my way out of the city. I heard North Dakota was flat. But really this only seemed to be in the first 50-60 miles on the eastern side. I just kept pedaling all day. I rested and ate when I needed to, but I just kept pedaling.
I was quite proud of myself at the end of the day when I had pumped a new record for me of 79 miles. I ended in a little town called Hope. There was a city park and pool. It was free, Sweet! I set up camp. I could have showered at the pool house, but I was starving and opted to cook dinner over showering. It was getting late and the pool was closing anyway.
There was no cellphone service. I knew my friends and family worried if they didn't hear from me. But there wasn't much I could do.
The ground was a little soft and wet and it smelled a bit like pond scum. I wasn't thrilled with that. I passed out to rain on my tent's fly.