Day 41 & 42

Day 41
60 Miles
I didn't rush myself in the morning. I was on the road at an acceptable time for me. There was plenty of traffic out of Minot. Still too much state fair testosterone as guys from their pickup trucks yelled for me to get off the road. One shouted loudly informing me that I had ruined his life. I smiled and waved shouting out that I did what I could.
I searched for a dollar store. I wanted a cheap radio. I was tired of the folk and children's songs that plagued my mind. I couldn't get a pop song stuck in my head for the life of me. It was torture. My phone had music on it. And I listened to it when I could, but I tried to save battery for calls, texts, and pictures. There are pluses and minuses to having a do-all device. I didn't find a dollar store that wouldn't require me to go out of my way extensively. I rode on.
I spent a good hour at a very busy convenience store. I listened to people go on about the state fair. I talked with a woman and pet her two dogs. She had come from Ohio. She was driving all of US-2. I was going to be riding it for the next several days.
The ride was up and down, rolling hills. The wind wasn't bad, mostly cross winds. It was even at my back a time or two. I was mesmerized by the winds sweeping on the prairie grasses. I barely noticed the miles fly by watching the grass and the wind rippling across it. It appeared like sunlight reflecting on gently swirling waters.
As I moved further on US-2 the oil drilling traffic increased. Tankers, dump trucks that more resembled barges on wheels whizzed by me every few minutes. The scenery was dotted with drilling towers and trucks. There were flare stacks and the smell of oil and gases burning filled my nose.

When I stopped people talked of little else but the oil boom in the region. This created issue at the end of my day. Campgrounds, hotels, all kinds of lodgings were filled up and catering to the oil field workers.Melissa looked up online for town camping. She found something but the directions were nonexistent. I eventually asked around the town of Stanley. I happened to ask a man who just that same day had directed two other cyclists to a town campground. The man told me to stop at his restaurant the next morning. I thanked him and made my way to the campground.
The campground was next to the courthouse and the train tracks, of course. I have come to believe all campgrounds are next to the rails. I greeted the other cyclists and set up camp in the special tent area. After setting up they invited me to sit with them. They were a couple from New Zealand. They were making their slow way east. Shaymus and Joan talked with me about my upcoming route. They told me some alternate southernly routes I could take and places to stay to avoid the very heavy oil traffic. We chatted for some time. Eventually my very tired muscles and joints caused me to retire. I wished them well and settled into my tent.

Day 42
5 miles (only around town)
I heard Shaymus and Joan leave in the morning. I contemplated getting up and setting off. It had been almost 2 weeks again since I had taken a day off. My body begged me for more sleep. I slept in for hours. I decided I would just spend another night here.
I looked ahead and planned my next few days. I showered. I ate tacos at the restaurant of my previous day's direction giver. I was full. The tacos were huge. I explored the small town. I found  some amusing items. It wasn't like most carbon copies of towns that I had come across. The only pharmacy was a local one. There were no chain stores. Everything was local. The quaintness brought with a sense of traveling back in time. I pedaled into a time warp, a time before Walmart ruined small towns everywhere. This was heightened by the amusing oddities I found stocking the shelves of the shops. I bought some soap and food and went back to my tent after my exploring. I slept more. I showered twice. It felt good after the sticky heat stuck to me all day.
Since the campground was so cheap and more of donation than a fee, I cleaned up the garbage and debris laying around the campsites. It was my good deed for the day. And it was a nice little town. I felt it was just a small fee to pay for the rest I was awarded during my day off.
I was in bed early after watching the moon rise big over the campground. I was awoken a bit into my sleep. A friend whom I hold very dear and shares with me a strong connection text me. He said to me that I needed to stay north. I was confused by this. He told me he had a dream. Trusting him I told him I would do what I could but that I wasn't sure how plausible it would be with my planned route. I told him I would keep him posted.
I settled into sleep.