Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
....
Marchons! Marchons!....
etc.
Although the French national anthem has a more militant meaning, it does well for our team of riders when loosely translated. "Go on, children of the country (the three 16-year-old boys from Astoria I'm riding with), the day of glory has come....roll on! Roll on!" That also includes Pat, who rolls on with the support van. We are dashing across the State of North Dakota at a fast clip. Today, we rode 70 miles from Bismark to Napoleon, and tomorrow, we will ride from Napoleon to Enderlin, 111 miles to the east. The name "Napoleon" comes from the town founder, Napoleon Goodsill, not from Msr. Bonaparte, but it makes a useful metaphor for tomorrow's Bastille Day celebration.
Today's ride went by at 17.5 mph, with a nice tailwind, and supposedly, we should have the same tailwind tomorrow, along with a course profile that includes just one up hill, and a long and gradual downhill.
In Napoleon, we are staying with the Legion Commander Mike Horner and his wife Marge. They arranged for a fundraising potluck at the Legion Hall, and there were close to 50 people there. Bryce and Pat and I all gave short speeches, and our donation bowl collected over $600 for Operation Comfort Warrior! Not bad for a small town ... that makes it nearly $1 from each of the town's residents!
Bryce said that his maternal grandfather came from nearby Napoleon. He started asking around, and there are something like 900 Schlects in the region. The family geneologist lives near Enderlin, so perhaps he'll be able to track down a long-lost relative or two after we finish tomorrow's long ride! At the potluck dinner tonight, he ended up deep in conversation with a local Schlect who is undoubtedly a distant relative of some sort. Anybody who doesn't believe in an intelligence behind all these coincidences just isn't looking very far.
Early to bed, early to rise ....
Today's ride went by at 17.5 mph, with a nice tailwind, and supposedly, we should have the same tailwind tomorrow, along with a course profile that includes just one up hill, and a long and gradual downhill.
In Napoleon, we are staying with the Legion Commander Mike Horner and his wife Marge. They arranged for a fundraising potluck at the Legion Hall, and there were close to 50 people there. Bryce and Pat and I all gave short speeches, and our donation bowl collected over $600 for Operation Comfort Warrior! Not bad for a small town ... that makes it nearly $1 from each of the town's residents!
Bryce said that his maternal grandfather came from nearby Napoleon. He started asking around, and there are something like 900 Schlects in the region. The family geneologist lives near Enderlin, so perhaps he'll be able to track down a long-lost relative or two after we finish tomorrow's long ride! At the potluck dinner tonight, he ended up deep in conversation with a local Schlect who is undoubtedly a distant relative of some sort. Anybody who doesn't believe in an intelligence behind all these coincidences just isn't looking very far.
Early to bed, early to rise ....
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