CANDISC '97 Sunday: Routine Beginning

Sunday. Routine Beginning.

The Event CANDISC '97 (Cycling Around North Dakota In Sakakawea Country)

The Theme Bike the Flyway, so named because this year's route toured country in the great water fowl migration route.

The stats 310 cyclists riding 440 miles Monday 4 August through Saturday 9 August.

The riders Just me this year. Dad, Peter (brother), and Todd (brother-in-law) originally planned on riding too, but had to pull out for various reasons. Todd sent me an official list of reasons, so I'll eventually include them and let you vote on their validity. Dad did join me on Tuesday, and Dad and Todd on Saturday.

The support Mom and Dad (Carpio, ND); Janet (sister), Todd, Krista (3), and Peter (.67) (Minot, ND); and Linda, Brian (7), and Melissa (5), staying in Carpio for the week.

The fuel Organized rest stops along the route sponsored by local groups, with one being the official lunch stop each day. I also carried a supply of fig newtons, poptarts, raisins, figs, peanuts, and granola bars. It all started tasting the same after two or three days.

The camps
City parks, school grounds, etc.

The route Start at Ft. Stevenson on Lake Sakakawea, three miles south of Garrison; overnight stops in Burlington, Bowbells, Crosby, Tioga, and Minot. Farthest east: Benedict and Sawyer; west: Crosby; north: Estevan, Saskatchewan; south: Ft. Stevenson.

Sunday. Routine beginning.

There wasn't much to do as far as CANDISC was concerned. I'd packed my bag Friday evening at home, complete with all the camping stuff, snacks, and clothing I thought I'd need for the week. Even with a couple of lists from past trips, I managed to forget a flashlight. My bag felt unnecessarily heavy, but I couldn't trim it down.

I made it to the state park about 7:30 and found a decent spot to put up my tent. It took half an hour to get it up though, because of interruptions. The first was a woman from a nearby suburb (Plymouth) who was thrilled to be where "9 out of 10 of my friends wouldn't believe what I'm doing!" While talking with her, along came an old friend from my hometown of Alexander, who's an avid cyclist. And camping right next to me was a friend of Dad's, someone who's suffered heart problems and has been keeping up on Dad's condition. He was relieved to find out the problem had been diagnosed (at 2:30am this morning in a Minot ER. It's atrial fibrillation, nothing that would have prevented him from coming along, *if* it'd been diagnosed just a little sooner).

So, with a little experience from the ride two years ago, I was in my tent by 9, the time when the swarms of dragonflies call it a day at the park and the mosquitos come out in full force. Plus, the lines at the two sinks get to be unbearably long as everyone is crashing early (probably not good terminology on such an event :-) in order to get going in the morning.

Home

Monday

The Event	CANDISC '97 (Cycling Around North Dakota In Sakakawea Country)
The Theme	Bike the Flyway, so named because this year's route toured country in the great water fowl migration route.
The stats	310 cyclists riding 440 miles Monday 4 August through Saturday 9 August.
The riders	Just me this year. Dad, Peter (brother), and Todd (brother-in-law) originally planned on riding too, but had to pull out for various reasons. Todd sent me an official list of reasons, so I'll eventually include them and let you vote on their validity. Dad did join me on Tuesday, and Dad and Todd on Saturday.
The support	Mom and Dad (Carpio, ND); Janet (sister), Todd, Krista (3), and Peter (.67) (Minot, ND); and Linda, Brian (7), and Melissa (5), staying in Carpio for the week.
The fuel	Organized rest stops along the route sponsored by local groups, with one being the official lunch stop each day. I also carried a supply of fig newtons, poptarts, raisins, figs, peanuts, and granola bars. It all started tasting the same after two or three days.
The camps	City parks, school grounds, etc.
The route	Start at Ft. Stevenson on Lake Sakakawea, three miles south of Garrison; overnight stops in Burlington, Bowbells, Crosby, Tioga, and Minot. Farthest east: Benedict and Sawyer; west: Crosby; north: Estevan, Saskatchewan; south: Ft. Stevenson.