A strong headwind was forecast for today, so we got up in the dark to see if we could beat some of it, even though it was a short day. No such luck. The wind was up before sunrise too. The ride was on the level and pretty uneventful, up until we were three miles from Makoti (and could see the elevators "right there"). We came upon another cyclist with a flat tire, and a spare tube, but no tools or pump. Things were "further complicated" by the fact that the tube she'd been sold had the wrong valve on it, so I whipped out the ol' patch kit and was able to repair the ailing original. She was very appreciative!

We met the welcoming committee at the turnoff to Makoti (145). They handed us a bag of goodies and sent us down the last mile into town. We again tented next to Shawn and company behind the Makoti High School, a structure built in the '30's after the last one burned down. The other camping spot was the city park a block away--farther than we wanted to carry our bags!

There was much to do in Makoti so we didn't waste time after showering. First on the agenda was getting some food! We walked downtown to the café and had sandwiches with Art, whom we met there. The place was hopping, what with the regulars and all the CANDISCers. After lunch Dad and I headed over to the Lutheran church to check it out. It was the traditional wooden prairie structure, and well-kept. From there we toured three buildings which house some of the 300 old tractors, farm vehicles, and implements located in Makoti. Makoti is host to a threshing bee the first weekend in October every year. In its hey-day, 16-18000 people would come for the weekend. The numbers are now fewer than that, but there is still a good turnout. One of the big events is a parade featuring the 300 entrants stored in town.

The rest of the equipment was out at the Pioneer Village & Threshing Grounds, so we walked out there after finishing up in town. On the way, a '54 Chevy Bel-Aire caught our attention. Dad had bought a '54 Chevy 210 (same car, fewer luxuries) from a brother back in the early '60's, and sold it in the late '60's, with some regret. This one was either very nicely kept or very nicely restored!

We wandered into the first building housing the steam tractors, old combines, tractors, etc., and picked up a guide who was more than willing to take us through all the buildings and answer questions to the best of his ability. The inventory is very impressive, and even more impressive is that virtually all of the tractors, combines, threshing machines, stationary engines, Maytag engines, etc., all work. The Threshing Show in October would sure be fun!

On the way out we cruised through the Pioneer Village, and then back to the school, catching a ride in a 4^th generation pickup (unfortunately my mental notes forget the year and make :-( ). The CANDISC picture was taken later in the afternoon, supper in the school, and then an appearance in the room advertising Internet Access! We thought it'd be nice to send Mom and Linda a brief status via email. I was a little surprised to see only one computer sitting there, but I didn't have to wait long to get a hold of it. A quick note, and a quick check of tomorrow's weather and a quick look…well, maybe not. Others were waiting by this time…

Later in the evening I asked Dad if he was interested in some ice cream, as I'd seen a sign advertising cones in the park. We wandered over there, meeting Bob from Kenmare on the way. He and Dad have known each other a few years and compare notes. Bob had a malignant tumor removed right after last year's CANDISC, so it was good to see him! Anyway, that delayed us enough so that by the time we found the ice cream, they were cleaning out the machine and had a large dish of ice cream. Much to our delight, they offered it to us, and managed to get another dish the same size before it ran out! :-) It had been a good day all around.