Stanley, ND

We got on the road late today (9:30!), and within a few minutes, we had moved into a new time zone and a new state. We tried to make an N and a D out of our bodies beneath the North Dakota (Discover the spirit) sign, but it didnt work very well; apparently all of this biking has not been good for our upper bodies, because the middle part of the N and the curve of the D had some trouble staying upright... (Ellie and Gwen?)

We were told multiple times from our hosts in Montana, the Millers and the Stoners, that North Dakota is much much flatter than Montana, but today didn't really prove that theory, much to our dismay. It seemed as if the last 60 miles were up, down, up, down, up, up, up, up...

A few minutes after our lunch break we started to notice the usual streaks of water and mud running up our backs, yes, rain again. It kept up all the way to Stanley. Mark Richardson got his first flat today, which leaves me as the only person not to have had one yet. Although I probably just jinxed myself, and I will wake up tomorrow to find both tires deflated, or be cruising down a hill and pop one on some glass.

Riding with Renzo and Parker today was classic. Every hill we'd come up to would be just another challenge in their ultimate quest for the perfect Subway sub, and the steep slope in front of us would be met with cries of "For the maple sticks!" or "Grayson, buddy, we just burned through that Randy Burger," which was followed by a burst of speed from Parker. We ran into the Van Woerts again at the crest of one hill, and they told us how lucky we were to have a rest day yesterday due to the 30 mph headwind they battled against.

All the girls are snuggled in bed, high on endorphins and eating the most delicious candy bars calld Big Hunks which Mr and Mrs Stoner introduced to us. Tomorrow is their last day with us. They've gone above and beyond the call of duty time and time again, and provided great stories and company along the way. We'll miss you!