A Fool's Progress: Thunder Struck in North Dakota.

The day dawned cool and cloudy. After gassing java-ing up, I hit the road. I had to keep stopping to add layers because the day wasnt heating up like days before. As I entered North Dakota, I was wearing all my riding gear plus the jacket liner.

I was told by a number of people that the midwest is boring as hell. They lied. WesternNorth Dakota is beautiful. Wind weathered hills and deep carved badlands. I had cowboy movies playing in my head. This is the land of giants from the dinosaurs of millenia ago to native warriors and settlers fightingto thrive.

Even the flatter regions were entertaining in its own way. I learned quickly why the day had stayed so cool. About Bismarck I rearended the thunder storms I had been tailgating. This was the full deal. Reports of hail, zero visibility rain and even tornado warnings. I was slowed way way up in my travels as I would run into the mess and then have to wait a while and let it move along before I headed out to run into it again.

I kept meeting up with a feller from Michigain on his FJR. He was riding north and south along the tail end of the storm trying to find a way through. I was reminded of a fly buzzing against a closed window.

The delays were a bummer because I stayed cool enough to put down big miles but couldnt. Then I pushed through to near Fargo qand had to halt for the night. I wanted to get ND out of the way and into minnesota so I could still swing up and do the michigain upper peninsula. BBut the low mileage means I will probably have to skip that if I want to make Paige's Birthday in PA in three days.

I had to hotel...again. When the locals look at you as if you were an idiot when you ask about tent camping locations...its a good idea to heed the stare.

I dont care. I am voyaging and seeing the country. Wow. It is so beautiful. Even the flat ol midwest.

The Q is running strong. I check the oil and the tires each morning and so far I have only had to add a couple pounds to the front.

Tomorrow should be interesting with more storms predicted and CNN is talking about the season's first hurricane hitting the gulf in a week or two....just in time for me to pass through. That will piss me off.

One thing I have to mention about ND. This state has the nicest rest areas I have ever seen. And many of them have wireless internet access. I'm a bit nonplussed. I hail from Washington state..land of high tech...Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon...and our rest stops look old, run down in many cases and no wifi.