The 70 mile ride from Minot to Rugby was supposed to be a fairly easy ride after yesterday's biggie, but a wind switch to 15-25 mph out of the SE made for quite the struggle.

We got up kinda late today since we splurged on a motel that had continental breakfast and internet service, but we eventually made it to Val's Cyclery to pick up a patch kit and tubes. While there, we met Robbie from Bend, OR who is riding x-country with his girlfriend. Heads up to Jenny and Steve that he hopes to work for Aspen sometime in the next few years, so you might be getting new neighbors!

At a convenience store in Towner, we met some more Burlington Northern communications guys and had a nice chat with them while we rested for the final 20 miles into Rugby. Included in this stretch is something called the Denbigh Experimental Forest, which we have no information on.  It appears to be beyond the "experimental" phase and just looks like a normal forest to me. Can someone Google this and let us know what it's all about?

All in all, the ride today was pretty taxing and the Highway 2 shoulder left alot to be desired. Couple this with crazy-fast drivers in and around Minot and we were both pretty fried when we finally got to Rugby around 7:00pm. Rugby's claim to fame is that it's the Geographic Center of North America; hard to believe the monument we photographed is all there is to commemorate such a thing.

We're determined to get up early tomorrow in the hopes that the winds aren't as strong in the early morning.