First, a hearty "congrats" to Joe and Amy who just delivered their first child the other day!

Devil's Lake to Cooperstown, a ride of 81 miles with 5-15 mph variable winds and temps in the low 90's by the end of the ride. Last night we stayed in a motel because camping was impossible to find in town. Hated to splurge but it allowed us to get a decent continental breakfast in and then hit the road by 7:00.

After many photos of the rapidly rising lake, we settled into some decent pedaling, with the threat of thunderstorms at our backs, and reached Pekin for a quick snack/rest and chat with some local ladies.  One moved 4 years ago from California; strange how many folks we've met in really small Montana or North Dakota towns who moved from California, Arizona, or Texas.

Upon reaching Binford, we ran into unadvertised road construction that forced us to pull out the ND State Hwy map and plot an alternate route into Cooperstown. Tonight we camped in the City Park and enjoyed very nice showers, then got everything under the picnic shelter and waited for the storm to hit. The deluge was accompanied by very strong winds that soaked the bikes (they needed a good washing) and sent us scampering for a walled shelter to stay dry. Good thing we weren't still cycling when it hit, as the temperature dropped from around 90 to mid-60's in about 5 minutes.

Still waiting for good advice on how to handle thunderstorms when we're in the great wide open.