Frontier, ND to Fergus Falls, MN, 88.7 miles
We arose, well-rested, at 6 am. All packed, we enjoyed breakfast- courtesy of Mara: scrambled free-range eggs, potatoes, toast, and coffee. Wonderful! We said good-bye to our gracious hosts and set forth. We took a short-cut from the official route to Sabin, where we had a snack and more coffee.
We headed south on CR 52 but managed to miss a clearly marked turn on CR 10. We biked 3 miles the wrong way and had to backtrack. Now on CR 10, we headed east into a headwind for 9 miles to Donner for another snack. We slowly continued east due to a headwind. The flat crop land changed to gently sloping grassy pastures and patches of apparently native forest. After crossing CR 34, we started seeing lakes and more forest.
At about 1:30 pm, we passed by several large lakes with lots of second homes and ate lunch at Cormorant. Then we turned south on CR 9 and rode past more lakes to Pelican Rapids. I bought a half gallon of chocolate milk and drank half of it. Betsy drank some, too. I stashed the rest for dinner. We headed east on US Hwy 59, opting to skip the longer official route to Fergus Falls. The last 20-mile leg of the day wore us out, but at least the wind subsided. We saw more small ponds and wetlands.
In Elizabeth, we saw a beautifully designed Lutheran Church. Near I-94, we left US Hwy 59 and headed east on CR 88, crossing the languid Pelican River (see photo). In 4 miles we reached Fergus Falls. We bought groceries and with the help of Google Maps navigated to a camp site at Delagoon City Park. It was a long, hard day to get here! Tomorrow morning from our camp site, we’ll start a 100-mile long ride southeast on the paved Central Lakes Trail.
