8/22/2015
The light never penetrated the blinds. No alarm shocked me from slumber. I laid in the king sized bed nestled like a wounded animal. Every muscle in the body was comfortable and motionless. Like a comatose patient regaining consciousness, my finger moved. My fingers closed into a light fist and found my eye. I rubbed the sleep from my face and put my body into a semi-vertical position. I made a cinnamon waffle for breakfast and downed several cups of juice before using the hot tub to expel the aches and pains from my body.
The day began with a dirt road. It was called the Viking trail and it took me eight miles to a town with a sign and three homes. It was the first place Crystal and I would stop and ingest some nutrients. The road was straight with very few motorists. I realized I hadn’t seen many lakes on this day. I did however see more corn and soy. The agriculture kept me company for miles and miles and miles. I ran through a couple more towns with about the same population as the first. One town by the name of Rothsay laid claim to being the prairie chicken capital of Minnesota. They even erected a huge statue of the creature.
The day’s destination was the town or Barnesville. The town had a larger population that the last three towns combined but it was still tiny. We were lucky they had designated parking spots along the street for large trucks. We figured our trailer fit the description so we put our beast into park and set up camp for the evening. The hint of the coming winter lingered in the air but we had enough blankets to keep our bodies comfortable. We slipped into an early hibernation after playing a few rounds of blackjack.
Excitement was in the air. No trace of pain lingered in my legs. The anticipation of state number twenty-eight keep the blood coursing through my body. I found myself in motion as soon as my eyes opened. We had been looking forward to Fargo for several days. The dark atmosphere threatened to cut my day short but I pushed on. I didn’t see single lake on the route so I knew I was about to enter another state. The road flattened like I was running on a treadmill with zero incline.
The rain began to trickle the moment I set foot into Fargo, North Dakota. The feeling of reaching my 28th state was euphoric. I could hardly believe I had run over seven thousand miles. Of course there wasn’t an enormous amount of time to celebrate. The trickle of water from above turned into a waterfall. Suddenly the streets were flooded with water. The downpour lasted for about forty-five minutes. Although the rain stopped, strong winds continued and a tornado watch was issued. We took shelter at the StayBridge Inn and Suites. We had learned to look forward to accommodations at StayBridge because they had complimentary laundry machines and their rooms had a homey feel.
Our fortune continued when HuHot Mongolian Grill agreed to donate dinner. I would never have expected such a large turnout for Mongolian Grill in Fargo, North Dakota. While I put together my bowl, the hungry clients multiplied. The staff handled the traffic well. They maintained smiles on their faces and wheels beneath their feet. Crystal and I made return trips to the grill and left the place with full bellies. It was back to the comfort of our room and an extremely large pile of laundry.
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