Day 31 – July 4 – Steele, ND to Valley City, ND – 93 Miles

“Old Highway 10” terminated at the interchange with I-94. Proceeding east from Steele would be I-94.  The wind had shifted and was now coming from the west.  The sky was overcast and rain threatened to the north and west of Steele.  We got on I-94 just after 8:00 and took advantage of the favorable conditions.

We made good time and as the morning progressed so did the tail winds.  A dark bank of clouds approached from the west and passed overhead.  With the bank of clouds the tail winds accelerated.  We were to Jamestown, 58 miles, by noon.

Joe had another flat today.  This time a 1 inch drywall screw he picked up two miles short of our lunch stop.  We have become quite a team dealing with flats.  This tube change took 15 minutes.  It is funny. the little superstitions that enter the mind on a ride like this.  Joe has had all the flats.  Six on his rear tire, two on the right trailer tire and one, yesterday, before we started, a slow leak on his front tire.  All have been legitimate punctures, broken glass, metal shards from the steel belts of truck tires, sharp stones, a drywall screw.  I have the same tires, the same pressures, and I ride the same roads yet Joe has had all the flats. My superstition is that I am now guaranteed one, tomorrow.

Today was the 4^th of July.  It seemed like every other day of our ride, except that when we arrived at the end of the day, pretty much every business was closed.

The land over the last 2 days the land has started looking familiar.  Much like Central Illinois. Tomorrow we will push for Fargo, ND and Minnesota.