Our morning began by checking out Assumption Abbey prior to heading east toward Bismarck. When we arrived at 6:30, the monks were engaged in morning prayer and meditation. We waited outside until they had concluded only 15 minutes later, which was well worth the short wait. Once inside, we only shared the space with two parishioners. The interior of the church was very impressive, and above all a surprising find in this small town. According to our host from the night before, the church had undergonea renovation only several years ago. The quality of the church struck me as a cathedral that one might expect to find in a larger or major city. After browsing and wandering for about 20 minutes, we hit the road and met the wind that had been waiting for us. You have to understand that, usually, the prevailing winds in North Dakota blow from west to east. Thus far, we had yet to experience anything like this. For the next 75 miles, we rode east fighting a stubborn head/cross wind out of the south/southeast that steadily blew at 15mph to 20mph and occasionally gusted to 25mph. It was an annoyance and a nuisance that I don't care to discuss much further. Once in Mandan, just across the river from Bismarck, we went to our host's residence. Despite being at work, he had arranged for his keys to be available for either us or a second guest (whoever arrived first). As it happened, the second guest had arrived before us, so we had a good time getting to know him. He was a college physics professor that was moving from Indiana to Washington for work purposes. We chatted a lot about the route/s ahead going east and west. This exchange of information was valuable for all of us! Our host and his girlfriend picked the three of us up and treated us to a nice dinner in downtown Bismarck. This was especially generous on their part. We were famished and devoured our pizzas, politely and with manners of course. Afterwards, Garrett and I went with our host to a bar next door. We only stayed for an hour or so, as our host and his girlfriend had a mountain bike race the following day. Moreover, having a good night's sleep going into a rest day was ideal.
