I slept terribly last night. Oh well, tonight I will be in a motel in Fargo, and tomorrow is a rest day.

One thing about being alone on the road, God's presence and participation in one's life is much more obvious. At home, what we often call coincidence, is clearly God's providence when one is alone, in the middle of nowhere. 

Up early, I de-camped, cooked breakfast, managed to not burn down the campground, loaded the bike, and was on the road by 6:45 CST. The winds from the west were strong, and I was flying. Fargo was 70+ miles away, but first some supplemental food in the belly should be available 18 miles up the road in Enderlin.

Then the first God thing happened. A local bicycler had reached the main road at exactly the same moment that I was passing by. He yelled "Are you going to Fargo?" "Yes.", I replied. He quickly caught up with me and started a conversation. (This early on Sunday morning, traffic was almost non-existent.) He asked if I was interested in a pancake feed at the Enderlin airport. That sounded good, and in less than a mile, we pulled off the road to a metal airplane hanger, inside of which breakfast was being served to a large group of folks. Some of the visitors had flown in.

Mark, the bicycler, (who is a local farmer) had lots of questions about what I was doing, and said that he had hopes of taking his daughter on this type of ride. I encouraged him, and gave him information that would be helpful, then shared that as wonderful and exciting my 2008 trip had been, the most startling part of that trip was how the Lord used it to transform my entire faith walk. Which reminded me, that I was hoping to worship somewhere this day, and, within 2 minutes, Mark had found a local church in Enderlin that was starting in 30 minutes. He gave me directions. Think about this: If I had arrived at the cross road, where Mark first met me, a couple of seconds earlier or later, none of this would have happened. Thank you, Lord.

Despite my lack of hygiene, and unusual attire, the whole congregation was very welcoming, and I felt blessed to have worshipped with them. Leaving at 11 AM, I set my eyes on a little town called Kindred, which was supposed to have food. Of course, it was 30 miles away, and I wondered if my tummy could last that long without a full scale rebellion.

 Several people had warned me about severe road construction issues between Enderlin and Kindred. Complaints ranging from 90 minute traffic delays, to pilot cars, to severe drop offs at the road edge. A couple of alternate route were suggested. Finally, I decided to stick to my route.

The winds were helpful (25-30 mph with 40 mph gusts) and 90 minutes later I was in Kindred. There was little traffic today, but that would change on Monday. It made me recall several days earlier when I pulled into Hazelton, dog tired from bucking headwinds, then felt urged, after having ridden 55 miles, to ride another 26 miles, still into a headwind, to the town of Napoleon. Had I not made that move, as tiring as it was, I would not have been riding this stretch on Sunday. Instead, i would have been stuck in traffic. Again, I believe it was God's providence watching over me.

At a convenience store/diner in Kindred, a large group of folks were enjoying each others' company as I ate. When most of them had departed, a woman walking by asked "Are you riding alone?" I replied "No, I have the Lord with me." Within a few minutes, a group of us were holding hands, praying together for each other.

By 4 PM, I was checked into a motel. It had been a fun, eventful, providential day. And now I had a warm shower to look forward to.

God's peace be with you all.