BRO QUEST 2009

I haven't celebrated any memorable 4th of Julys in the last 10 years or so. It always seems like I'm working or obligated in such a way that I can never enjoy the full day. This year was totally different. I see Broquest as a 2 month long celebration of independence, and the Fourth was an enjoyable half way point to reflect on the trip.

On July 3rd, we camped in a city park in Devil's Lake which proved to be one of the worst nights
Families lit fireworks until well after midnight. At 4am, we were woken up by a group of drunk high school students who decided to test the playground equipment. After yelling at them, they went away thinking we were crazy homeless people. At 5, we were woken up again by a truck spraying insecticide to control the mosquito population. At 6 we were woken up yet again by a flock of birds that sounded like people walking on gravel. It was not a pleasant night.

On top of that, Cameron decided to take an alternate route to the east coast the night before. The first order of business for the day was to swap all of the gear we had been borrowing and settle any discrepancies. Stuart and I were expecting the day to get worse from there, but it didn't.

Stuart and I left to get supplies from Wal-Mart and talked to a few people on the way out. As we were packing up our groceries, a lady we had talked to earlier drove by and offered us $20 for "sports drinks." We were surprised and grateful. Since it was the Fourth and all, we decided to use it for lunch at Dairy Queen. I think we might make the Brownie Batter Blizzard Blast

We kept rolling on Highway 2 and despite an early headwind, we were able to roll at about 15 mph. The skies were overcast for most of the day, and riding was relatively effortless. The rolling hills were beautiful, and we saw quite a bit of wildlife along the road. To top it off, we got a LOT of courtesy honks from motorists.

On the outskirts of Grand Forks, we found an AMAZING fireworks store. The people at Generous Jerry's Fireworks were really cool and excited about BQ.

We took advantage of some last minute deals and loaded up on roman candles, artillery shells, and bottle rockets. We found some really weird novelty fireworks. I think our favorite had to be "Judgment Day" - a revelation themed battery. I can only assume it calls the rapture down on unbelievers. I loved the warning label - apparently God doesn't want you to blow your fingers off.

Stuart and I rolled in to Red River State Park in Minnesota to an amazing, brand new camp site. The area flooded a few years ago, and FEMA bought out the destroyed land and turned it into a state park. The park is beautiful (we're camping there again tonight). It is right next to some awesome restaurants where we decided to get dinner. We stayed on the Minnesota side, but have been running back and forth between North Dakota and Minnesota. I think our total border crossing count is at 6 due to some late night fireworks-enhanced bridge crossings.

After dinner, we went downtown to see what the local festivities were. While trying to find a bar, we met a biker named Fang who was carrying his buddy Roach's ashes. He didn't really explain why he was carrying them or how he died. He was just doing it. He recommended this bar called Gilly's which is nothing like we were expecting. It was an eclectic mix of a casino, biker bar, frat party, and dance club. It only needed a few burning trash cans to be the perfect post-apocalyptic biker den. We played blackjack and I came out ahead $10! Did I mention that Gilly's had a giant foam pit?!? CAUSE THEY DID. No one was dancing, so we decided to tear up the foam. Luckily I brought my aerodynamic goggles. It looked a little like this:

We later got fresh mini-doughnuts and corndogs. DELICIOUS. We rode around East Grand Forks setting off fireworks until we noticed a cop trailing us around some municipal buildings. We decided it was time to call it a night. Great way to end an extraordinary day.