America One Spoke At a Time: Pain Delay

After a two-day stay in the North Park Campground in Dickinson, ND Jay headed out on a 75 mile to New Salem, ND. The day was hot and sunny and the roads were pretty good. The last 17 miles on I-94, however, were pretty tough. The rumple strip extended all the way across the shoulder leaving Jay a 9 – 12 inch riding path between the rumple strip and the edge of the roadway. Not fun.

Assumption Abbey

While Jay rode his bike Helen stopped in Richardton, ND to visit the beautiful Assumption Abbey, built in 1906. Surprisingly, about a third of the stained glass windows in the main sanctuary depicted women (i.e. Hildegard). Helen met a 30-year-old junior monk, Simeon, while she was eating lunch on a bench, and they talked for about an hour. The abbey produces wine and bread to sell, but Helen couldn’t find anyone inside and left empty handed.

Since severe thunderstorms were predicted for the evening, our home base this evening was the Arrowhead Inn in New Salem. We planned to spend one night in New Salem and then head to Bismarck. We had earlier contacted the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bismarck and were offered a backyard in which to pitch our tent. We were also looking forward to some conversation with our fellow North Dakota UUs.

Pretty good plan . . . so we thought.

Stained Glass depicting
the birth of Jesus

Before the heavy rains came, Jay started to feel body aches. He had a thundering headache, debilitating lower back pain with sharp pain radiating down his legs. This was not rider fatigue but something else. We extended our stay in New Salem and went to a walk-in health clinic in Bismarck. After a thorough examination by an inquisitive doctor, he concluded, “I have no idea what is causing your pain.” He theorized dehydration, electrolyte deficiency, muscle breakdown, West Nile Virus, encephalitis or meningitis could be cause Jay’s pain. Yikes! We agreed on blood tests for muscle break down, dehydration and electrolyte deficiency. All results came back normal.

Helen in Room at Arrowhead Inn

In the end Jay and the doctor decided on a routine of daily ibuprofen and rest. If things did not improve in 48 hours, Jay was to return to the clinic for more tests. Fortunately, within 48 hours Jay’s pain started to abate. He is now planning to head out on a short 30-mile ride to Bismarck on July 5 and then re-evaluate if this “pain storm” had past.

We did not let our time in New Salem go unused. We visited Salem Sue, the world’s largest Holstein Cow replica. Standing 12 feet tall, 50 feet long and weighing 12,000 pounds, Salem Sue has been towering over New Salem since 1974.