June 3—4: Tuesday was a gorgeous day, start to finish: little wind and mostly sunny skies. Great for sightseeing all across Minnesota on our way toward North Dakota. About mid-morning Dave detected a glitch in the coach transmission (didn’t want to shift into 6^th gear in normal mode, which is the gear and mode we usually use on the open road). He checked a few things at the next rest stop, but none resolved the issue, so he called a well-rated transmission shop in Fargo, ND. Their Allison specialist was quite knowledgeable and helpful, and worked on the pesky issue until it was fixed. No more trouble the rest of the way into East Grand Forks, MN.

We stayed in East Grand Forks both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Our campground is just over the Red River Bridge from Grand Forks, ND. It’s in a lovely MN State Recreation Area built where the terrible flood of 1997 destroyed at least two neighborhoods of homes. There are shops and restaurants with a lovely riverside view within walking distance of our parking spot. This morning we checked out the quilt shop there and enjoyed a tasty Thai lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the river. We napped and did some grocery shopping, then Dave took Beighley outdoors while I swept and mopped the floor in the coach. Looks a bit more habitable now! 😉 Shortly after 7:00 p.m. (sunrise at 5:31 a.m., sunset at 9:20 p.m.!), we rode our tandem along the bike trail by the river. What a fantastic setting for a recreation area! We covered about 10.79 miles on smooth, paved trails beside nicely manicured grass and lush stands of trees near the river’s edge. The trails went under several bridges, including one railroad crossing under which we rode as a train crossed above us — what a hoot! After we got back to our site and loaded the bike on the car, Dave took the dog for an outing while I cleaned up. After showers and a bite of dinner, we’ll bring to a close a delightful break from traveling!