Maah Daah Hey, April 18 - 20, 2008

Well, this is the start. I have been keeping a journal of all my "stuff" for years but finally have the motivation to get rolling and do it electronically........

Welcome to the life and times of the Wenzel family.

Why not kick it off with a sweet weekend that I spent with my boys out in western ND on the Maah Daah Hey trail!

It was more or less than an ad lib deal that was planned out less then a week before we left. Typically the best plan for a trip in my book.

We left Fargo on Friday afternoon right after school. There were a few blank looks on Kriston's face when I said that we were taking the F150, but that quickly passed when she knew I was serious.

Cruising across ND was uneventful. Seeing the farmers in the field was a good sight. Hopefully the weather cooperates this spring. The guy below was the first tractor that we saw about an hour west of Fargo.

All the way west I was thinking of all of the stuff that I forgot including the MDH map that I have hanging on the wall of my office at home. A lot of good it did hanging there. I knew where I wanted to go and how to get there, kind of, but a map would have made things a lot easier. We stopped in Bismarck, Dickinson and Belfield before we finally found what we were looking for. Thanks to the guy with two first names, Brian Steve of the Trappers Kettel in Belfield that sent us on our way with the assurance of where we were going including a map.

When we headed west on Magpie Road there was absolutely nothing out there but mule deer. 14 miles of almost pavement like gravel and we were at the camp.

Magpie Camp Ground. Not a sole to be seen. Not sure why as I think this is the best time of the year to be out here. But alone we were.

Breakfast of champions!

Coke is the best both before and after a ride.

Since we were unaided by a shuttle vehicle, our intentions were to go North in the morning and South in the afternoon. The riding was superb! Both Matt and Ben were riding like they knew what was going on. The skies were bright blue and the wind was down. The last time I was out here there were cows everywhere. Not a cow in sight this weekend. I am thinking that since it is calving season, all of the cattle were at home taking care of business. None the less, it was nice bombing down the down hills without worrying about hitting one.

Ben was a trooper all morning. He was real strong the first hour but started to fade after that. The up hills are not that steep, but they are long enough that they tend to be a grind. At the top of a climb Ben would have to hang out for awhile, drink some water and relax. Easy to do when you are in an area that we were in. Ben's mood improved when we were heading back. He mentioned that the way back was "a lot easier Dad" - he worked hard for an 11 year old kid.

Matt on the other hand was an animal. I have noticed this spring that he has turned the corner and seems to be in the groove on what it takes to ride a bike both on the road and on the trail.
The hills and technicality of the MDH was not a problem for him. In fact there were numerous times that I thought he could have pulled away from me.

We rode for 3 hours in the morning, headed back to camp, ate some food, relaxed more and decided to go out for another ride - South. Ben had enough. He hung around the camp and made sure things were in order. Matt and I rode 5 miles south and over the Devils Pass. Very sweet. The weather was holding. We were getting burned by the sun, life was good.
Matt and I finished our second ride in less then 2 hours.

Overall for the day, Matt and I rode almost 6 hours. Ben rode over 3. Not sure of the mile total due to the off shoots that we rode but I would estimate over 22.

Ben cruising along, Matt drilling it up front.

Back at camp it was grilled cheese for dinner, an ad lib shower and some serious R and R. The wind came up big time which was OK. It was still warm and there was no dust. Sleeping in a tent was tough due to the noise, but we handled it OK.

The next morning (Sunday), was sunny and not as windy. We had been both north and south on the MDH so we opted for a trail ride on the local cow trails. Matt and Ben spotted a butte that they wanted to climb that we could see from our camp. We were off. The following photos will explain themselves. It was a good thing that Kriston was not there. She would not have been too pleased with our route finding skills.

The view of the butte from our camp.

The view of the camp from the butte.

The Wenzel's on top of the butte.

This is where Kriston freaks.

Our bikes are down there someplace.

With some things going on in Fargo, we pulled out at 10am Mountain Time. It is tradition that we hit a local cafe on the way home. This trip was no different. We stopped at the Fairfield Four Corners Cafe for a piece of homemade pie. Ben had the whole breakfast deal. Place was full of ranchers and locals. The F150 was parked proudly in the parking lot - we fit right in.

ND - great people and a great place to be!

Very windy drive home. The wind was blasting from the SE the whole way.

Thanks Mom/Kriston for packing all of the food and making sure that we did not starve. I forgot a ton of stuff, but you did not miss a thing.

I appologize for the long post. I will do my best to keep it shorter next time.