We got an early start from Rugby. The riding is fairly level but because of the wind in our faces it is slow. We arrive in Devils Lake about 60 miles and 6 hours later. Devils Lake is a very interesting place. The name has to do with the Sioux Indians name which referred to the salinity of the lake which made it unfit to drink. Devils Lake, like the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea, is a closed system, normally. Water flows into the lake but there isn’t any natural outlet to flow to the ocean. The lake is known to fluctuate a great deal from year to year and actually overflowed naturally about 1000 years ago into the Sheyenne River Basin. Now, there is a lot of controversy because the water level is rising, and has been rising for a variety of reasons for about 20 years. We are now seeing flooding of cropland, buildings being moved or abandoned, and there is controversy about what to do about the situation. There are public works projects and environmental concerns about releasing lake water into the Sheyenne River. Meanwhile the lake keeps rising. It is pretty close to overflowing naturally. There is no easy solution that will make everyone happy. According to our motel clerk, Devils Lake motels are full with workers because of the local flooding. Flooding has certainly been the common theme for this whole trip.
Greg