It stormed at night and into the morning here in Valley City, so good call on the motel. We waited until 10:30 this morning to get going, because it was still raining and miserable. Plus, we only had 16.5 miles (26.6 km) of road walks, so we knew we could make good time.
We dropped my car at yesterday’s ending spot, then drove to today’s ending spot and began walking backwards to save on shuttle time and gas.
Things Go Sideways Leaving Valley City
Miraculously, the rain stopped just as we started walking. It was chilly, 
but the sun soon popped out and we warmed up. Yes!
The scenery was nice. We walked near train tracks the entire time, and several trains with about 125 cars clacked past (yes, we counted).
At one point, I recalled that I hit 3,000 miles (4,828 km) a few days ago, so I stopped to take a photo to celebrate.
After a nice lunch stop, the clouds again gathered. What?! The rain was supposed to be over for the day. But soon it was pouring and we were getting soaked. We just entered town, so we were able to take shelter under the overhang of a public works building.
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Heading Out from Valley City
Once the rain stopped (not too long), we continued through Valley City. We passed under a giant railroad bridge, which is one of the tallest and 
longest in the nation. The path through town took us through a park, Valley City State University and along some trails. It was quite nice. And then …
First, the wind once again began to blow, and very fiercely. It almost blew us off our feet at points. When we had 4 miles (6.4 km) left along a county highway, it began to drizzle. The temperature also plunged. It was awful. By the time we reached my car, it was still raining, 40 F (4.4 C) and the strong winds were predicted to last until 9 p.m. So, once again, we booked a room at the new, lovely AmericInn.
Snowshoe
ND NCT miles today: 16.5 (26.6 km)
ND NCT miles to date: 155.5 (250.3 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 3,057.5 (4,920.6 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 1,542.5 (2,482.4 km)
