It took a while to check out of the AmericInn in Fargo -- nearly an hour from the time we left the room until we left the parking lot.

First, Tamara got into a conversation with Cheryl Crane, a shih-tzu rescuer from Manitoba, and made her cry.

Then Ace found a new friend in Troy (right), a member of the inn's housekeeping staff.

Tamara had met Cheryl earlier while taking Ace for a walk, and we ran into her again as we were leaving. When she found out Ace had been a shelter dog, she began talking about the dogs she has rescued as part of a Shih-Tzu rescue network. She has three now, two of which only have one eye.

When Tamara mentioned a woman she had heard about who goes to shelters and takes dog scheduled to be euthanized out for one final romp -- Cheryl started streaming tears. Ace must have been able to tell she was a good soul, because -- as he does with people he likes -- he sat on her foot and leaned his body into her.

Ace and I left to check out and pack the car, but on the way we ran into Troy, who was thrilled to see Ace as well. Part of a vocational program, Troy has been reporting to the inn from his group home for work for over a year. He was full of questions about Ace, and I walked him over to the motel's public computer to show him this blog, and the movies on it about Ace.

It was after noon when we finally got out of Fargo, and we only got about three-fifths of the way across North Dakota.

Originally we had planned to stop in Medora, on the western edge of the state. But as I drove down the interstate calling motels on my cell phone, it became clear that trying to find a room for under $150 in Medora -- the state's top tourist town, at the opening of elk hunting season -- wasn't going to be possible.

It was cloudy and cold, and -- except for the huge fields of sunflowers we passed every so often -- fairly flat and uninspiring scenery. After about only four hours of driving, we exited in Bismarck, watched a movie in the motel, ordered a pizza delivery and soaked in the hot tub.

It will give us some ground to make up tomorrow, but having a lazy afternoon was a welcome break.