An early morning stretch across the badlands.
We've seen plenty of road construction and no speeding tickets yet!
Lunch at the SD Capital. Gov. Rounds wasn't able to join us.
Christie trying out a different mode of transportation. Decided against as she thought she might get saddle sore.
Body, Mind and People
Body parts, check - they are all sore, so they must still be attached. The good news is callouses are starting to form where they are needed most......where the body meets the bike! Health continues to be good as we work with the weather and cycle accordingly. E is down 15 lbs in 15 days and C is down 5. We'll probably loose the weight of the trailer before we cross the Mexican border.
Our last 10 days were filled with changes in weather and terrain combined with a significant amount of sweat and very few showers! Our 1st 100+ degree days were encountered while rolling across SD. We biked early, biked late and took long siestas when we found shade. We climbed out of Rapid City in the rain and had cool weather through the Black Hills. The first significant winds hit as we approached the Wyoming border. As we rolled into the wind at 5 mph, we felt at one with the grasshoppers. Sharing a shoulder of the road, they would try and jump out of our way only to be carried in the opposite direction by the wind-poor souls. We have moved past good days and bad days....now there are just days, each one exciting, new, different and to be experienced. Slowly we are learning to roll with the weather.
There's a storm moving in. Garth might have said that as well.
All roads lead to Wall drug. We took advantage of the free ice water. Sleep? - Wherever and whenever we can. The night time challenge of coming up with a place to stay is turning into an adventure. From sheep pastures to hayfields, county fairgrounds to national forests, wayside rests to orthodontists offices (thanks doc!) our little tent has provided a shelter and a place for rest.
Finding rest....and a great view in the sheep pasture.
Frozen veggies. Almost cooked by the time we found the hayfield campsite.
The most important part of this journey is the people. We enjoy the opportunity to connect with others and share in their experiences. There is something so rich about meeting a stranger, sharing smiles and laughter, and learning about their journey. The small towns (small....like pop. 100) have been fun to discover-3 girls in Midland, SD said they had 14 kids in their K-8th grade school with 4 total teachers. The ACE hardware owner basically kept the town afloat with the traffic he got for farm necessities and told us about the concerns associated with increasing farm sizes. The Scheels crew in Rapid City took great care of us as we rolled our "parade" into the back of the store barely flinching at our stench! It was also fun to get to know the people using the 110 mile Mickelson Trail through the Black Hills, though we did not ride on the trail, we stopped at a number of the picnic areas and met many travelers enjoying their time in the great outdoors. The Minneapolis mother who's excitement for everything she saw, from a babbling brook to the buffalo spread quickly to her kids and husband. The Detroit family who took the opportunity of the auto industry downsizing to explore together. Then there was Larry, a middle aged gentleman who called his camper home, and invited us for cereal and eggs at the wayside rest we had called home.
Former SD Tech football player Eric played ball with. Working for SD DOT near Pierre.
Calling on all technical experts to get the job done.
We continue to be very blessed by the opportunity to re-connect with people from our past and to meet new people as they are. A way that can only happen when the pace of life is slowed down and we experience God and others in a new light.
Christie getting a lift in Cheyenne, WY as we crash with Donny Volcano - Eric's collage roommate.
Drying out and getting some rest. Thanks Don.
Thank you for your continued support. Please drop any comments with questions you'd like us to answer in the next blog.
We feel like kids...so free....taking each moment as it is. Our first night we tented at a tiny country church in the middle of nowhere after getting permission from the farmer nearby (who's brother and sister-in-law also rode to Argentina by bike in their younger years! "And still talk about it today". The second night we tented in the Tyler fairgrounds, chatted with the fair secretary about his 100% danish herritage, splashed our sweat off in the barn spigot, ate dinner in the deserted grandstand, overlooked the sunset and a softball game. We are now enjoying our time with the Nelson crew in Brookings, went with grandpa to run some farm errands, were introduced to praire golf, and of course had to stop to get fresh ice cream at the SDSU dairy bar. A CHERISHED time with family!
