Day Twenty Five- A Fine Whine

Day 25 (83 Miles)- Thursday, July 12, 2007- Pierre, SD to Chamberlain, SD

(I just changed the title of today's blog as a result of a comment from Keith- you inspire me man....)

There have been more difficult climbing days, longer mileage days, hotter days and far less scenic days. But for my money, I suffered today worse than any other day so far. I wanted out from the very beginning and watched the odometer from 6:00AM until we arrived in cheery Chamberlain at about 1:30PM. The problem seemed to start yesterday when we "lost" an hour due to moving from the Mountain time zone to the Central zone ( and this, following a 117 mile day). So, instead of rising at 4:30 AM this morning (barbaric enough, I'd say), I got up at 3:30 AM at least according to my body- and at this point, that's the only one I have to work with. So right away, I ain't feeling all that great. Next, I realize that my legs are way past dead. Like two hunks of well seasoned firewood. Kinda heavy and hollow feeling. (Note: I just came back from rap and talked to several other riders who are having the same issue. One of them mentioned that our leader predicted that this week and next are typically when many riders start to wear down. Its all about rest, nutrition and recovery now.)

I think that the miles we've already done in this leg are catching up with me- we've done 530 miles in the last six days (almost 90 miles per day for six straight days) and we've had three days in the last six that totaled 320 miles. So having ridden three centuries in less than a week with no days off- maybe I should be tired?? Total miles ridden is now approaching 1,900 in a tad over three weeks. A bit above my average, let's say.

I rattled out of the hotel this morning, still nearly dark, without any real plan about riding today. Within a few miles, the Paine Train came rolling by with Ernst in tow and I decided to hop on. So we shook along until the first sag at mile 30. Somehow, the Paine's had heard I wasn't 100% and I think they took pity on me and let me suck a wheel for about 25 miles. The traffic was light and polite (I believe we were running through an Indian Reservation), but the road surface was just awful- a condition we'd see through nearly all of today's route. Extremely rough texture and a deep crack every 50-75 feet that just pounded you when you hit it. This was a road that, if it were back home, no one would attempt to ride a road bike on.

(By the way, I have no idea what this picture below is. Saw this structure on the side of the road and thought it was An Important Original Work of Art- so I shot it. Actually, I heard it was some kinda wind experiment that went horribly wrong. Who knows...) From time to time today we'd get a strong headwind. I was in misery and couldn't wait to get off this freaking bicycle. Several times I considered sagging in, but I fought the urge and stayed the course. I am a not a courageous man, but I am mortally afraid of being called a girly-man.

The scenery, however, was some of the prettiest we've seen - certainly in South Dakota. When we got the Missouri River (it is actually more like a long, skinny lake along the route because it is impounded by a dam about 30-35 miles upstream from Chamberlain) off to our right side- the views were very impressive-kinda Finger Lakes style-from the hilltops. The area is very sparsely populated in spite of the natural beauty and the town of Chamberlain appears to subsist on fisherman (walleyes)and hunters (pheasant).


Today, at the first sag, the staff had painted some stuff on the road commemorating the coast-to-coasters reaching the halfway point in the ride. My loyal readers know that I reached my halfway point a day or two ago, so I didn't get too swept up in the emotion- but did take a picture of Derek posing at the writing. Speaking of Derk, I was riding solo following the first sag and a few miles down the road I heard something behind me, turned and there he was- right behind me. He hung with me for the rest of the ride and we entertained each other as we got pounded by one of the worst cycling roads in America. I'll betcha Borat wouldn't ride on that G.D. road- it really sucked.

At one point I decided I wanted to stop and do something. Derek decided to lay out next to the road and we were soon joined by Richard from OK, who sat on the shoulder next to Derek. I was standing next to them and along come the Three D's, charging down the road. Apparently they saw two bodies laid out on the edge of the road and thought I was signaling for help. Jen was totally freaked out. Seventeen apologies later, I think she's only slightly pissed at us for scaring her. SORRY JEN!!! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN. EVER. HONEST. In retrospect, I'm not quite sure what I did wrong- guess I should have scolded Derek and Richard for unsafe sitting/laying. From now on, I will be my brudda's keepa.

We have two more days to go before our third rest day. The next two days are shorter ones-around 70 miles- than average and not much climbing. The wild card will be heat and wind. Haven't seen a forecast yet, but I'll hear one at rap in about 15 minutes. Signing off for now.

Day Twenty Four- Are We There Yet?

Day 24 (118 Miles)- Wednesday, July 11, 2007- Wall, SD to Pierre, SD (1,900')

I was fretting this one. You'll recall that yesterday's winds gave us a preview of what was possible out here (fortunately we had howling 30 MPH cross and tailwinds, not headwinds, but Ma Nature coulda fixed that in a nano second) and the thought of slugging out today's 117 mile route in those winds was giving me the willies. The weather report from last night wasn't awful (90 degrees and NE winds @5-10 MPH), but it wasn't what we wanted either, since we were headed east.

I was up and moving around by 4:30 and the morning was dead still and cool. Hmmm, I thought, this isn't what I expected. In fact, we heard that things had changed a bit and they were calling for more favorable winds, which is what we got. We had fairly mild winds today and it was either a crosswind or from time to time, it actually got behind us and pushed- always appreciated. Temps today probably stalled out in the mid 80's- a Godsend compared with last year's ride, which the staff claimed was 106 in the shade. Hello? How do I rent a car?

Today's ride was what I call "Prairie Monotone"- we rode a two lane road through rolling prairie for 118 miles. We had 50'-200' rollers (approximately one million of them) for nine hours, through wheat fields, hay fields, corn fields and open prairie. (Uh waiter, I ordered mine flat...) Nothing more, nothing less. I spent the day with Jen, Brett and Russell and we had a lot of laughs.

This is our fifth century on the tour (sixth if you count the 97 mile day- which I do- wanna make something out of it??). Physically I was really surprised at how I felt today. No aches or pains and I had really good legs. I'm starting to notice a pattern on these long rides- somewhere in the last 20 miles I get a shot of adrenaline or something. I felt amazingly fresh at the end. Now, laying on my bed in the hotel, I feel like a zombie- but on the ride I felt terrific. Weird.

Had a really funny time talking to Marianne from CA at one of the sags. She has a great sense of humor- at least she makes me laugh. We had a lightning round with "put out your eye" jokes. Rots a Raffs.

My ride total is now around 1,800 miles and I have 20 days left- about 1,400 miles

Day Twenty Three- The Glass is Half Full

Day 23- (57 Miles)-Tuesday, July 10, 2007- Rapid City, SD to Wall, SD

Since this morning's ride is a short one and won't begin until 8:00AM, I thought I'd post a "pre-ride" blog to get things started.

I'm happy to report that I have achieved a milestone in my ride across America- I'm now at the half way point, both in terms of time (22 out of 44 days) and miles (about 1,600 out of 3,153). I was reflecting on the ride so far and the only regret that I have is that things are a bit of a blur. Somebody was talking about an event that occurred in Blackfoot, ID and I could not remember a thing about the town. Somehow I need to slow down and drink things in a bit more. I'm in too much of a hurry and too focused on getting each ride completed instead of enjoying the experience. Less 'Go-Go" and more time to soak in the "now".

The thunderstorm that started a local fire (that I hear is still going strong) passed through town last night and left us with a spectacular morning. There are a few lingering clouds to the east, but brilliant blue skies, cool temps, low humidity and a strong breeze out of the west. Sweet.

Well, it's just after 7:00AM and folks are starting to sir. I'd best get my riding rags on and start the process again. I'll finish this post ride if I can get a Worldwide Web connection. Have a good one, y'all.

It's now 4:10 PM MST and I've been in Wall, SD since about 11:40 AM. The weather today has been spectacular- temps in the 70's, blue skies, no humidity and wind at 20-30 MPH out of the NNW. Fortunately, we were headed mostly east today so we had a lot of help from the wind. At times it was a full blown tailwind- so cruising at 25-28 MPH on the flat was doable.

The route today was short- only 57 miles- and was primarily on two lane farm roads with rolling hills, except for about a 20 mile stretch on I-90. We had about a seven mile climb on I-90, but it wasn't particularly steep and only climbed about 700 feet or so. The interstate ride was a bit dicey, as the shoulder was narrow and we had to deal with a strong, gusty crosswind and a guard rail on the edge of the shoulder at times, so one had to be pretty careful- especially with semi's coming by at 75 MPH.

A large group of riders spilled out of the hotel together this morning and I ended up riding in a group of about 20 or so for the first few miles as we zigged and zagged our way out of Rapid City and on to Hwy 1416, headed for Wall, SD. The road was rollers- not huge ones (maybe 35-50 footers)- but nearly constant. The saving grace, and something that put the riders in a bubbly disposition, was the wind. It was almost never a headwind (though there was a half mile stretch- downhill no less- that let us taste that wind as a headwind and believe me- I was regurgitating it- no thank you sir) and so we got a constant boost, though sometimes it got a bit pushy when it came as a pure crosswind.

I spent some miles running with Bill and Jim from NC, but then wanted to stretch out a bit and left them. I pushed past Ernst, then Joel and Allison and finally hit my stride as a solo act and finished the last 25 miles or so sans company- it felt good to ride hard, but not so hard that I was very tired when I hit the hotel.

Tomorrow is going to be a real test- I'm hearing headwinds and the route is 117 miles long. May have to find a team to ride with tomorrow- that's going to be tough by myself.

Day Twenty Two- Pain is Mandatory, Suffering is Optional

Day 22- (72 Miles) Monday, July 9, 2007- Hot Springs, SD to Rapid City, SD

What a day! We talked our way out of a thunderstorm. Rode an incredible variety of scenery. Climbed nearly 6,000'. And saw two of the wonders of North America. Plus, my group- The Three D's (Brett, Jen and Russell- all from Delaware-and that's Brett below pointing at towards the Crazy Horse Memorial, making Jen cuh-razee in the process!!) and I got into the hotel by about 2:30, so I'll get a few hours to tend to things domestic- like watchin' the clothes go round and that sort of thing.

This morning I beat my 4:30 AM wake up call by about 20 minutes, so I was up and at 'em early. I wandered thru the lobby and asked the hotelier what time breakfast was (knowing it was supposed to start at 6:00), and she asked "when would you like it" (good answer!). I said, "5:30 would be great"- knowing that I'd have 30 minutes before the ABB herd would start grazing in that direction. Worked perfectly- I got first crack at the food and was immensely satisfied with myself. However, looking outside, I noticed that it was raining lightly. After much hand ringing about raincoats yes/raincoats no, I decided to pack a coat on my camelback. That was all it took to send the rain running for the hills. We got exactly zero rain, though the bikes and the backs of our jerseys would be unable to back that story up- they were a mess.

Nonetheless, we departed Hot Springs (actually a neat little town with a downtown area that actually had some character) under clearing skies and very mild temps, albeit a trifle humid (remember- I know humid). The scenery today was varied- from Wind Cave National Park- a buffalo and prairie dog sanctuary, to The Crazy Horse Memorial, to the climb through the incredible rock formations leading up to Mount Rushmore and then to the descent into Rapid City and the start of the "real South Dakota" and the plains.

Today's ride was our second or third biggest climbing day (after Teton Pass and The Continental Divide), however, the climbing was spaced throughout the day, so we took many little bites, instead of one or two big boy hauls. The one exception to that was the climb up to Mount Rushmore, which was nearly 10 miles, with grades between 5-10% and it really got my heart pumping. Still, there were no heroic efforts required- just kept the cranks spinning and soon enough, we were over the top. In terms of numbers, we started the day at 3,250', climbed to nearly 6,000' by mile 35 or so, then gave it all back by mile 72, finishing at 3,220. Naturally, there were a few bumps along the way that made life, shall we say, interesting as we pedaled along.

Many remarked today at the drama in the climb to Mount Rushmore. It was really spectacular. As many times as I've driven through Rapid City en route to Montana, I can't believe that I've never been to Mount Rushmore. It is a special place and it's in a magnificent setting. Everywhere there are huge rock outcroppings that are a blank canvas for sculptors who think big, such as Gutzon Borglum, who masterminded the creation at Mount Rushmore.

Tomorrow will be an easy day- just 57 miles and only 1300' of climbing. We'll load after 8:00 AM, so it's a sleep-in opportunity. We were advised to rest as much as we can, because we have a couple of brute days after that- century pluses and some climbing to boot.

Tonight we had a thunderstorm come through while we were in rap (discussion of tomorrows ride) that started a fire outside Rapid City. The smoke and flames were visible from our hotel. I heard on TV this morning that there are wildfires going in 14 states now. I think this global warming thing is really under control, don't you? Anyway, supposed to be cooler tomorrow with 30 MPH tailwinds. Could be a hairy ride. Time to get supine (horizontal). Ciao, baby.

Day Twenty One-Fire on the Mountain, Lightning in the Air

Day 21-(93 Miles)- Sunday, July 8, 2007- Lusk, WY to Hot Springs, SD (3,443')

First off, thanks to my son Jon for sending me a comment. I wasn't sure if you even knew about this blog and was delighted to hear that you've been following it.

Today I decided to kinda ride solo, though I did partner up with Steve from Dallas. He's a financial guy, between jobs, and a fairly low key guy. Seems to prefer to ride alone so, though we traveled together, there wasn't much discussion. But that was OK with me as I wanted to just ride at my pace and drink in the scenery. The countryside was beautiful, especially the first part of the ride, as things began to shift from high desert/prairie to the unique look of the Badlands and the Black Hills.

Today's ride was billed as 92 miles, with about 3,300' of climbing, but mostly downhill until a 5-6 mile climb at mile 72 and another one mile climb at mile 87. On paper it seemed like an easy day. The pace I rode at for the first 50-60 miles was brisk (at least for me) and I could tell by mile 70 that I was leaking a little oil. So, when the climb commenced, this boy was all alone on the hill and sweating like a civil war mule. The climb wasn't east coast steep, but it was west coast long- and between the crummy SD roads/shoulders (they have rumble strips that you cannot avoid- I heard a local refer to them as "Whiskey Strips"-LOL) and the warm day, I was setting up shop in Hurtsville. SO between the unexpectedly tough climbs and riding solo in numerous headwinds, I survived, but did not exactly prosper-at least not during the finale of today's ride.

As you can see from the shot above, we exited Wyoming, (not so sorry to see it end- tough climbs, ugly towns, endless scrubby high desert) and entered South Dakota. That's Cindy from Boston behind me who's holding little carricatures of her daughters that they made and asked her to take pictures of as she crosses the country. Kinda vicarious bicycle touring I guess.

For at least 30 miles before getting to Hot Springs, we began to see two large clouds on the horizon (the hazy day pretty well killed any chance of taking a picture of them). Steve and I debated whether they were rain clouds or smoke and it turned out to be smoke. When we got to Hot Springs, I heard that there was a lightning strike last night about 5 miles south of town that started the fire and it burned a number of buildings, killed one local guy and was out of control until this afternoon. We heard that as of 2:00PM the fire had consumed 5,000 acres and was NOT contained. Heard that again later in the day. Saw a bunch of planes flying low over town that seemed to be playing some role in fighting the fire. Anyway, we were in the smoke for the last 10 miles of our ride which made the going more difficult- though it was probably psychological more than anything. Still, riding directly into an area that has a huge forest fire going, with only a bike as a way out, isn't what my momma raised me to do.

Tomorrow will be a test of my manliness as the climbing will equal the dosage we were given at Teton Pass and the Continental Divide- nearly 6,000 feet in just 72 miles. The day should be filled with inspirational views, as we've been told that both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are on the route. I've always thought that western South Dakota was spectacular, but never have taken the time to really wander around. Well sonny boy, tomorrow's the day for that.

From the "Life on The Road" department, here's a dose of the reality of hotel living with 75 cyclists. Getting to a washing machine at the end of the day (forget about day's off- you'd better be in the guest laundry room at 2:30AM) is becoming a challenge. During the first week or so it was easy and I usually washed my dirty clothes at the end of every day. Now it seems as though everyone has saved up all their grimy clothes since Astoria and you can't get a machine when you need one. So, I'm becoming reasonably proficient at cleansing my frilly underthings in the sink- I feel like I'm in an all girl boarding school. Bitches.

Report From Home: I heard from Sherry today that Nick planted some Millet- for our annual dove shoot. I never got around to planning it with anyone before I left and figured we'd just pass this year. But I suspect that Nick and Robert decided they wanted to have a shoot. I'm fine with that, but I think that the field we've been using really needs some soil amendments- but we'll see how it turns out.

Today's ride brings me to about 1515 miles ridden and about 53,000 feet climbed. At some point in tomorrow's ride I will hit the halfway point in my little sojourn. On one hand it seemd impossible that I'm half way through with this ride- on the other hand, it seems like I've been on this ride all of my life. So which is it boy?

Day Twenty-Back in the Saddle Again

Day 20-(107 Miles)- Saturday, July 7, 2007- Casper, WY to Lusk, WY (5,014')

So, we do 120 miles on Thursday, rest on Friday and then pull a century plus on Saturday. Are we tough guys or what? I swear, we are so into the routine, that riding a bike all day is starting to seem pretty normal. Tomorrow is close to a century, with a few pretty good climbs and I'm not freaking out. I think I'm about to drink the cool-aid.

Today was another early start-in the saddle by 6:30 AM and finally got off at 4:00PM. Now I'll grant you I set no land speed record, and the route was reasonably flat and we had no serious headwind. So what took so long? Not sure I have the answer, other than 3 sags, two other breaks, my THREE FLATS, and a charity flat fix for Jan from Tuscon (I stopped, those renegade Miller boys did not)- I guess all that stopping sorta answers the question, no?

Anyway, we pulled the line through Casper early this morning, all of us agreeing that there would be no tears shed- this town is below average any way you want to score it. Not very pretty terrain, no great restaurants, the hotel sucked, hotter that hell, ugly buildings, etc. Did get a parting shot of a cool statue on Center St- that was the high point of my stay. You probably can't see it, but it's a cowboy with a calf across his lap, riding through snow. The title was something like "Chance of Snow". I liked it- after taking the picture I had to ride like hell to catch my crew- the heartless b****rds wouldn't wait for me.

Our route today was eastbound along Hwy 20, then I-25 for 15 miles or so, then more two lane county roads with fair shoulders. We eventually ran through Douglas (cute little town) and then on through prairie land and high speed two lane roads to Lusk, WY. The weather was warm this morning and I heard reports that we hit somewhere between 96 and 106 by afternoon. Whatever it was, it was scorching. Drinking water and eating salty food became a survival exercise and while most did OK, the sag wagons were busier that usual. By early afternoon, the front that had been promised, began to show itself to the west and the big ole cumulus clouds began forming. By 3:00PM the sky was darkinging and as I was changing Jan's flat for her at about 3:45, I had serious doubts as to whether we'd avoid getting rained on. Fortunately, we got things fixed up quickly and I was able to pull her in to town without mishap. In fact even now, at 7:45, things have stayed dry.

Tomorrow, we leave Wyoming and start our way into South Dakota. SD is a huge state and I think we'll spend most of the days remaining in our third leg there. I'm excited about what the next few days will bring- I'm expecting some great sights in the Black Hills, but with that we'll be expected to put our climbing shoes back on- at least until we get to the east of Rapid City.

Around mile 70 or so, we began running along railroad tracks and saw a number of trains that were pulling nothing but coal. I suspect they were taking the coal to a coal powered electrical generation plant.

It's now after 8:00 PM and I have been on the move since 4:30 AM. I am, as the French say, poopied. And I think I'll sign out, or off, or whatever the hell you do when it's time to quit. Buh-bye.

Day Nineteen- Down Boy

Day 19 (0 Miles)- Friday, July 6, 2007- Casper, WY- Rest Day

We're all enjoying a well earned rest day in Casper, WY. Lots of places I'd rather be- Casper is kind of a working man's town (not that there's anything wrong with that) and we're a ways from anything. I was fortunate that Mike Miller offered to take me along on a car trip to Wal Mart- 5-7 miles away and I picked up a few needed items. We took his son's girlfriend's father's rental car- a Prius (I must be green- riding a bike, then driving a hybrid car on my day off- Vote for Gore!!) that we never could get to turn the windshield wipers off (always a dead give away as a tourist- especially on a cloudless summer day- but I really don't give a crap).

Agenda for today: Eat breakfast, shop at Wal Mart, eat lunch, wash bike, eat dinner, wash clothes, go to bed.

We're starting to get a few people breaking. Not a lot, but I'm hearing about sore butts, knee problems, nasty blisters on feet, assorted rashes, a few crashes. But by and large, the group is beginning to get stronger, more toned, more tanned and is handling the stress of this ride pretty well. I feel way better than I did at the first rest day- don't feel that I need a massage- no soreness in my legs or shoulders like before. I'm figuring out how to relax a bit more while riding, especially in my neck and shoulders. Also getting much better at getting off the saddle and riding while standing (shift up two gears, stand and pedal, rest on right foot, then left, shift down two gears, sit and pedal-don't know if it's "correct", but it's working for me).


If anything happens today- you'll be the first to hear about it- but I'm not expecting much. About to head out for lunch. Buh-bye.