Day Twenty Seven- Dances with Horses

Day 27- (72 Miles)- Saturday, July 14, 2007, Mitchell, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

The day before a day off always has the feel of the day before the start of summer vacation. The riders moods were upbeat, especially since we didn't load until 6:45 and breakfast was at 7:00AM. Adding to our euphoria was a positive weather forecast (again) and a short ride- only 72 miles along a relatively flat route- with maybe a slight uphill trend, but nothing to get lathered up about.

Our destination was Sioux City, SD- our last stop in South Dakota. SD has been an interesting state- full of extremes. Extremely: beautiful (Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore), bad roads (every where), desolate and unpopulated. Though we didn't have much of it, it can also have otherworldly heat and winds. According to locals the heat has been right on our tails and next week we'll be dealing with triple digits. Guess we've had it coming and will have to get into survival mode to get through the hot days.
Our stats so far are starting to get impressive. Some fun facts: I am now 63% of the way along my route and will ride a total of 14 more days, with two more rest days. Since leaving Astoria, OR we've ridden for 25 of the last 27 days, have logged 1,988 miles and climbed 68,422 feet. We have crossed the Coastal Range, the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains. I've had five flats and have worn out one tire and one chain (the Habersham Bicycle Giant TCR has been running real fine). On Monday we'll enter our fifth state, with two more states and a Canadian province yet to go.

At this point, I am in good physical condition. I thought I was starting to develop a saddle sore a couple days ago, but the long distance cyclist's friend- Bag Balm, came to the rescue and I am pleased to report that I have weathered the storm. The contact points (butt, feet and hands) are all sound and although my legs feel like they need a day off, I have no injuries to worry about. I feel considerably stronger than when I started and notice a marked improvement in how I go over rolling hills- I'm much more comfortable staying in the big ring and powering up things. We are definitely starting to see injuries crop up- knees, backs, quads, hamstrings, achilles tendons. Seems like somebody is sagging everyday and several riders have bailed out due to backs or knees. Knock on wood, I'm holding together well. It could all turn to crap in a heartbeat, but for now-I'm solid.

As I mentioned, today's ride was pretty mild and the terrain has taken a decided turn from "western" to "mid-western". We are now cruising through corn and soybean fields and things are much greener than a week ago with increasing signs of civilization. We no longer have 100 mile stretches with only one gas station in between.

I joined forces with Big Ralph again this morning and we began slowly, but we were groovin' in no time. At about mile 11, Ralph hollered at me and looking back I saw that we had four horses galloping along a fence line to our right at full speed, apparently chasing us- just for the fun of it. It was very, very cool. We began yipping and yelping in cowboy fashion, whistling and slapping our spandex (cowboys would have slapped their spandex, just trust me)- encouraging the horses to stay with us- which they did for about a mile. Just as a tree line interrupted their ability to keep running with us, we heard one of our riders way behind us, yelling for us to stop- which we did. "You dorks missed the turn about a mile back" were his carefully chosen words. What a buzz kill.

With a slight headwind facing the riders, the two of us (remember, a big guy is more fun to draft behind than a little guy) soon collected an assortment of wheel suckers and we hammered along, pulling a double line down the country road and into the first sag at mile 40 or so. After the sag, our group split apart and Ralph and I went along, eventually picking Derek Miller up and the two of them tried their level best to kill me on the remaining 20 miles or so. They came close, but I kept finding excuses to stop for this and that and finally faked my way into Sioux Falls and the luxurious Super 8 Motel. Hey- decent bed and functioning AC- I ain't bitchin'.

This weekend there is some sort of bike (motorcycle) event in Sioux Falls and the place is overrun with Harleys and muscle cars. I'm begging you guys, go fast somewhere else- I want to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, our third rest day, will be a day of exceptionally low expectations for me. My only to-do's are to find a washing machine and a barber. And if I can't find a barber, I'll be able live with that. BTW, thanks to Sherry and Joe for getting my care package sent to me. It had Chamois Butter, new cleats and cleat covers- golly, this is the best Christmas ever!!

Day Twenty Six- A Sing Along

Day 26- (70 Miles)- Friday, July 13, 2007- Chamberlain, SD to Mitchell, SD (1,300')

As the saying goes, "what a difference a day makes". Loyal followers know (and several commented- Keith, Jack, Danny and Susie know who they are) that yesterday was my crybaby day. I whined like a little boy with a hurt finger. Oh this is too hard and that bothers me and gosh this hurts, etc..

Well, today ole cheerful Bob is back. I woke once last night at about 3:00AM and to my delight I could tell that my body was getting rested and the legs felt good. With a bit of a grin, I rolled over and slept in until, get this, 5:15AM. Holy crap- it's practically a day off. We didn't load luggage 'til 6:20, ate breakfast at 6:30 and hit the road about 7:00ish. The route today was only 70 miles and other than a 300' climb at the git-go, it trended downward all the way to Mitchell.

The ride was a two lane country road that started out OK, and then turned on us for a while with those cracks that I wrote about yesterday. I rode with a group that included the Millers and assorted others for a while and then hopped on with Ralph, Gerard and a woman who's name escapes me. We hung together until about mile 25 when she dropped off. Ralph, Gerard and I cruised at 18-22MPH for a while and then Gerard dropped off to ride with someone else. Ralph and I finished the ride together and had a nice chat about life and careers and flying airplanes (he's a private pilot) and life adventures, etc. The ride today was more brisk than I would have done on my own (big Ralph is a macho man who rides with the big dogs)- but still was an easy day. We were about the third or fourth riders into town, arriving at little after 11:00AM and the day was kind to me. I am back to feeling myself and have confidence in the legs for tomorrow. Life is good.

The weather today was another gem- high by our ride's end was about 80, humidity was low and the winds, for the most part, were a non factor. I continue to be amazed with the weather we've had. Probably shouldn't discuss it, but we've had it soooooo nice.

Mitchell is home to the world famous "Corn Palace"- a tourist trap on the same scale as Wall Drug. I do not plan to go see it. Instead, I'll sit in my comfortable, air conditioned motel room and prepare for tomorrow's ride- our final ride in our third leg.

Today I had lunch with Rich (an attorney from Columbus), Ralph and a guy named Topper. We were having a nice chat as we waited for lunch and somehow the subject of sailing came up. Topper told us that he had sailed around the world- twice. The first time he did it on a 27' wooden sailboat, with no electronics and it took him eight years!!. He then told us about some of his adventures and explained that he spent a grand total of $10,000 during the eight years. Unreal. He then came back to the U.S. and decided to start building sailboats and did that for a number of years, figuring that he had learned a lot about what worked and what didn't work on a long distance cruising boat. What an interesting bunch of people.

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?