Mellow day. Awoke, packed up the tent. Got a coffee. Read the paper. Talked to John, another lawyer on the trip, though very, very free spirited (Makes me look like a total straight arrow). Laid on the ground and read the local paper.

Came up to lodge in the park. Camped out writing. . . doing some laundry. Devil's Tower Lodge. Great place, great hostess in Lorna. Feel like I'm at home, with the exception that I get to gaze up at devil's tower lodge. Hot today (what's new), though it should hopefully cool off tonight so that I can hop in the hot tub.

Was able to download pictures into the computer (thanks, dave!). I've even labeled them. I have no idea, though, how long they'll take to send via modem. Priority is the updates, though. We'll see.

Please remember that these updates are stream of consciousness updates that, basically, are my private journal updates. I am not proofing, nor editing, them. So, please excuse the rambling nature, and sometimes (often) incoherent or repetitive or boring or. . . nature of them. I didn't think that they'd be of interest to anyone other than me, or perhaps some of my nutty cycling friends, so I didn't have a real intent to share the daily entries. Rather, I thought I'd provide perhaps a weekly log. However, given the shortness of time (can't do multiple entries) and the positive reviews of these rambling tales, I will continue to share with you (unless you request to be removed from the distribution list, which you should feel free to do without any retribution) my journal entries. However, I'm realizing that they really are taking a ton of time to write. So, it may be that the detail, frequency, or length of them will vary, and will likely diminish. (Thankfully?) Again, though, remember, they're stream of consciousness entries.

Fun! Beautiful! No question about it. . . except for arriving at camp, from the b and b, at 7:10, and finding everyone gone. Yikes, what's up with this? I even had some challenges finding the Penske, the vehicle in which our bags are stored. Typically, breakfast is from 6:30 to 7:30; but, no exaggeration, there wasn't a single tent left, the bike holders had been disassembled, and the bags gone. What did folks know that I didn't? Alien abduction? Did I miss a time zone change? Turns out that folks were just paranoid about the heat, and the hills. Huh. A week ago I would have been panicked. However, it was only 80 miles (did I say only 80 miles??), and, I'd have all day to do it. It can't be that bad.

Hills in the am weren't too bad as there was no wind and it wasn't hot. The day, actually, stayed that way. Great café stop in Sundance with Heather and Brent (from Columbia, MD, though Heather came via Ontario, where, get this Sherry, Canadian Girls Kick Ass (My friend Sherry, with whom I traveled to Italy with in the fall, has a "girls kick ass" logo on her top tube!)) and Jim and Lauri (yes, I hammered and caught up with folks at the first water stop). Thankfully, we didn't stop at the Texaco station where many others stopped. Actually,

The Thriving Metropolis of 4 Corners, Wyoming

initially, we weren't so certain b/c, when we pulled up, Bushes' speech was being blared out of the outdoor loudspeaker. Initially, we thought it was a local evangelist. . . well, then again, maybe it was. Actually, even the locals were fed up with this speech, and they turned the channel to some local music. (No, we didn't say anything about it.) Since I was being fueled on power bars (they only go so far), I ordered up a pancake, while the others had caramel rolls. Jim and Lauri did their standard routine - Jim asks Lauri whether she wants to share, Lauri decides she wants one of her own, Jim makes some comment, but proceeds to inhale his prior to others getting through theirs. In fact, today, we asked Jim if he was going to lick his plate, which, yes, he proceeded to do. (Don't forget, these are the 'sticks and bones' folks.), all in great fun. Sometimes, we even get stomach aches from laughing too hard. We also took time for some art shopping. Art shopping; you ask, in Sundance, WY? Yepper. . . the café had some pretty cool western art. I almost bought one of a bear and coffee, but refrained. Others didn't demonstrate the same restraint as they went home with some pretty nice prints. Sundance was a cute town, would've been nice to have a night there. Great old bank, and a very, very moving war memorial - not only for those who perished in our wars and conflicts, but for all the Crooke County citizens who served.

Started to roll into town, and asked the construction dudes where we could locate the town's finest ice cream. Turns out that the main street diner sported great malts (even I liked them). The town was a real town, and even had a wonderful county courthouse. Dinner at the senior center, complete with local piano player, was actually quite good. And, believe it or not, energy tonight for the local movie - WindTalkers. Review? Huge potential; horrible execution. Give it a pass, unless you're high on the need for shoot 'em up blood and guts. Nonetheless, fun to actually make it to a movie, and stay awake.

Ear plugs were handed out as the trains were supposed to be horrible this evening. I keep my pair, as a standard, in my sleeping bag. Perhaps there were trains, but I heard nothing, until the symphony of zippers commenced at 4:30 or 5 in the am.

The Black Hills

Wyoming's Wildlife, but who's wild...

 

Breakfast at the senior center - great stuff, and healthy. What a fun group of folks! The ride this am was wonderful -- Had made reservations for Jewel Cave, though cancelled them.. basically, didn't want to be on a schedule. Life at home is too scheduled, and even though there's plenty of time to play today, I just want to do what I want to do in the moment. Made it to lunch by 9:30 or so (second breakfast??) A great morning's ride, and reminiscent of some highway 1 rides.

Today's ride was way easy, and way beautiful. Tons of green, some good climbing and fun descents. Yea, I'm feeling great. . . and really enjoying the riding, the comraderie, the exercise, the endorphins, and the adrenaline. Life is good. Not certain it gets much better; and, 44 miles? No problemo! What a gift!

Don't remember when I made it to Custer, but the plan was to have some ice cream or iced coffee, and then make the trek to Crazy Horse. We passed home for the night - unbelievable - a Flinstones Theme and Camping park. Fun stuff. . . . and Jim found a coffee shop - at an 1881 bank, where we sat outside with our coffees and newspaper. Ah, life is good. Way too good. I can't remember the last time I got to just sit, sip a good latte, read a paper, and chat with good friends. We talked for about an hour and a half, trying to decide whether to make the 8 or so mile trek, uphill, to see Crazy Horse. I wanted to try hitching a ride, but Jim wasn't wild about it, and Patricia, who stopped by, gave a not so endorsing view of her experience. Actually, as we hung out at the café, numerous folks came by and gave us reviews, and info for us to make our decision. I know, big decisions, eh? I certainly wasn't too wild about pedaling in headwinds, uphill, for 8 miles as there's plenty opportunities, I'm sure, for this in the future. I've hitched overseas, and only once in the states with Colleen and Ray (college friends) when our raft died, or, perhaps more aptly, the water dried up). But, it's a tourist area, and I thought we'd stand a chance in our lovely bike clothes, so long as people didn't get too close to us (hadn't yet showered). The conversation went round and round, and we talked about whether we'd feel bad about not seeing it if we didn't. As time passed, the likelihood of us going diminished. . . I remembered being in Athens and not going into the Acropolis. That may seem like blasphemy; but, actually, even today, I don't regret that decision (I just need to go back; and, besides, I did get to see it from a mountain check/hilltop at night for a couple of hours with some fellow travelers). We decided we'd check out the hill, and the winds (it was a headwind all the way). I came out of the bathroom and Lauri announced that she wasn't going to be compulsive so she wasn't going to go. We walked our bikes down to the corner where we'd have to turn to climb the hill, and there was a great gift shop. Went inside.... hmmm, maybe not going would be a good idea. I'd love an afternoon to just hang out, and do nothing. The coffee shop sold homemade jams, and I suggested a baggette and jam, and hanging out at the coffee shop for the afternoon; and, perhaps, if we could find it, with a bottle of vino. That suggestion lit up Jim's eyes. Ok, we were on a mission. We were told that the best chance of finding a baggette was at the supermarket at the end of town. Lauri and Jim wanted to shower and set up tents first. Not me; as it would be all over if I did that. Also, I wanted to make a couple of calls and check out the town museum in the local courthouse. We divided up labor - I'd get the baggette and jam, they'd get the wine. (Jim was skeptical, rightly so, at finding a baggette). I pedaled to the bakery at the supermarket, and looked for baggettes. Didn't find any. Asked the woman at the counter, who promptly responded "No" to my question of whether they had baggettes. She then asked, "what are you looking for?" "Baggettes," I replied. She had a puzzled look on her face, and proceeded to ask me, "What's that?" Oh yea, I'm in South Dakota. We were able, though, to find some French bread, along with cheese. And, the jam - wow! Wild plum. Great stuff! So, yea, I have to say that the afternoon of hanging out at the coffee shop, on Main Street, eating jam, cheese and bread, along with sipping wine, with good friends (old - on the phone), and new, was about as perfect as one could get. I needed this today. . . particularly since it was a somewhat disturbing 'work' day from a call I had in the am. Yea, I haven't completely escaped that. But, the afternoon? Absolutely perfect. . . . especially given the beauty and ease of the morning's ride!
 

After hanging out at the café for 45 or so minutes, waving hello and goodbye to the parade of cyclists, I donned my bike, only to be surprised by the 6 mile climb. Hmmmm,,,,,ok, I kind of hammered, wanting to catch up with some friends (Lauri and Jim) and figured I'd get my exercise early in the day. We entered Custer State Park and were treated to a glorious view of Sylvan Lake. The climb was great - plenty of green (I forgot what that was like) along with lots of shade, no traffic, and fun winding roads - a mellow old la Honda (a climb from home). As we climbed a bit more, we reached an overlook/plateau/gathering area in which we were surrounded by pinnacles jutting out of the sky, and magnificent views of Custer and the valley below. Actually, it appeared as if the road came to an end - the tunnel through the other side wasn't readily apparent. While I guess I've heard of Needles Byway in the past, I really had no idea of what it was. . . or how pretty it was. Truly, it was absolutely incredible. If I were to dream up one of the most beautiful/fun places, I couldn't have dreamt of this. One of the times you know there's a G-D. The vistas, the needles/pinnacles, the road construction, the culy-q's, the hills, the tunnels, the bridges - they were all fabulous. It seemed that every corner I turned, the view got more interesting, more beautiful. What a spectacular area. The weather was perfectly cool, and the skies, at least above us until we descended, clear. And, again, to get to do this from the seat of a bicycle - oh my gosh. I really couldn't believe my eyes. I do believe that South Dakota is the sleeper state - I had no idea how beautiful it is, and how much fun it is to ride through. Certainly beats reports I've heard from Kansas! Would definitely like to return - stay in Custer at the bank's b and b, bring bikes and hiking boots, and truly get to explore Custer State Park and the needles highway! Picnics and vino would also be stellar!

After the Needles byway, we stopped at the visitor's center for a much needed hot cocoa/coffee. It was a tad cold, and, of course, I made the incredibly wise decision, given the heat of the past few days, to leave my jacket/vest and arm warmers packed away. Mmmm...seemed like we were still doing a lot of climbing - either my sense of elevation gains has evaporated, or whomever said the climbing was only 3300 ft was on drugs. There was a lot,,,,and the heat began to creep. Wide open spaces, fun ascents and descents. No matter, this had to have been the funnest day of cycling ever, even though we didn't see any buffalos. One of the most amazing views was summiting this hill, riding through a one land tunnel, and popping out the other side to see our 5 presidents - ala Mt. Rushmore. What a rush. Incredible.

The Mt. Rushmore stop was voluntary and off route, and most folks passed on it since we spent so much time enjoying the morning. And, the 2 mile climb up to Mt. Rushmore didn't seem appealing to many. I couldn't pass up this one, though I did seriously consider locking my bike to the street sign and hitching a ride up the hill. Jim, though, convinced us to make the climb, and, in retrospect, I'm happy I did. Mt. Rushmore is quite impressive indeed, and well worth the visit. It was odd, though, to be around so many people again - tons and tons of tourists. ... nonetheless, the avenue of the state flags was moving, particularly this year, as is the grandeur of the carvings of the presidents. Surreal. Had a great downhill (10% grade) and off to lunch we were. Oops, we were the last group to arrive - I think around 2:30 or so (usually we're there no later than 11:30). Again, I knew we had done at least 3300 feet of climbing, so I wasn't particularly worried, until I was told that the afternoon held lots more of ups and downs.

New lunch twist: Rather than normal PB and J, even with banana, I arrived and grabbed a banana, popped some peanut butter on it, and loaded on the M and M's. Oh yea, and then the sandwich - pb and j, banana, and nutella! Mmmm, mmmm, good!

Funny for the day - after lunch, perhaps 5 miles out or so, pedaling along, thinking of hinky pinks, we crossed a cattle guard and heard some rattling. Turns out that Lauri's mirror fell off her bike, and under the cattle guard. Being the chivalrous husband Jim is, he quickly jumped off his bike and crawled under the cattle guard. I couldn't stop laughing - his butt in the air, his face to the ground, the burning heat, couldn't have been a better picture! And, yes, we got great pictures, and he had to basically pick Lauri and I off the ground laughing to start biking again. Hmmm, doesn't seem so funny in words - perhaps the heat, perhaps the endorphins, perhaps just plain old fashioned fun,,,it was funny!

To make a long story short, the afternoon (around 35 miles or so) was all ups and downs, and HOT! But, again, it was beautiful. Ah,,,,, yes, the legs can get tired again, and tired they were. When we hit Rapid City, and 16e, and landed our eyes on the climb up 16e I must admit to getting a bit annoyed. Oh well, pedal onward.

Arrived at the school, and plopped myself on the grass, completely knackered. No matter, an unbelievably great day. And, topped with South Dakotan Chinese food (actually, it wasn't bad - not too greasy), along with my new flinstones water bottle (yea - it's even purple!) and mail call. . . a great day. Oh yea, how could I forget? I was told that there was a wine bar in town. Even though we were 5-6 miles from town, a few of us (Brian and Renee) hopped a cab and made it to town and the wine bar. Yum! Brian and I also bought a bottle to share tomorrow evening before dinner.

Mt. Rushmore

The Badlands

A tunnel & Mt. Rushmore on the other side. Wow - sums it up

 

Tried to get an early start to beat the heat. . . . but, no matter, still seemed that we weren't on the road until 7:30 or so. 44 east, no turns. It is amazing, even on a bicycle, how we go from some of the world's most spectacular scenery, and greenery, to barren, desolate landscape. The first 30-40 miles or so were farmland. Entered and passed through the Grasslands National Park (where the hell are the grasses??) as well as the Badlands (or mars-scape, shall we say). Even given the barrenness, it still was beautiful. The headwinds, while not awful, certainly were present (lacking was the west to east winds), and, while hot, it could have been much worse. The terrain was pretty flat, so it was a get to the destination kind of day.

Way cool bar at lunch today, in Scenic (which is a total misnomer, or more aptly said, America's most mismatched named town - there really wasn't anything scenic about Scenic .. . . except, maybe, the gas station. Population 25). The bar sported four bar stools, old milk containers with tractor seats. Ah, very comfortable. And, of course, the obligatory sawdust floor. Despite wanting to have a 30 minute lunch stop, this little stop, diet coke and all, consumed an additional 30 minutes. (sign outside actually said, Indians Allowed)

Badlands National Park

 
Arrived in interior (kind of like Alaska's interior, except for the temps), and jumped into the local café. Interior, mind you, isn't large - population 67. no beer, and only vanilla ice cream. Nancy was there having a coke, and I convinced her to go get a beer. Hmmm,,, gotta check out the local bar. Whoops - wow, they had some great looking pie. I asked if I could get a piece to go, and of course the answer was yes. They went to put it in a Styrofoam container, I said, Don't bother." I slid it off the plate, and into the plastic wrap. On my way out the door, I managed to eat half of it (gosh, I was hungry). . . much to the chagrin of the man sitting and eating his lunch. Hmmm, I guess I need to work on my manners. Was looking down the road for Brian, Lauri and jim, as I knew they weren't too far behind, and I figured they'd also want an ice cream or beer stop, or both (though this wasn't possible in the metropolis of Interior). They came pedaling up. . and I gave Lauri the remainder of my pie. She ended up with a flat - no wonder she was so tired. I used the last bit of co2 so that we could make it to the bar to change. Turned out to be a great stop - again, with tons of laughter. Uli, robyn, nancy, alan, Brian, Lauri, jim and i. The beer selections left a bit to be desired, and very different than those in previous states (mich, mich light, bud, bud light, coors, coors light, though they were out of coors light.) hmmm, back to college days, a bud light. But, they did have great bbque potato chips! Tons and tons of laughter - the funny for the day, and the best pickup line I've heard in a long time - the conversation turned to saddle sores - and, since these brits can drink, and drink they did - folks weren't holding back. Nancy mentioned that she can dress saddle sores. Carl took her up on the offer, while gary has said, not yet. Hmmm,,,,yep, we'll all be asking gary, "When??" and, of course, Dr. Jim gave us his 2 suggestions for dealing with them. Thankfully, I'm in pretty good shape, and am not suffering!

Dinner was in shifts today....too small a café. Great food, though maybe I was just hungry. Got back to camp, a koa with a wonderful shower, laid down, and promptly fell asleep. The nap felt good, and now the sun's set and I'm typing away in my tent. Tomorrow is a Badlands day - should be fun, so long as the heat stays temperate. Yep, the body's working, and feeling good. Getting on the bike is actually fun everyday.

For as far as you can see...on the way to Scenic, SD

At least this is some scenery

 

Stats: Badlands National Park, great great French toast

Another fun day, what can I say? This trip just gets better and better with each passing day. I truly am having the time of my life. Left the KOA campground in the am, to the sights of a mars looking landscape (or atleast what I think Mars may look like). Great great frenchtoast. . . and, then, we got to play in the Badlands all morning. How Fun! Rich gave Lauri, Jim and I the title of Team Sweep ('cause we explore so much). In the afternoon, of course, the wind picked up, the heat soared, and the riding became somewhat boring. Brian, a former Disney software jock and current rocket scientist from southern Californian, joined the brigade, and we had fun, despite the weather. My body couldn't withstand beer in the afternoon (too dehydrated), though we did stop in the local bar in Philip for chips and 7up for me. Interesting find: a veterinary supply and package liquor store. No, this isn't two stores; it's one. Oh, and by the way, they also sold horse saddles and cowboy hats. Huh. Yes, we're in South Dakota.

At night Brian and I opened the bottle of wine we bought in Rapid City. Ken came by, and said he'd swap some wine for cointreau. We offered some to Rich (the tour leader) as he went by, totally forgetting the ban on alcohol on school grounds. Yikes, did I feel bad, and like a little kid. However, we were only sampling the wine to ensure that it was worthy of drinking later. J After dinner, which was likely the worst dinner of the trip, Brian, Lauri, Brian and I decided that we were 'off campus' enough at the edge of a gorge, and enjoyed the bottle of zinfandel that we had bought, while listening to church bells ringing and song played, and gazing at the setting sun. Yep, a perfectly fine evening. Afterwards, Lauri and I decided to check out the see saws, as well as the 'merry go round'. Yea, what a trip. On the seesaws, we were able to get in perfect balance, pretty darn quickly. Then it was off to the merry go round. Spin, spin, spin, and laugh, laugh, laugh. Tom came along and had both of us get on it. Lying down, closing my eyes, spinning through the world, and then opening them.. yepper, what a great time. No drugs needed, only a kid's heart. That was pure unadulterated fun. I then, though, was pretty wired, despite stopping by Marianne's tent, which was currently visited by Tom and Ken, for some cointreau (Julie was saving her care-packaged wine for her bday dinner the tomorrow night), and couldn't go to sleep. Cell coverage actually worked, so I had a great conversation with a friend back home about, you guessed it, the meaning of life. Good, good stuff.

Badlands National Park

 

Stats: 1 town (if you can call a gas station a town); Styx music; 2 turns; unlimited hay bales; 100 + degree temps; one international airport (at the lunch stop - still can't figure out how it's international)

Most interesting Hinky Pinky (from Ken): A divorced Santa. Any guesses?

Daily trivia? What 2 state capitals have names of months in them? (this kept us going for an hour or two)

First person to answer these two gets a double dip ice cream cone, compliments of me.

OK, today was the South Dakota I thought I'd experience. I thought: Hot, dry, barren and desolate. I didn't think "wind," though I should have. For sure, it was hard. No, there weren't mountain passes to climb, or centuries to tackle (though it was 91 miles). Rather, it was a long day, with plenty of rollers (aka hills, which, of course, the routers failed to tell us about), and heat, and, of course, Wind. I can't say much about the scenery, other than dry, desolate, barren views off to the right and left; and, often in front of me, two jerseys and two butts. As my friend Nancy described it, all we saw, all day, other than bales of hay and brown hills (anyone who thinks California is brown, should spend some time in central South Dakota), was hills. Aptly put, it's one hill after another - you crest one hill, and you see the next one, for miles at a time - about 86 to be exact, until, of course, we landed our eyes on the Missouri River.

wowee, it's another road Who said there's nothing to look at out here...

Spent the day in formation with Brian, Lauri and Jim, shielding each other from the wind, sharing mental teasers (hink pinks have become commonplace), trivia, and laughter. Ken, a one weeker from southern California, caught a lift from us later in the afternoon, and added a few good hinky pinkys as well. After the right turn onto highway 14, there was one other turn. Oh yea, and the town of Midland. Hmmm, there was a gas station, with a convenience store, at mile 26. Not much else. Let's see, route notes mentioned shade at the picnic stop at mile 56. Important stuff, truly. Nonetheless, it was another great day. There really is something about the sereneness of sharing pedaling, helping each other through, knowing now that we'll make it, sharing a common goal, though for different reasons, and making our own fun, even when the scenery sucks. And, it's amazing how a simple gas station convenience store can lift our spirits, and make us laugh, and make us want to stay. Lauri and I decided that Skinner really did

Zestos

have something going. At the gas station, Lauri bought a bag of Reeses Pieces, and we decided that for each hill we climbed, we'd get one. (that is, until they all melted). Brian and I shared with each other the answer to, "if we could have anything we want to eat tonight, what would it be - what would our perfect dinners be?"

My hardest time of the day was between the last two water stops. At the last water stop, Whoo Hoooo! The hot water, and Gatorade tea, was beginning to get to me. The SAG wagons had ice. A perfect get-me-up. I also, for the first time, applied some chamois cream as I started to get some saddle sores. No place to apply - I at least crossed the road, whereas Jim, realizing the ditch wasn't deep enough, just turned his back to the road. Yep, the group is becoming family. No water fights today. Too tired. I actually sat at today's water stop - good thing, ended up getting a quick neck massage. But, not too tired to finish off the ride. As we entered town and crossed the Missouri River, we were too tired to even stop for pics. Not even I wanted to stop (though perhaps I should have). I wanted to get there (wherever there is). The poor woman at the Chamber of Commerce. About 6 of us showed up, looking for ice cream, and a good place to eat dinner. Personally, I laid down on the floor and stretched and put my head on my helmet (which works as a great pillow). I could have slept there if given the chance. Heat, I melt, but, as in life, I'm learning.

Our 'night on the town" (nights before days off are on our own) was at Mad Mary's Steakhouse. Plenty of local color; and, again, another great time. A good bottle of vino, and meat (not much choice around here), with plenty of laughter. . . the Double Dutch came into the restaurant, probably about 30 or so minutes after we did - the hostess said, "we really don't have much space, unless you want to eat with a bunch of cyclists" How great! Oh yea, and the sleep. Ah, a bed, a fan, and not too hot temps. Good stuff!