Big Bird's Adventures

Changing the format of these posts for the time being. Up until this post I had been re-imagining the trip from memory and maybe isolating details from my daily posts each day of the trip, however as I head into this section of the trip, I was fairly detailed in my daily posts, and my memories seem a little challenged. Some of that could be the day-to-day riding was generally uneventful. Big skies, open range, large irrigated farms, lonely roads and hay harvesting leave little in the way of day to day excitement. So I lean on my daily posts for anything that may have happened on those days that have since found deep slumber in the recesses of my brain. One tidbit that struck me often in my early days was the amount of tire debris along the road from retreads. This pose will detail some of those thoughts.

July 12, Day 26 – A hard day indeed. When I decided to stay in Spearfish, I had done so mainly because my friend Larry had posed it as a possible place where I could get set up with some in/out laws that he has, but that didn’t work out. However looking at the town, it seemed like if I took the 20 from the rest of the previous day and added it to today I could still reach Rapid City. Oh what a choice that was.
I took in the breakfast at the BW, and hit the road by 645. Downtown was super quiet however once I got on route, I ran smack into the back of a 5K that was getting ready to start. I was about to move through when the gun went off and the crowd started moving anyway, so I rode along until they spread out enough for me to advance my way into the lower grades of Spearfish Canyon. It didn’t take long before I and the race parted ways and I was on 14A Southbound with a good shoulder, and riding between canyons walls. I passed a 12 marker with a cone, and then an 11 marker with a cone a mile later. “Hmmmm. Seems there is another race going on”. Around a couple more corners I came to an aid station for the Spearfish Canyon Half Marathon in which the riders started from way up the canyon and race down it. “Okay” I thought. I will see the whole race then as I ascend. I think I saw the first 2 lead runners somewhere around mile 7 (their 7 not mine), and then a 1/4 mile further the first chase group where one of the runners asked urgently “Are there any port-o-johns?!?!” I gave him the half good truth that yes there were some ahead, but at least a couple of miles still. I hope he made it. I know from my racing days, that whether or not I voided myself at home, by the time I got to the race and was within 15 minutes of my start time, I was racing for the same resource.

It was a fairly good-sized field, as I saw the main envelope of contestants That was followed by all the people that looked like they would just be happy to finish. I was on my own again and eventually came to Cheyenne Crossing where I took a little bit of food before tackling the final 4 miles of the climb. This was where Spearfish Creek turned away from 14, so without that to aid in keeping the gradient light, the gradient kicked up to 5-6% for the first 4 miles and then topped out as I went over, turning right on some road that was loaded with side-by-sides (ATVs that allow two people to sit side-by-side). Another down and up and then a bright spot in the day. The George Michaelson Trail. A quick L/R and I was on a rail trail that would smooth out all the ups and downs for the next 34 miles. I never would have made Rapid City without that trail. Super Duper. It was a long descent for 23 miles and then it turned up at about 3-4%. A couple on e-bikes had turned around there, and I couldn’t hold their pace so I let them go. After many bridges, and a few tunnels I rolled into Hill City just ahead of them (caught them on the downhill), and turned off the route for some bike maintenance and some lunch. The bike was in good shape. Nothing needed replacing.
I walked into the Hill City Cafe, a local establishment with some candor and had lunch and a beer and a nice chat with the staff. While I was there I looked at the elevation profile for the section to Keystone, Mount Rushmore town, and thought “Great!! It’s all downhill”. Ha!!! Not so fast. Apparently the elevation profile doesn’t show all the ups and downs that were there and I burned some matches getting to Keystone. Besides, the route crossed a functioning tourist railroad that was functioning that day, and there are no gates at any crossings, so I had to stay alert as I approached all the crossings. The train was in Keystone and was getting ready to depart back to Hill City just as i rode into town.
Keystone. What a T Trap. Holy crap!! Having eaten already I really just wanted some place to rest and hydrate. What I also realized was I was way too tired to take the spur to see Mount Rushmore, and MR includes an 800’ gain in elevation which I was not ready to tackle. Maybe if I had just gotten a room there, I could have seen it, but not this time. I turned back to the route and headed out of town when I saw Thunder Hill, an old-timey store/bar/burger joint and I pulled over to rest and hydrate. I was welcomed in, they sold me some root beer and chips, and I stayed long enough to answer a lot of questions. Everyone was friendly to the old white guy riding his bike across the country. We tried to figure out what lay ahead. I knew there was a downhill, an up hill and then a final downhill into Rapid City. What I didn’t know was all the little shit in between all those. Oh was I struggling. I even walked once.
Eventually, I descended Skyline Drive (a shitily maintained road) down from all the radio towers and into Rapid City. RC is a rather good sized city, 74K+ and I don’t know much about it but they have a lot of statues downtown on the main street corners that are all former presidents. One of them may actually be from RC.
I got a room at the Town Motel, a 2* (generous) place not too far from the action, and affordable. I am not doing BW (Best Western) type expenses too often, so Town Motel was right in the ballpark. Checked in, I was declothed in minutes and in the shower cleaning up. It was late, I was tired, dirty, and hungry and I needed to get moving quickly so I could eat, and still get back and get to bed before it got too late.
I decided upon Italian because I searched and found a real Italian Bistro in the city. Not just pizza, but real Italian food. You take it for granted in the Jersey, NY, Philly area, but out here in Montana, Wyoming and much of SD? Just nothing to be utilized except pizza joints. Pizza is not Italian. I was in Italy in 73, and maybe you had a tomato pie, but pizza? Nope. Olive Oil. I had Olive Oil infused with garlic. Garlic. I haven’t had these things in a month! I had Spaghetti in a Marinara sauce with a couple of beers, and some bread. Carb up for the next day.
Afterwards I walked back to the motel and prepared for to get an early jump on sleep. I needed the rest.
Tomorrow would be a test of 70ish miles with little to no services, and a section through the Badlands. And it was going to be hot. Day 26 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 13, Day 27 – Wall and Wall Drug are interchangeable. Until you have been here and see it, you cannot imagine and I may not be able to fully describe it. The town and the business seem to be inseparable. That’s not to say you need to experience it, but it is truly American.
Okay, an aside. Something I have wanted to mention, and I alluded to it in the post from Grant to Lima, and that is retread tires. For starters, retreads are an economic choice. They aren’t a safety choice. My feeling is that out here, the place where they get used the most are on trailers that locals use to haul shit. Now, as you may imagine, a trailer is designed to carry a load, and that load is probably pasted on the side of the trailer clear to anyone that chooses to look. I don’t know where it is, but it is there, and that load rating is based on brandy new safe functioning whole tires. Not Retreads. So, you are a trailer owner, and maybe you know you have them, or maybe you don’t, but you load your trailer to weight with whatever it is you need to haul, and you start hauling. Well, the pressure on those tires is pretty great, and in the hot months, the road temps can be over 100F and soon the failure process begins. This is what I witness on the road. I have seen this multiple times in my two weeks on paved roads. These aren’t the giant 18 wheeler retreads you see constantly on the interstates, though I guess the breakdown is the same. Economics drives the retread business.
Today I snoozed once, and was up and getting dressed when I realized that my only pair of biking knickers were in dire straights. A wardrobe malfunction as they say. I sent my other shorts home because they irritated my saddle sore, where these knickers were still irritable, but I could manage it better. Well, the stitching between left panel and right panel had opened up. Not good. I rode to Circle K and bought some Duct Tape, which may have helped for today but I need a better solution. No bike shops nearby so I have to work something out. I bought a sewing kit today so maybe that and duct tape will do. I need to arrest the separation. This is between the chamoise pad and the saddle, so whatever I do, I won’t “feel” it in my nether regions.
Got breakfast at a diner on the edge of town. All the downtown places didn’t open until 9 or 10. WTF is with that? Fuck. The place I picked was delicious, and full, I left and hit the 44. The goal was Wall, using the Sage Creek Alternate route, but the entire route was all basically service less. There was no place to stop and refuel, so I had to load up and everything I would need for the day. The first phase was 35 miles down 44 to the little rural town of Scenic SD, then take the Sage Creek alternate/shortcut around, clipping the Badlands, and then 244 North. 70-80+ and I wanted to beat out as much mileage before the heat really settled in.
When I arrived I found there was nothing but a (working) coke machine in Scenic, and while I was consuming my cola drink, at an old gas station, I realized there was a religious service going on inside for the locals. I couldn’t hear the service, so I can’t comment on it. Baptist? Morman? Evangenlical?
Scenic was right on the edge of the Badlands, and it was never a booming metropolis. All the buildings looked very tired. I rode away and into the Badlands proper on an okay washboardy road which I expected for the next 25 miles, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it had in fact been paved after a couple of miles. That improved my mood :). It was hot, the wind was sometimes an issue and sometimes an aid. I crossed into the National Park and saw a single Bison taking a dirt bath. Just the one. I saw maybe another on the distant horizon, but it was inconclusive. I did see another Prairie dog village, and they scattered as I rode through, a little more skittish than the ones so close to the road at Devil’s Tower.
Sage Creek Rd was the way to the Sage Creek Camp Ground but it was 1.2 off the main road, and I was dialed in to Wall at that point. The CG was down in a down and up, and I could see it going up the other side and it looked bleak. Good call.
I came to a junction where a left stayed paved, and my route went straight onto gravel again. I checked the map, and sure enough it was faster/shorter to Wall to stay on the pavement so I did just that and passed through great amber waves of grain growing on huge farms. Grain as far as the eye can see. The way wasn’t easy as I was still gaining elevation into the wind, but eventually the road beared off to the East to Hook up finally with 244 which took me right into Wall, and then when I started to see the Wall Drug signs I knew what Justin was referring to when he said “Stop into Wall Drug for me please” The joke was on me.
I rode into wall and found Wall Drug and its various incarnations of business geared at tourism. The largest employer in the area. One of the cashiers upon learning i was from Jersey, exclaimed she was from “Central PA”. I asked if that meant State College, and she repied “Yes!! it was”. Born and raised. Small world indeed.
Rested I wandered over to Sleepy Hollow where I think the owner had experience with cyclists and mosquitoes and was adamant that i understood there were no refunds. I was too tired to argue. “We are good” and I set about getting cleaned up and rested for tomorrow. At least I was in early, and could recover longer as it will be a hot day tomorrow when I finish Section 2 of this route and move into Section 3. I am only in S3 for 100 miles before I jump to the Lewis and Clark trail to finish this phase of getting to Iowa. I sure hope I can fix my shorts!!! Day 27 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 14, Day 28 – The chip seal crew awoke at 4am, which means that everyone around the chip seal crew also awoke at 4am. They didn’t even try to be quiet. They are there for a few days so I don’t understand what all the noise was. Get up and go to work and be quiet. They were gone 4:35 and my alarm was 4:45 AM with today being a hot day, getting an early start was a must. I didn’t bother with coffee. I just packed up, changed, did the nature thing and I was off through a deserted Wall Drug downtown scene. I hit a convenience store at the I90 ramp and loaded up on some food for the day, and sucked down water and cold Starbucks.
I turned onto the I90E ramp at 6am and yes I said I90E ramp. To get to 14 I had to ride the shoulder of I90 for 1/2 a mile and then I was free of I90 until later in the day.
Today was defined by a number of various factors. It started with a wind-aided section that lasted about 35 miles and was generally flatish. After that it turned into rollers that got bigger and bigger until I rolled into Midland SD where I found a store and got some liquid added to my stash. Now, I thought getting from Midland to Belvidere, South, would be 5-6 climbing and 5-6 descending, but it was 12 miles of step ascending. Very little reprieve and into the wind. Added factor were thousands and thousands of grasshoppers on the shoulder doing I haven’t a clue other than jumping on me. I must have been hit by a thousand grasshoppers on that section. At one point I realized that the right tire line of the lane of traffic next to me was all grasshopper carnage. The road was literally painted with dead grasshoppers. It was crazy and for some reason in such a short stretch I saw four over-sized loads go through.
Finally I reached Belvidere where I should have stayed the night. There was a KOA and I could have jumped in the pool, but I took on more fluids, some pickles, ate a little more and then set off for Murdo on SD248. While the wind was hitting me mostly sideways there was a little aid but it was blowing hard and it was relentless. Added factor were the giant rollers one after another in endless progression always taking me higher and higher. Very little relief. I was suffering along this stretch with the mercury at 98. I kept drinking and pedaling and finally over one hump I saw the edge of Murdo SD. Oh how happy I was. I rode into town and found the grocer where I bought a Dr Pepper and a 1.5L water and sat in the shade and guzzled while I assessed my surroundings. No campgrounds but a fair number of hotel/motel/Inn options. A lot of the food joints were permanently closed leaving only a handful of food options. I chose the family owned Ireland Inn across from the grocery and it’s a much nicer 2 star than the Town Motel in Rapid City.
I did some more shopping after cleaning up so I would have food for a quick get away in the morning and then walked way down the street to a bar and grill at the edge of town, as I could see the storm clouds closing in. It started not too long after I got a table and ordered and I had to stay longer to wait out the brunt of the storm. This was the first bar I have been in on this trip that didn’t have a single craft beer. I am truly spoiled.
Tomorrow is another big day and I hope to make it to Chamberlain on the East side of the Missouri River. Crossing the Missouri River tomorrow. Yee haw!! I’ll also be moving onto the Lewis and Clark trail so I will say goodbye to Parks Peaks and Prairies. Day 28 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 15, Day 29 – Took a much appreciated detour onto gravel to cut 15 miles off today’s intended route. It’s humid today and I crossed and am camped on the Missouri River baby!!
I have an added theory about the retread issue. The rumble strips. Most of these trailers are wider than the vehicle that hauls them, horse trailers excluded and who the fuck would cheat their horses safety? Anyway, the trailer is wider and overloaded wandering onto those “Hey you’re going off the road” shoulder rumbles and that can add to the stresses they have to endure, thus leading to early failure.
Got an early start again. Beat the heat!! Winds out of the SW, high clouds blocked the sun and I rambled out of Murdo into smaller rollers using the wind as much as possible. Towns flew by as I pedaled. I stopped often for liquid and kept on going. Presto, Kennebec and finally Reliance. In Reliance, 248 kind of hit a dead end. I90 continued SW to Chamberlain, my destination, however I was not riding the I90 shoulder but I also didn’t want to do another 95 mile day, so I studied and saw a gravel option that cut 15 miles off my trip and took that through some beautiful farm country until I came to the end of the road I was on, made a sharp right and there in front of me was the mighty Missouri River winding through the valley below me. With the wind quartering into me I rode the final 10 miles down into Oamco and hit a convenience store before crossing into Chamberlain. I found and setup in American Creek City Camp site just on the north edge of town, secured my stuff and walked to the beach where I dunked myself wholly clad into the Missouri and soaked away all the salt. A storm was brewing so I made sure all my stuff was secure and grabbed my dry bag and soap and went to the showers. While I was showering the Severe Weather Alert sirens went off 3 times and then another 2 times after the rain started, thus stranding me in the shower facility until it abated to a level I was okay with walking through. Afterwards I could see where not to put my tent, and set that up before walking downtown to go into The Silver $ Bar where they were doing Bingo at 7. I would have preferred trivia night but Cest La vie. When I came out I had to walk into a stiff NW breeze that if it keeps up into tomorrow will propel me to my next destination maybe 100 miles south and East. Epic Weather said “Hold onto your hat, because you are in for a ride!!” As my projected route has strong tailwinds the whole way.
A few locals chatted me up when I was hydrating today and we had some nice convos. Also when I walked into town here I saw that St Joseph’s Indian School is based here in Chamberlain!! I have been a supporter of them for a few years. The bartender shared that her sister and brother went to school there. Very cool. There was a thrift store I would have liked to check out, but sadly it was closed by the time the storm had finished. Crazy day. Day 29 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 16, Day 30 – Details, details, details. We knew going into today that the NW winds would last into the day and it would be a propel day as long as I was going South, and and assist day as long as I was going East. The route that I have downloaded, The Lewis and Clark Route from Adventure Cycling, does that for 37 miles and then it heads West and South, recrossing the Missouri River and then recrossing it again at Fort Bennet Dam which I am sitting within a mile of as I type this. Just because I bought the route doesn’t mean I have to follow it to a T. So I called in an audible and made sure I was always going East or South and that put me at Pickstown, which would have been 130 miles on the actual route, and was now a mere 90. I’ll take it!!
I didn’t want to do another hotel, and I didn’t, but the cost of that is a 3.8 mile commute into town from the North Point Rec Area CG. This is one of 3 State CG in which I feel I got gouged by their app because it didn’t have anyway for me to say “I am on a fucking bicycle, why is there not a tent site for that that costs only $15?!?!” So I am in a car camp site with electric near the shower and I have to ride into town. I also have to ride back still and my legs are very tired indeed. Riding more than 70 miles in a day doesn’t leave me enough time to fully recover at night.
Retread failure was the phrase of the day as I saw no less than 8 failures along the roads today, mostly SD 50, which btw was a very quiet road except when it overlapped with SD44 where I had 18 East miles that included Platte, a town with an ongoing cattle auction so 44 was the route for all the large and small cattle trucks and let me tell you. Those large ones? Peeee-yeeeew do those damn piles of steel stink to high heaven. Another factor at play with the trucks and the wind was when I was traveling East, the head on blast from 65 mph trucks was quite significant. I don’t think they really have a clue how much riders like me can feel that when they go by.
The number of big rollers was small today so I could kind of power through a lot of the smaller grades, whether that was heading South or East though South was certainly better. Another thing about the day is it was a day of Triangle Bases. No Hypotenuses. Always the bases. What a pain.
I ran into another cattle drive. Smaller this time, also near the end and in this case all the cowboys were on ATVs. The modern horse.
I was up early, made coffee and found that my wet clothing had dried enough that night that I was putting on damp clothes and not wet clothes. Yea! Had a chat with 4 Naval Ensigns who were crammed into two cars and were seeing as much of the country as their leave would allow. 12 hour days. Henry and three female Navy Ensigns whose names I didn’t get. I loaded up on food up in town, climbed out of the river floodplain and soon I was racing along with the wind when the rain started to fall. Okay. NP. Jacket on, lights flashing I just rode until it stopped and hours later the sun actually came out.
I stopped in Platte to munch and hydrate and then I finished the ride from there, ignoring a routing suggestion in the town of Geddes. I should have taken it but 50 had been great so far. Nice shoulder all the time. Suddenly with 6 miles remaining it disappeared and I had to climb out of a low point as well. Fortunately the traffic remained low and I was soon within a couple miles of my destination.
Tomorrow, I go to Yankton and after that Phase 2 is done. Crikey!! I need a break. Rag starts Sunday and I am looking forward to seeing the gang. Day 30 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 17, Day 31 – I am sleeping better than I have in a long time. I am tired at night. I think my body has ramped up the metabolism and it’s working all night to get me ready for the next day’s miles. Everything feels better the next day.
After I wrote up yesterday I had a “Falling off my bike” incident riding back to the CG. 3.5 miles each way. There is a picture taken today when I went past the spot and you can see the gouge my front tire made as it slid out beneath me. Oops! I cursed all the way back to my tent. The deal was, I saw this gravel ramp up to the bridge. I didn’t take it on the way out and thought “I’ll hit that on the way back”. It was shorter and I just didn’t want to be on my bike but I wanted real food too. Anyway, I was coming back and it was a little downhill so I had some speed when I turned in and the sound of the loose gravel told me immediately how fucked I was at that exact moment. Down I went. My good pants now have a hole!! Knee scraped. Pride injured. Cest la vie.
Hit the Gus Stop again and loaded up on two breakfast sandwiches for the day. The road ahead was mainly road-less-traveled and that means few to zero services so load up when you can and ride.
One of the roads less traveled took me to a huge catholic installation called Saint Paul’s. I posted a picture with some info, but basically this bishop came out here and set up this institution for the indigenous folks of the area. A school, a community college, and a pretty nice cathedral. In the middle of nowhere. Ihanktowan Sioux. It was beautiful to behold as I descended upon it and I did indeed turn around and look back a couple of times as well.
SD 50. That was my favorite SD state road until today. Ok maybe it still is but it was a different SD 50 today from the one yesterday. Yesterday I had that road to myself. Literally! Almost no one passed me. It’s like it was an embarrassing thing to admit you used that road, and then today when I intersected it again, it was the prom queen. Everyone was on it. Maybe because of the wet I was lucky yesterday and today was a different story so traffic conditions were updated but I saw and felt the difference. Which brings me to a subject I have wanted to discuss.
The Three Body Problem. Physicists know this as the math to calculate how 3 independent physical bodies will affect each other is quite complicated if those bodies aren’t really all that separated. Earth is affected by all the planets but because they are so far away, it’s mainly the sun and the moon and regular celestial mechanics define well enough our orbit. There is a series on Netflix called Three Body Problem that explores this subject in an interesting way. In cycling, the 3 body problem is a little bit different. In cycling the 3 bodies are you, the vehicle behind you and the vehicle ahead of you. Somehow the 3 body problem always solves so that all 3 entities meet at the exact same spot in the road. Every individual choice is made to try and avoid that but in fact, guarantees its conclusion. The seriousness of it depends on the size of the other two vehicles. I witnessed a grain hauler move off the road on his side so another truck had room to move left when passing me as we all met at the same point in space and time. Both trucks slowed significantly and all was good but that doesn’t always happen. Thankfully SD and WY highways have good shoulders most of the time. Today the shoulder was a little less wide and the trucks behind me didn’t slow enough as they should and I felt the suck that comes after their tail-end passes me.
The point is, today I decided not to audible and I am so glad I did because most of the Lewis and Clark route was along the river and was gorgeous and untraveled. I literally had the roads to myself most of the day.
It was very strange to see a vehicle with a giant mattress folded and stuck into the rear opening with the hatch open and fake bullet holes in the door. The town in question was Springfield, and is home to a giant State Penitentiary right in the middle of town. Not on the edge of town or just outside of town, but right down in the middle of town with homes all around it. Just saying. WTF with the fake bullet holes? Grow up.
Vegan. It’s so hard on this trip. I have to have calories and they have to be calories that are working for me. Today I went past 3 facilities where you know that in cow language they’re saying to each other “Wtf happened?” We were out in the fields free ranging, nothing smells. Just fresh air. Now, we’re all stuck in this godawful fucking feedlot and the smell is atrocious. What industry is this?” The stench was so awful. An assault on all senses. I can’t wait to get back to areas that offer up more options.
South Dakota is a beautiful state though. There are HUGE farms here. When it’s not winter, they do produce. Holy cow. Huge. They’re not one of the states that expanded Medicaid as part of the ACA but they do get a lot of federal dollars. They channeled a lot of money into their state parks and they are some of the best I have seen. Great facilities even though they ignore travelers like me. I am in one again tonight. Pierson ranch. Lewis and Clark was another SP super site I almost stopped in.
Tomorrow I ride to La Mars Ia, which will basically complete Phase 2. Really I wanted to be in Orange city but they only have two hotels and they were booked. Who knew? So an easy peasy day Saturday as I move to the Brancel spot in Orange City and await my friends. Day 31 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

July 18, Day 32 – I made it to Iowa!!!!
Holy Cow. I told some folks 1200 miles in 14 days but really it was about 1050 miles since I left West Yellowstone in Montana. Probably the shortcuts. :). Who’s keeping track? Oh, I am. Ha!! In case you are just joining, I put this pressure on myself to get from West Yellowstone, or maybe it’s better to say, from the GDMBR which I was riding with Denise ✌️💕🚴🏽‍♀️ and Rebecca to Orange City Iowa where the 52nd edition of Ragbrai starts. What that pressure cost me really, is Mount Rushmore. If I didn’t have the pressure, I would have stayed in Hill City and then taken in Mount Rushmore. Actually I would have gone to see Crazy Horse as well, but I just didn’t have the time and really what that means is I didn’t have the energy reserves to do those AND make it to Iowa for Rag, and I really wanted to be here for Rag. Why? Well, let’s be open and honest here. The last two weeks have been lonely. I missed the company of Denise ✌️💕🚴🏽‍♀️ and Rebecca, and now tomorrow I am joined by Pete Toohey and his gang from Texass as well as the young folks from my last Rag adventure two years ago. So for the next week I have the company of about 10 people I know and 19 thousand people that I don’t know. For a social junkie like me that’s important. I am going to feed off that energy.

Let’s talk about something a little more sensitive. Saddle sores. In my case it’s just one. What are they? Well, they occur in that sensitive area, you know, down there where you need a mirror. It’s not just the saddle, it’s actually the shorts and in my case it’s due to the fact that maybe I am an XL and not a XXL when it comes to Assos clothing. XXL has always worked well in the past, but I picked up two pairs of bib shorts from Assos, and let’s be clear, Assos makes THE BEST stuff out there. Always has always will, but you do have to size it properly, and the issue is that saddle sores get caused when the material gets bunched up in that “needs a mirror” area and the friction of pedaling over time initiates the irritation. I wore one of those pairs for 2 days before I realized I needed to switch back the knickers I started with. The knickers are also XXL however they come down to the calf and I can pull them down and thus relieve the bunching easier than the regular bib shorts. The damage was done, so I sent the other shorts home and committed to the knickers. You can imagine my surprise when the seam opened up two days out of Wall SD. My darning of that, with the aid of a sewing kit purchased at wall drug, saved the day and those are still going well. (As I post this at home months afterwards, that darning held up and continues to hold up)

Tomorrow I will see Pete Toohey, and he has a new pair of full length tights for me, so hopefully those will keep the “bunching” to a minimum and I will make it home. So, yes, I have been nursing this situation for about 3 weeks now. The issue with full length tights is that there really isn’t a set that are designed for summer weather. I ordered the particular pair I did as they might be a late Fall, early Spring design and not a full winter design. The point I am making is that they will be warmer than the bib knickers I have, and hopefully in the summer heat that won’t be so bad that I can’t use them. We shall have to see.
Iowa needs to do better with their shoulders. From my posts about my 2023 Rag experience you may recall that Iowa uses a lot of Concrete in their road construction. There is nothing wrong with that. However, there is something wrong when you don’t have real shoulders that bikes can ride on and that was the case today as soon as I started East on County 18. Nice road, but no fucking shoulder, and why there are giant trucks on that road is beyond me. The “Rolling” hills of Iowa started immediately and so I was and felt very vulnerable going so slow up those many hills for my last 20 mile stretch today. I finally gave up and opted for gravel instead of the concrete because it was just too nerve wracking. I am glad that after tomorrow my entire trip across Iowa will be in the company of 20,000 cyclists and for the most part, the daily routes are closed to traffic. Imagine that! It’s like having a bike path across an entire state. After that I will be in Wisconsin and who knows what I will find there.

I went through Yankton, which I can’t say I really stopped to see. Got some food and headed out into the mainly SW humid winds that would plague me all day. Plague is harsh, but they made me work harder. Out of Yankton I was NE on another county road in SD that had gravel haulers and grain (wheat) trucks going in both directions. It is harvest season for the Summer wheat. It is also harvest for Alphafa and I saw a number of farms out there where they were out freshly cutting.
Let’s ignore, the stench of the large buildings which reinforce just how cruel we are to animals when we cram so many of them into such structures. The stench will make you want to puke. That is no way to treat animals and that is not an opinion.

Vermillion, now that was a charming town. Why you ask? Well because it’s a University town, and because of that economic engine Vermillion thrives. Vibrant downtown, beautiful neighborhoods, what is not to love? U of SD Coyotes. Go Yotes!! Vermilion is where I left the Lewis and Clark trail and basically “Flew VFR” over to Le Mars. My route was a lot of gravel and that was fine with me. Getting to Vermillion was a route of Legs, no Hypotenuses. All legs. S more of a Headwind, E a slightly aided wind. Out of V, it was mainly straight East on quiet gravel until I finally got on my old friend 50 again for the final South Dakota miles that crossed the Big Sioux and entered the state of Iowa. A very emotional moment until I realized the hills were still ahead and I still had 20 miles to ride. Ha!

Let’s discuss the drama of the day. One of the folks I was to meet here in Iowa was Larry Rosenthal who I rode with 2 years ago and maybe his time at The Mill and my time at The Mill overlapped back in the 80s. Well he wasn’t going to be able to attend for family reasons and I reached out and arranged to get his Ragbrai packet which has all the tags and wristbands. I still needed it (I procrastinated 1 day too long and the late, late, late registration closed) and he wasn’t using his so all we had to do was get his tags to me. He had them, how do I get them? That’s when I checked and found that Orange City had only two hotels and they were booked so I found a place in Le Mars, booked a room, checked with the front desk, who by the way had an accent (and my hearing) that made our communication very difficult, however yes, it could be shipped there and I gave the info to Larry and you so would think, no drama to be found here. Well you would be wrong. Ha!!! Yes you would be wrong. I pulled in, tired yes, wet with humid sweat, just wanted to check in, get my package, and get to my room.

When I arrived the receptionist, a tiny young woman of Indian/Pakistani descent was lounging in the lounge area talking on the phone and probably said “I’ll call you back” before ending her call so she could take care of me. After all the checkin hubub I asked “And there is a package for me” where there were two packages on the floor behind her, one clearly a box, the other clearly to me not the package containing my tags from Larry. “We don’t have it” and she left the desk to get back to the lounge to call her friend/boyfriend/mom. So, I reached out to Larry who sent me the tracking number and I went to the UPS app and typed it in and sure enough package delivered the day prior to the front desk.
I presented this info to the young woman who went back to the desk area and looked on the ground. “These are the only two packages” blah blah blah and went back to to the lounge to redial her talking companion. Sounded like Bengali, so I am going with Indian. Whether it was her mom or not I don’t know but my guess is 100% on that.

I reached out to Larry again and he double confirmed that it was sent, and it was delivered. Maybe someone else took delivery, I just needed to press this young woman and we should be able to find it. So here is my take on what probably happened the previous day. Thursday, 11:20am the UPS person walks in, our young woman is on the phone with her mom, signs for the envelope, and stuffs it under the counter so she can call her mother back or simply keep blabbing away. That she had just taken delivery of something was soon a distant thought that never anchored itself in any accessible memory location where she might say “Oh yes Mr Hallander, we have that right here” and reach under the counter to retrieve. Instead I basically had to imply that it must be here and I insisted that she look harder. She seemed a little exasperated like I was being a pain in the ass and all she wanted to do was get back on the phone, but she did finally bend down and look under the counter , finding something that looked like what I would be interested in and said “Is this it?” Drama! What would life be without it? Ha!!!
So, I have made it to Rag. I join that fun tomorrow. Until then it’s just another day.

Before showering, I walked over to the Dairy Queen and got myself a nice refreshing milkshake. Chocolate. I nursed that until the last little bit melted down and I cleaned the cup. I texted Pete letting him know that I made it to Iowa safely, and I was looking forward to seeing them on the morrow. They all had made it to Guttenburg successfully, checked into their hotels, were set to meet for dinner and were all set for the cross-state bus ride the next day to Orange City. I confirmed that I would be there earlier than they would and would try and grab a decent area if one was available and we said our mutual “See ya”s. Back at my hotel found a couple that had just checked in and were standing outside their room, their bikes attached to the back, we started chatting. This would be their first Ragbrai, they always wanted to do it, and this was the year. They didn’t get to train as much as they would have liked, so it may be a combination of riding and the sag wagon. That would all depend on the day and the winds each day. After our chat I got myself cleaned up and went across the street to PJ’s Pizza House for my restorative beers and a pizza knocking out most of this day’s post. Afterwards I walked around the neighborhood while the light began to fade, and then turned in to get some rest for the morrow. Day 32 Strava, Instagram, Relive.cc

The title of this post included “South Dakota” and now I am in Iowa, so though I technically have 1 more day to finish Phase 2 of my trip, I am going to include that in my next post which will be for the great state of Iowa and Ragrai. They are one and the same since the objective of all Ragbrai events is to cross the state from West to East. My impressions of South Dakota are extremely favorable. My first visit to the state was a very memorable one and I am glad to have spent an entire week riding across the state. I have no regrets other than not spending more time in the Black Hills. Maybe even more time in the Badlands.

Tagged: adventure, Bicycle Touring, bike, Bike About 2025, Bike Packing, Bikepacking, biking, Cycling, South Dakota, Travel