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6/5/09
Day 52 - Where to go from here?
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rapid City, South Dakota
We are staying with Jane who is a friend of a Kathy from Sioux City. We got a ride (in a car) to Mount Rushmore. After the hills to get here, we did not want to bike the hills to Mount Rushmore.
Photo Credit: Ranger Ed Menard http://www.nps.gov/moru/photosmultimedia/index.htm
We are in Rapid City looking at maps.
How to get through the mountains?
Tie a rope to a SemiTruck?
Hitch a ride on a flatbed truck?
Rent a Uhaul van?
Turn around and roll all the way back to Ohio?
We stopped in a bike shop and talked with the mechanics and sales staff. After buying two replacement rear tires we headed to Mt. Rushmore. Along the way we saw the cyclist we'd met the day before. He was struggling up the hill from Rapid that would eventually drop him into Keystone. Then it was just another long hill to Mt. Rushmore.
Dave and I have spent the last 7 and a half weeks wandering around and generally figuring out what it's like to be on a bike tour. Neither of us had ever been out for longer than a day trip of 50 miles. With that in mind we picked a general area to ride and set to working out all the bugs along the way. The last week across South Dakota has taught us what pain is. The continued exertion has started to take its tole on our muscles. We're eating about all we can but I doubt it's exactly what our body needs.
We've managed to land ourselves with a great lady who has been very understanding. She's letting us work through our next decision and helping us to understand the terrain around this area. Before we started we imagined we could pedal 50 miles a day without trouble but some days that 50 has meant 8 hours on our bike seats. Then we also decided to pick about the hardest area to ride through. The sparse population has caused us to ride 80 miles between nightly stops and food restocks. It's also taking a lot longer then we could have imagined.
Along our trip we'd say that we were headed for Oregon. It was the easiest thing to yell at someone as we were pedaling by. It was a little harder to explain that we were just out to be out and though we were headed west it didn't matter if we made it or not.
We had always said that we'd make it to the coast if we could and make it back to Ohio if we could. Maybe something along the way would keep us in one place. We were open to whatever came. Lately it seems like we've been fighting to make headway and now we've decided to try and get back to having fun. Entering Rapid city we found ourselves smack up against a hillside that once we made it over would lead us to mountains. Originally we thought it wouldn't be too much trouble crossing the mountains, but almost 2000 miles of riding has taught us one thing: our bike wasn't made for hills.
What does that mean? Well, the old song goes that if you can't go over them or can't go under them you gotta go around them... or something like that. Now we just have to figure out how to get around them. We've no idea what that's going to entail. Just like the ride up to this point, we're just wandering around.
Rapid City, South Dakota
We are staying with Jane who is a friend of a Kathy from Sioux City. We got a ride (in a car) to Mount Rushmore. After the hills to get here, we did not want to bike the hills to Mount Rushmore.
Photo Credit: Ranger Ed Menard http://www.nps.gov/moru/photosmultimedia/index.htm
We are in Rapid City looking at maps.
How to get through the mountains?
Tie a rope to a SemiTruck?
Hitch a ride on a flatbed truck?
Rent a Uhaul van?
Turn around and roll all the way back to Ohio?
We stopped in a bike shop and talked with the mechanics and sales staff. After buying two replacement rear tires we headed to Mt. Rushmore. Along the way we saw the cyclist we'd met the day before. He was struggling up the hill from Rapid that would eventually drop him into Keystone. Then it was just another long hill to Mt. Rushmore.
Dave and I have spent the last 7 and a half weeks wandering around and generally figuring out what it's like to be on a bike tour. Neither of us had ever been out for longer than a day trip of 50 miles. With that in mind we picked a general area to ride and set to working out all the bugs along the way. The last week across South Dakota has taught us what pain is. The continued exertion has started to take its tole on our muscles. We're eating about all we can but I doubt it's exactly what our body needs.
We've managed to land ourselves with a great lady who has been very understanding. She's letting us work through our next decision and helping us to understand the terrain around this area. Before we started we imagined we could pedal 50 miles a day without trouble but some days that 50 has meant 8 hours on our bike seats. Then we also decided to pick about the hardest area to ride through. The sparse population has caused us to ride 80 miles between nightly stops and food restocks. It's also taking a lot longer then we could have imagined.
Along our trip we'd say that we were headed for Oregon. It was the easiest thing to yell at someone as we were pedaling by. It was a little harder to explain that we were just out to be out and though we were headed west it didn't matter if we made it or not.
We had always said that we'd make it to the coast if we could and make it back to Ohio if we could. Maybe something along the way would keep us in one place. We were open to whatever came. Lately it seems like we've been fighting to make headway and now we've decided to try and get back to having fun. Entering Rapid city we found ourselves smack up against a hillside that once we made it over would lead us to mountains. Originally we thought it wouldn't be too much trouble crossing the mountains, but almost 2000 miles of riding has taught us one thing: our bike wasn't made for hills.
What does that mean? Well, the old song goes that if you can't go over them or can't go under them you gotta go around them... or something like that. Now we just have to figure out how to get around them. We've no idea what that's going to entail. Just like the ride up to this point, we're just wandering around.
6/3/09
Day 51 - after the Badlands
Note the MOUNTAINS to the left of Rapid City.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
- Start: Wall, South Dakota
- ATW: Wasta, New Underwood, Box Elder
- End: Rapid City, South Dakota
- Day Miles: Ride Time: Total Trip Miles:
We stayed under a shelter in a park in Wall, SD. We were asleep 'til it started to rain. Rain on a tin roof is noisy and it woke us up. Sometimes it is hard to get a good night sleep.
Photo Credit: Klaus Brink http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1079612
After leaving Wall, SD, we peddled about 20 miles on the burm of US90 till we got to Wasta. It was cold and wet and we were getting soaked. We pulled into the Wasta rest stop to dry out and met a fellow touring cyclist. "I knew I wasn't the only crazy one out here," he said as he pulled along side of us.
In Wasta we took a side road that paralleled US90 all the way to Rapid City. The road passed through the grass lands on both sides. We saw prong horned antelope in the fields.
About 5 miles into the day riding downhill from Wall we blew out the side wall of the rear tire. We replaced it with the old rear tire that we carry as a spare. We keep blowing out the tire sidewalls maybe because of too much weight on the bike and inflating tires to pressure. We will get spares in Rapid City.
Day 50 Badlands National Park
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
- Start:Interior, South Dakota
- ATW: Badlands National Park
- End:Wall, South Dakota
- Day Miles: 35.0 Ride Time: 4:12 Total Trip Miles: 1848
At the Visitor's Center
Photo Credit:Jamie & Darlene Johnson
It was gorgeous on the ride through the Badlands. At times one side was the "badlands" of bare weathered earth with next nothing growing while on the other side of the road would be the green grass lands as far as you could see. It was a remarkable contrast. In the park we were pushed to many limits. A few hills nearly did us in but we were able to pedal through somehow. The lack of bathrooms and covered areas was rather tough and at times we cursed the person who'd devised the "scenic" route we were on.
On the north side of the park we were treated to a viewing of two dozen big horn sheep. I rang our little bell like crazy to scare them off but they just stared at us as we rode by. You might think it was because they were tamed down but as soon as a car came they'd take off. I guess they were trying to figure out just what we were.
In Wall we set up at the city park and tried to stay warm. The cool air and clouds were a blessing as we rode through the Badland N.P. but now they were settling in for the night and causing us a bit of grief because the heated city pool didn't open for a few more days.
Photo credits: http://www.nps.gov/badl
links: http://nature.nps.gov/views/layouts/Main.html#/BADL/welcome/ http://www.nps.gov/badl
6/2/09
Day 49 Across the Reservation
Monday, June 1, 2009
- Start: White River, South Dakota
- ATW:
- End:Interior,South Dakota
- Day Miles: 83.1 Ride Time: 8:41 Total Trip Miles: 1813
Some time after White River all the way to nearly Interior we spent our day viewing amazing scenery as we crossed the reservation. I'm exactly sure the dimensions of the reservation but halfway through our day we took a break in Wanblee and enjoyed sharing our ride with the folks there. We skirted the ten-ton construction equipment that was repaving the road through town and cruised the new asphalt on the north side and on to Interior.
We had started riding at 6am and were at Interior by 4pm. We half considered trying to ride through the Badlands N.P. now because it was cool but vetoed the idea as the wind was getting worse and we weren't crazy enough to attempt a 100 mile day after only 4 hours sleep the night before.
We spent a few hours eating pizza in a local bar then tried to set up at the city park. But it was along the main road and the wind was shaking a metal structure giving us no peace. A couple miles further along we stopped in the N.P. campground and set up our tarp. We enjoyed a good nights rest despite the wind and a little rain.
Day 48
Sunday, May 31, 2009
- Start:Winner, South Dakota
- ATW:
- End:White River, South Dakota
- Day Miles:58.8 Ride Time:6:22 Total Trip Miles: 1730
Slept in the spare room in the basement of our hosts' house in Winner and we were glad for it. The night brought thunderstorms that we didn't even hear. It was still windy when we left but decided to push on to the next town. Left late but made it White River before it was dark. Spent the night in the city park under a covered shelter but didn't get much sleep.
Photo credit: Steveh@gwtc.net
Photo credit: Steveh@gwtc.net
Day 47
Saturday, May 30, 2009
- Start:Gregory, South Dakota
- ATW:
- End:Winner, South Dakota
- Day Miles:27.6 Ride Time:1:52 Total Trip Miles:
Left late from Gregory because we knew we'd only have a short trip. Rode like maniacs to get to Winner. Our hosts for the night were the sister and brother-in-law of our new friends in Gregory. Their church had renovated their hall and Saturday night found us eating as much as we could at the social and listening to live music. Another part of the social to help with paying for the renovations was an auction. You know you're in the country when bales of hay, sides of beef and bull rentals are on the block.
On the ride from Bonesteel to after White River we were crossing the southern portion of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation.
Source: http://tradecorridor.com/rosebud/images/map.pdf
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