Ok, where did we leave off? . . .
The off day in Casper was much needed but it only
served to rest us for some more tough rides. On
Saturday we biked 107 miles into Lusk, WY. We crossed
some really desolate areas. Wyoming has to be the
roadkill capital of the world. Dead jackrabbits, dead
antelope, dead dear, dead birds, Wyoming has it all!
Sunday was a 92 mile ride to Hot Springs, South
Dakota. That means we entered our fourth state and, to
my mind, went from the West to the Midwest. There must
really be hot springs in Hot Springs because you can’t
get cold water out of the tap. The ride was tough.
Although the profile showed it to be mostly downhill,
the winds were against us most of the day. This candle
thing isn’t working. We need a new strategy. Anybody
know any witch doctors?
On one of the highways coming into Hot Springs, the
air was filled with smoke and the smell of fire. There
was a wildfire on the other side of a ridge that
killed one person and destroyed 20-30 homes. The
firefighters were having trouble controlling it but
early this morning a thunderstorm rolled through so
we’re assuming that some progress was made.
Today was a tough but quite spectacular ride. We left
Hot Springs and biked through the Black Hills. We
passed the Crazy Horse monument and made a stop at Mt.
Rushmore. I had forgotten how dramatic the rock
formations are in the Black Hills. It’s beautiful
country. At one point we had to stop for buffalo on
the road. You don’t tell buffalo what to do or get to
close to them. They dictate the pace. The terrain is
rolling and there were some tough climbs. We travelled
72 miles but they were pretty tough miles,
particularly after the mileage we’ve covered lately.
Tomorrow should be a fairly easy day of 57 miles to
Wall, SD. Yes, we plan to visit Wall Drug. We
understand though that there will be a couple of tough
days after that.
The smell of the half way point is in the air. We’ve
already biked about 1600 miles which is more than I
would have thought possible a few years ago.
We’re eating lots of calories, drinking lots of water
and the weather has mostly been favorable. The group
and the tour company are good. We’re holding up quite
well physically and mentally. Things could be a whole
lot worse.
We absolutely, positively, unequivicably, without dispute knew we were no longer
in New York City.
Oh, give me a home . . .