ROUTE: Lusk, WY to Hot Springs, SD
DISTANCE: 92 miles
WINDS: Yes
WEATHER: Overcast at start, clearing and turning hot by noon
TERRAIN: Rolling plains with a couple of climbs
TOTAL CLIMBING: 2,730 feet
RIDE OVERVIEW: After loading luggage at 5:45 before breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe, riders left Lusk this morning under cloudy skies. I was riding Sweep and could not have been more pleased with the weather. I had my fingers crossed that it would not be as relentlessly hot as it was the day before. I don't know what the exact temp was, but it was perfect--cool and breezy. The breezy part increased as we climbed out of town, and by the time we'd gained the high grasslands, we had a stiff crosswind that required caution when emerging from cuts.
The route was a lonely road out into the rolling grasslands of eastern Wyoming. The terrain is much prettier than yesterday's high desert, but it is still really dry out here. The fire hazard signs say "Extreme Danger" for grass fires. One good bolt of lightning or a stray cigarette could ruin thousands of acres of grassland. In fact, when we got to Hot Springs, we found that there was a forest fire burning near Rapid City, our destination for tomorrow. We'll have to keep an eye on that to see whether it will affect our route tomorrow.
The day seemed to me to be divided into three distinct rides: First, we had rolling hills and stiff crosswinds for 46 miles; then we turned right (south) and had a great tailwind which flattened the rolling terrain for 30 miles or so; and then, after the second SS, we began a 4-mile climb up an exposed highway (no trees or shade at the road) and again had a crosswind but also HEAT. Riders had to work a bit today, but the heat, hills, and winds were nothing compared to the vast vistas, blowing grasses, rock outcrops, and general beauty of the route.
Sleek black cattle grazed in numbers, horses watched us pass, their manes and tails blowing in the wind, and once again the shoulder and road was littered with roadkilled rabbits. I realized that there were meadowlarks and quail and sparrows, but no crows or vultures or other carrion eaters to clean the road of roadkill. Why? There were no trees, rock ledges or anything much of height for these birds to perch and nest on, just a sea of grasses. At least that's my best guess as to why there were no carrion-eating birds in the sky or on the road.
We bid Wyoming goodbye today at about the 55-mile point, and entered our 4th state--South Dakota-- through which we'll ride for 8 days. The road got narrower in places and we picked up a few more hills, but other than that, the scenery remained vast grasslands bisected by our undulating road.
At mile 71.5 there was a 4-mile climb followed by 2 miles of descent at 6% and then at mile 87 a 1-mile climb followed by a 3.4 mile descent at 6%. These climbs, coming near the end of the ride and in the heat of the day and with a good crosswind, sapped several riders whom the SAG van helped "fast forward."
Nonetheless, everyone got in by 3:30 today . . . not too bad, but the heat is beating them up. I know it beat me up. We could use a break in the temperatures to say the least. Tomorrow we ride to Mt Rushmore . . . maybe our second toughest day so far. There will be lots of climbing, and it's going to be hot again and the winds will probably be out of the Northeast. Riders are looking forward to seeing the monument and riding the Black Hills, but we could do without the heat. Tomorrow's ride will surely be one riders enter into their memory stores. It's the challenging days that riders remember with pride of accomplishment. See you tomorrow for a report on our ride to Rapid City. Susan
HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:
- "How long is the 4-mile climb?"
- "Oh oh. Things are bad when the vultures begin to circle." (Howard, on spotting a lone vulture above.)
- "The crosswind was so strong that you could spit from the edge clear across the two-lane road. An interesting observation for a bike ride but not something useful for fine dining, the cinema, or theater."
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| Precursor of what's to come day after tomorrow when we ride to Wall, SD, home of Wall Drug. Their advertising is everywhere one looks. We've been seeing it since Idaho. |
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| The Kid jumps into the A Team paceline: Jim, Bob, Joe (Hook-n-Bull), Josh (The Kid), and Pete. |
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| The "A" Team would like to think they wore out Josh . . . here taking a power nap at SS#1 |
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| Where there are "up's" one must remember that there are also usually "down's" |
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| No caption needed |
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| Larry, knees high, powers his Bachetta uphill |
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