Day 25 -- . . . and they call the wind Mariah . . .

July 14, 2005

ROUTE: Pierre to Chamberlain, SD

DISTANCE:  84 miles

WINDS: Tough 20-25+ mph headwinds

WEATHER: High 90s and WINDY

TERRAIN: Flat to rolling with three hefty climbs

TOTAL CLIMBING: 3600 feet, mostly in three big climbs

RIDE OVERVIEW: There was a stretch of roadwork in front of the motel today, so several riders--myself included (I was riding Float)--headed for a parallel route. I had previously scoped out a nice bike trail running beside the Missouri River and out of town. Most of it was brand new, smooth asphalt. The trail paralleled our designated route, making it easy to rejoin Hwy 14 on the east side of town.

Our route today took us along the Missouri River all morning, and for the most part we spent a good portion of the day crossing the Crow-Creek Reservation. Throughout the day, we kept getting glimpses of the winding Missouri--which was blue green, studded with flooded tree trunks in places, and wind whipped into whitecaps. The only real change in the scenery over the last couple of days was the River on our right and greener vegetation than we'd been used to lately.  Aside from that, I'd give South Dakota the award for having the most roads that seem to ribbon off into nowhere!  On the plus side, there is very very little traffic on these roads and few trucks. Also, a large section of today's route was smoothly paved and a joy to ride. Today marks the halfway point of the tour. We've been on the road for 25 of our 50 days and have covered approx 1,800 of our total 3610 miles.

This was not an easy day (understatement). We bucked strong crosswinds/headwinds at ride start, but I wasn't complaining as this kept me cool and on the road. Karen set up SS#1 a click away from our first hefty climb--300' in a little less than a mile and into the wind. I was gasping and drooling at the top, and of course, there was Mike with his telephoto, recording the agony and the ecstasy. Mike  and Karen took nearly 300 photos today, so once again it is going to be difficult to choose a few representative ones for the website. At the end of the ride, Mike makes CDs of the website and the photos he's taken, and riders can purchase them. Knowing this, many riders leave most of the photo-taking to Mike. He's traveled the route so many times that he knows just where he wants to be to capture the moments on the road.

But back to the agony part of the agony-ecstasy duo. By the time we turned south at the 48-mile point, we had a 25+ mph direct headwind . . . and the day had heated up into the high 90s. It was very tough going, so groups formed pacelines. In the little store at the 48-mile turn, I was invited to join Team Life is Good (Team Stinky's new name) in their double rotating paceline. There were 11 of us in the paceline and it allowed forward motion at about 12 mph into the wind. Several others had hopped into this paceline, too, including Chips. He's now our No.#1 paceline convert. He still can't believe how the miles passed by and how strong he felt. After several miles I slid off the back and slogged my own way to SS#2, this because I needed to drink and didn't dare in this large group.

Many sagged the 22 miles from SS#2 to the motel because the wind had beat us up good. But it wasn't only the wind, the heat took its toll also. We had one rider today and one yesterday get sick to their stomachs from the heat, and we had a determined EFI (every fabulous inch) rider throw in the towel today. Rolling into SS#2 preparatory to sagging the last miles, I was trying to justify my decision. Here's what was going through my head: "It's my party and I'll sag if I want to, sag if I want to, sag if I want to/You would sag too if it happened to you . . ."  But what really tipped the scales was Chips. When he saw me at the store, he asked if I was Sweep. (Everyone does this, and there is true fear in the asking because no one wants to be the tip of the dog's tail with the Sweep flea nipping at their wheels.) Anyhow, I responded that no, I wasn't Sweep, I was Float and riding just for fun today. For fun? 

The last rider got in to Chamberlain about 4 PM, just in time to clean up and then walk to the Anchor Inn  at 5 for a good dinner of salads, roast beef & gravy or fried chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, and iced tea, lemonade, and water--the liquid portion of the meal being in great demand. 

Tomorrow's forecast calls for more headwinds and heat. We will all welcome our rest day in Sioux Falls. But, in the meantime, tune in tomorrow and see how things go on the road to Mitchell, SD, home of the Corn Palace.     Susan

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY 

• "I feel like a small bug crawling across a football field."
• "I am crazy to do this."
• "I'll never name my child Mariah."
• "I want to jump in that stock tank--it's cooler than the road."
• "Chips, slow down!"
• "Susan, look at me! I'm standing," [Chips ecstatic at motoring down the road in a rotating paceline.]

PHOTOS OF THE DAY:

Lewis and Clark were a little confused at this juncture.

That's a lot of bull . . . maybe he's Ferdinand. There are lots
of flowers about and he is intently watching the riders stream by.

Len practicing a ballet move before ride start...or he was
 trying to keep his bike from blowing over in the stiff wind?

The wheat wave . . .Fred, Shep, and Jose were so intent on
maintaining contact with the brisk pace set by
Dwayne that they failed to notice he'd taken a detour. 
Sometimes he just can't help going "against the grain."

Jim passes by what once may have been a luxurious house for these vast stretches.

Josh stylin' his new doo-rag while  racking a bike on Silver's roof.