Day 27 -- Looking forward to winding down in Sioux Falls . . .

Saturday, July 16, 2005

ROUTE: Mitchell to Sioux Falls, S

DISTANCE:72 miles

WINDS: Strong crosswinds changing to headwinds at about mile 24 when we turned south...cross at the end.

WEATHER: HOT and WINDY

TERRAIN: Flat with a couple of hills thrown in for good measure

TOTAL CLIMBING: 1,580 feet

RIDE OVERVIEW: The first rider left Mitchell about 7 a.m. after sleeping in this morning and then eating a great breakfast at Bonanza--opened just for us. The late start was precipitated by the short day ahead of us followed by a rest day--both looked forward to by all who are a bit road weary at this juncture.

Not a block from the motel, riders and support vehicles faced a detour on SR 38. Riders could "cyclocross" past the detour, which meant carrying their bikes across the dirt and RR tracks, but vehicles had to take the Interstate to the first exit and then follow the detour signs. 

I was in White again today. I was supposed to ride, but heat wenie that I am, I gave up my Float position to Karen. Her eyes lit up when I gave her this gift, and so did Josh's 'cause now the two of them could fly together . . . but Mike turned green with envy. He was in Silver today. Whaaaat? Karen was going to get in a couple extra miles on him?  Actually, it was not the heat that caused me to give up Float. It was the fact that I'd had little if any sleep last night. First, I went to bed too early for a non-riding day. Then, I must have over-hydrated so got up numerous times. One of those times, I adjusted the thermostat to cooler temps. About 45 minutes later I awoke gasping for air. HEAT was coming from the baseboard radiator! I stumbled around trying to see the printing on the thermostat (no dice), and then stumbled out of the room and to the main office. Once the manager explained that the thermostat was for the heat only and that the AC was controlled on the unit, which was high on the wall above the vanity, I turned off the heat and climbed up on a chair and set the AC on "high cool." About 45 minutes later it was cool enough to sleep, but I lay in bed wide eyed with insomnia for the rest of the night.

There are two places on the route today that riders traditionally miss. I arrowed both but riders still sailed by oblivious to the markings on the road and their route sheets. We had only one SAG stop today at mile 40.5 in the town of Canistota.  I set it up on a dusty lot behind a corner grocery adjacent to a large group of grain elevators. The place was jumping as Canistota was getting ready for its annual Sports Day Parade. All types of vehicles and floats pulled into the lot creating a virtual sandstorm of dust. There were tractors and big wheeled trucks, military transports, fire engines, covered wagons, and many horses and ponies and wagons. The street opposite the corner store was full of carnival rides and tents. 

Behind the SS, was a small Amish community, the men, women, and children making as many trips to the corner store as the rest of us. Our cyclists were invited to ride in the parade, but it started at 12:30 and I pulled up stakes and headed for Sioux Falls at 12:10--had to drive the van carefully back through the lined up parade entries to get out of town.

Cyclists rode through a couple of sunflower fields and many soy bean fields but mostly the order of the day was cornfield after cornfield, the houses few and far between and sitting like small treed islands in a sea of corn. There were only a couple of very small towns along the route. The cornfields in this part of the country are filled with pheasants. We saw many today . . . and yesterday . . . and the day before.

Sioux Falls exists as a city today because of land speculators who staked town site claims here in 1857 came in search of the cascades of the Big Sioux River. The city's namesake rapids are in Falls Park, north of downtown (riders will pass by them as they leave on Monday) and are lighted half an hour after sunset each night. The waterfalls at Falls Park gush over pink quartzite, which is very rare. It is the second hardest rock next to a diamond.

Most got to the motel by early afternoon and so had a chance to eat lunch, kick back, watch the Tour on OLN, do a little laundry, get haircuts, and relax before Mechanic's Hour, Rap & and dinner. We say good-bye this evening to Christopher, Jose, and Larry, and tomorrow will welcome Paul Bippen, Dar Faaborg (two who rode legs last year), as well as Jill Smith, and Susan & Sierra Szutz and Dave Slikker.

Tune in again on Monday when we cycle into Worthington, Minnesota, and enter our fifth state.   Susan

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:

• "Are they Mennonites" "No, they're Mennonites and Womenites." (They were actually Amish.)
• Bob, stroking his beard: "There will be a new me tomorrow."Susan: “So you're shaving it off? Good for you. It would drive me crazy to have that on my face."Thomas: “It would drive us crazy if you had that on your face!"
• Susan loading a bike on White: “Wow, this tiny bike is as light as a feather!"Val: “Yes, that bike belongs on a charm bracelet."
• "The wind is pretty stiff. Hope the SPCA issues a small dog warning today."

DUH! OF THE DAY:

"Turn on SD 42."
"SD? What's that?"
"DUH! South Dakota."
"No it isn't. It's State of Denial."

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: 

Riders queue up to await the opening of the
Bonanza and their breakfast  this morning.

Grain elevators are huge and abundant in this part of the country.

Cattle paceline west while riders straggle east into the wind.

Bill was assigned the task of carrying the land line equipment on his line pole retrofit helmet as we could not get good cell phone reception.

One of the few hills on today's route; notice how they hay the road verges.

Finally, a Murray sized root beer float!

As Joe studied the flag after breakfast, he was hoping
it would be pointing in the other direction...oh well, we press on.

An Amish man and his son walk over to see the
Clydesdales before the parade in Canistota