Bear with me as I cross eastern South Dakota. I won’t say it is monotonous, but here was the view in front and behind me at about the half way point of today’s ride.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still a nice ride. The weather was nearly ideal: temperatures in the 70s (though it did warm up to the high 80s by the end of the ride) and tail winds. And there was little traffic on mostly good roads. It’s just that if you’re looking for interesting tidbits from today’s ride, I don’t have much to offer you.
There was the world’s only corn palace in Mitchell, where we ended the day.
It really doesn’t get any more exciting than that folks.
On the other hand, there was an ice cream store across the street from the corn palace. By that time it had gotten quite warm, and there is nothing like a scoop or two of ice cream at the end of a long, hot ride.
There also was a welcome change in the terrain late in the day. For the first time time since we crossed the Cascade mountains, I saw forests of deciduous trees that were neither along a river nor planted next to farmhouses. And we are camped next to a lake this evening. The combination of forest and lake reminds me of Minnesota, which is only 100 miles away at this point.
There was a noteworthy barn along the way. Here it is.
The technical stuff:
73.3 miles
1,231 feet of climbing
Average speed 17 miles per hour
Weather: Hazy sunshine all day, temperatures around 60 to start and high 80s by the end of the ride in the early afternoon. Tail winds of about 10 to 15 miles per hour all day.
You can see the entire route to date here.