Bike Across America – Day 23

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Start: Rapid City, South Dakota
End: Wall, South Dakota
Mileage today/cumulative: 58 / 1,667
Elevation Ascended: 2,156′
Weather: Sunny, 75° at start; sunny, 93° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Each evening, the ABB staff provide us with the route sheet for the next day’s ride. It includes turn-by-turn directions, any hazards we need to deal with, and points of interest. They discuss the route in detail and we make any important  notes on our route sheets (usually things like “good pie shop at mile 75” or “Dairy Queen one block from hotel”). The contents of the route sheet tend to determine our “ride strategy” for each day. Today’s sheet included the words County Road (CR), Service Road and I-90. Combined, they made up 48 of the 58 total miles. Translation: kind of noisy and not a lot to see. Strategy: ride hard, take it all in, and be grateful for the ability to ride our bicycles in places we would never otherwise experience. The rolling South Dakota terrain has surprised many of our fellow riders but riding in East Tennessee has prepared us for what we fondly call PUDs (Pointless Ups and Downs). Crest a hill, pedal super fast on the downhill, attack the uphill, repeat over and over. Bring it on South Dakota – you’ve got nothing on Tennessee!

We did have a little bit of excitement today on the interstate. A brush fire had broken out on the median and hopped the eastbound side of the freeway. Faced with flames on both sides of us, smoke blowing across the freeway, and no fire fighters on scene, we were able to ride through it unharmed. Just one more story to add to the list.

Today’s  destination was Wall, South Dakota. The town’s economy seems to be entirely dependent on Wall Drug. In the thousands of square feet that comprise this establishment, there does not appear to be a single drug. There are penny pressing machines, cheesy souvenirs, and pretty much anything that can collect dust on a shelf in your home. It’s as if a bad Western themed arcade collided with a Chinese cargo ship. But on a positive note, I posed for a photo with a prostitute.

We’re nearly half-way through our tour and every day has been remarkable for different reasons. Some days it’s the sights, some days it’s the people we meet along the way, and sometimes it’s just the chance to ride and talk with our new friends. Every day it’s the opportunity for both of us to do something amazing with each other and have this shared experience. We are very lucky.

We’re really enjoying South Dakota and tomorrow promises to be another special one with much of the day in the Badlands National Park. We’ll be on bighorn sheep alert!