Thursday, June 6, 1996
Day 26
White River, South Dakota to Burke, South Dakota
Today's Miles: 90
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 1695
Degree of Difficulty: Easy to Medium
Terrain: Prairie Land
Find of the Day: None
This is the first day I just sat in the saddle and spun the pedals. The scenery rolled by, very few towns interrupting the monotony of the landscape.
I rode for 90 miles and passed through three "towns". It's hard to call a knock in the road that has two brothers as the sole population a "town", but it had a sign, therefore by definition, I'll let it stand as a "town".It's getting more and more difficult to find healthy food. This is beef country and that is what's available for every meal. I'm just going to start ordering double and triple helpings of vegetables and see if I can get my digestive system back on track.The magical settings of western South Dakota are behind us. I keep trying to visualize life in this area and keep coming up blank. It takes a different perspective to understand what is happening here with this countryside of bleak, barely rolling hills. The roads are disastrous, frost heaves every twenty feet that jar the bike, making it feel like a body shot from Ali. I was so frustrated by the end of the day with the beating I had taken, I was ready to throw the bike on the side of the road and walk the rest of the way.It's the part of the trip I've been dreading. I've got to find a way to get through the next couple of days. The weather's been nasty, heavy winds with hard rain on and off all day. Maybe this is the worst of it...tomorrow will tell.
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271