The word for today is "wind."
It was a great morning when we left Newcastle. There were quite a few hills, but it was cool, so I felt good and fast. I even passed a few people!
About 11 miles outside of Newcastle we entered South Dakota, our fifth state on this trip!
I'm in the back. In the middle row, L to R, are Pauline, Janet, Patty H., and Darrell. In the front row are Ash and Jim (from Illinois). We're all holding up five fingers, because it's (you guessed it) the fifth state we've been in.
A forest!
And trees! I love trees.
This was the site of a huge forest fire in 2000.
South Dakota, at least this part of the state, is very pretty, with lots of trees and rocky cliffs. It's also very hilly. We had lots of steep climbs and descents today.
Patty and Janet.
Patty, Janet, and Tracy.
Near the entrance to Custer State Park, a BEAUTIFUL place!
In Custer State Park. This has got to be one of the most beautiful state parks (or national parks, for that matter) that I've been in.
We were warned that there are bison in the park, and to "use great caution." Unfortunately, we didn't see any. But, even better than bison, we saw wild donkeys in the park! They were right by the side of the road, and there were several babies in the group. So cute!
Tracy and Janet enjoying the donkeys.
So, back to the wind. It was a bit windy in the morning, but not bad, and it was very cool. I like cool! After we left Custer State Park, the wind started picking up. We were heading east, and we had a side wind most of the time. It was gusty at times, we had to focus on not getting blown over, and now I know what it feels like to be sandblasted!
With about 15 miles left in our ride, we turned to the north to head into Rapid City. We were riding straight into a headwind, and this wasn't any old wind. It was powerful. I couldn't go much over 5 mph going up hills that weren't very steep. Going downhill I could go about 10 mph. All I could think was, "At this rate, it'll take me 2-3 hours to get to Rapid City!" Fortunately, Janet, Patty, Tracy, and I started a little paceline so that we could draft off of each other (my first paceline), and it helped. Also, just having them nearby gave me moral support. They pulled me into Rapid City!
After I checked into my dorm room here at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (go SDSM&T Rockers!), I checked the weather for this area. A wind advisory was issued. Winds were 25-35 mph, with gusts to 50 mph! No wonder I was so slow!
Several of the riders and I agreed that we'd take wind over heat any day. Even though this was a long day, it was cool (73 when I got into Rapid City this afternoon), and I didn't feel as wiped out as I did on the long hot rides we did yesterday and Wednesday. Wind is okay!
Tomorrow is a rest day!!!
Across this great country I'm roaming
it's so hot that my poor feet are foaming
I hope it's an iota
cooler in West South Dakota
than where I have been in Wyoming
3 comments:
I agree with you. Dinner first, then the story!
Loads of smiles I bet.
Poetry and a smile! What more could we ask for?
5 states! When you stop and think about it, that's simply incredible! I have an idea that if you were travelling West on the Oregon Trail 150 years ago the trip would take 3 times as long.
Hey there! Tree huger :p
I'm back from Southern Oregon...Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope all is well. take care!
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