Day 25--Pierre, SD to Chamberlain, SD

Day 25—July 13, 2006—Pierre, SD to Chamberlain, SD—84 miles—3600’ climb

This morning after a continental breakfast at the motel or breakfast at adjacent Chickadilly’s (or both),  we said a sad farewell to Kathy and to Dan. Dan will return in Sioux Falls, but Kathy is gone for the remainder of the ride. We will miss her. The weather luck was with us again as riders rolled out of the motel under the great cloud cover of a storm that had passed through in the early hours. Most chose to “get out of town” and avoid the traffic by riding a paved trail that runs along the river for several miles and then parallels the original route. In fact much of today’s ride was along the Lewis & Clark Trail next to the wide, deep, blue-green Missouri. The terrain today was flat to rolling with three sizable climbs.

I was at the top of one of these climbs, taking photos, when I snapped . . . a stranger. Turned out to be Tom Armstrong, owner, bicycle tour director, and mechanic with Historical Trails Network. He carries riders’ luggage in a trailer and all camp along the way. Last night, however, the heat drove them all to a motel in Pierre. Tom takes cyclists on only two routes The Oregon Trail and The Lewis & Clark Trail (backwards). He had 10 riders in this group, one of whom had ridden ABB’s Great Mississippi River Ride with Mike & Barbara Munk.

Our route today took us along the Missouri River all morning, and for the most part we spent a good portion of the day crossing the Crow-Creek Reservation. Throughout the day, we kept getting glimpses of the winding Missouri--which was blue green, studded with flooded tree trunks in places, and wind whipped into whitecaps. The only real change in the scenery over the last couple of days was the River on our right and greener vegetation than we'd been used to lately.  Aside from that, I’d give South Dakota the award for having the most roads that seem to ribbon off into nowhere!  On the plus side, there is very little traffic on these roads and few trucks. Also, a large section of today's route was smoothly paved and a joy to ride. Today marks the halfway point of the tour. We've been on the road for 25 of our 50 days and have covered approx 1,800 of our total 3610 miles.

I set up SS #2 near the parking lot of the Dakota Mart on the Crow/Creek Reservation. Just across the street was the Crow/Creek Lode-Star Casino. Nary a rider (including Tom’s riders who got mixed with ours for a bit) went in to check the place out—too much cigarette smoking in casinos they all agreed.

Shortly before reaching Chamberlain, riders had two good sized climbs. Later I heard several say they were glad when the day was over. I think yesterday’s heat made them anxious about riding today.

The rest of the ride was again along Hwy 50 above the great Missouri. All told, today was a good day for the riders who were feeling somewhat ragged and anxious after yesterday’s long day and searing heat. The morning cloud cover helped, and though it was humid, temps did not begin to rise until after SS#2 had closed, which meant that most riders got in early and “beat the heat” – which was 102-degrees Fahrenheit when I reached town.

Our motel is on the edge of town overlooking the Missouri River and several bridges over it. After Route Rap, we made room in the SAG vans and shuttled all to the Anchor Grill in the downtown area for dinner. Tomorrow we will eat breakfast there before beginning our ride to Mitchell, SD, home of the Corn Palace. Temps are predicted to rise all week so we are hoping for cloud cover and tailwinds to speed us the 71 miles of the day.

Tomorrow is a short day with only 980 feet of elevation gain followed by another short (72-mile) day with 747 feet of elevation gain—mere peanuts. If riders get out and in early, they should be able to use these next two days as “recovery” days before their day off in Sioux Falls.

OVERHEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:

*  “My computer seems to be broken. It added 12 miles to the route when I stopped in that little store at the right turn. But, when I came out, I figured it out. While I was in the store, someone must have taken my bike for a spin. Their average speed read 84.5 mph when I checked the computer.” 

*  Andy: “Well, I guess it’s time to get in the vans and shuttle to dinner.” 
 Abe:   “Can we go in alphabetical order?”

SHOW & TELL: Several saw pheasants, and someone reported many roadkilled snakes on this route. Sarah found a glasses case containing several different lenses. Then at SS#2, one of the Historical Trails riders stopped to chat. The glasses were his! Similar things happened with a camera and a pair of eyeglasses. Guess it pays to chat with others.