Biking Dude Blog

Fun day exploring the badlands and resting up for the next leg of the trip. Will post more later, going to bed early tonight.

Got up a little before 5 this morning to watch to sunrise, then wrote postcard until 7, when they started the all you can eat pancake breakfast at the campground. I ate nine before I had to throw in the towel. Sourdough pancakes made from a hundred year old starter (or so they claim, that's a story I'd like to hear). Yum.

I traveled about 66.4 miles today.
After a good night's sleep at the motel in Philip, we biked 30 miles along 14 to Wall Drug. Had fun doing the tourist thing there. and got a sticker and ice cream. After filling up on FREE ICE WATER, we were ready to travel through the badlands along highway 240. The ride through they badlands had the most stunning sights that I've seen all trip (and that includes Niagara falls). It's hard to describe how incredible this place is. One overtook that we stopped by had juniper trees growing along the slope, and the wind blew their smell across the road as we looked across a landscape that has no business existing in the middle of the plains. And when we coasted down the winding downhills, the way the foreground and background (and all the inbetween ground) shifted against each other gave an almost surreal sense of depth and three dimensionality. We took our time going through the badlands, taking lots of pictures and soaking in the sights. We met some very wonderful people at one of the overlooks who have us some cold water and fresh cherries. Such a great treat, thanks so much to those kind strangers. Arrived in Interior SD around 4, and checked into the campground there. There's a storm coming in tonight, so the owner Rick, is letting us set up camp in one of the teepees to help stay dry. Really nice, easy going guy. The campground is the badlands motel and campground, great place to stay of you're in the area. Got some good at the badlands grocery in town, the a hamburger at the wagon wheel bar next door (with horses running around their pen just outside). Took shelter from the rain inside for a while before heading back to camp. Taking a rest day tomorrow, will hike around some trails in the badlands and maybe do a short day ride.

I traveled about 89.5 miles today.
This is Nathaniel. We met quite by chance at a gas station in Blunt, SD, on my way to Pierre. He is riding from Ithaca to Seattle, and we've decided to travel together for a while, probably until devils tower, when I go north to Montana and he guess west to Yellowstone. It's really great having anther person to travel with for a while. Nathaniel had found a host on couch surfing in Pierre for last night, so I was luckily able to stay there as well. Thanks to Mary, Daniel, Hannah, Isabel, Willy, Jesse, Jade, Hunter, and Sawyer for welcoming us into your home. After yesterday's grueling ride, a 90 mile trek to Philip with a light tailwind seemed like no big deal. The saga of tire trouble continued, though, as I got one flat in they morning from a hard thorn (called a goats head), and then another just 8 miles outside of Philip. Other than that, it was a fun day of riding, with great scenery, good roads, and rolling hills. Arrived in Philip and got some groceries and dinner (pizza), then for a room at the motel. Nice place, and being able to split the cost is great. Tomorrow we bike 30 miles west to wall drug, then go south and back east a little through the badlands for another 30 miles. We'll take a rest day to hike/bike around the badlands a bit, then head to rapid city on Thursday. Also, apparently I hit the 2000 mile mark at some point yesterday. Hooray!

Took highway 14 from Huron to Pierre. Got an early start, hitting the road just a little after 6. Winds were lower in the morning, then picked up as the morning progressed and stayed strong until the late afternoon. Road was good for biking, with a few exceptions that were still passable. I met another biker named Nathaniel in Blunt, about 25 miles from Pierre. More on him later. His rear tire blew as we were arriving in Pierre, so we walked to the local bike shop. Unfortunately, it was closed Sunday (today) and Monday. After some frantic internet searching, I find the contact for the local bike club, the Oahe Wheelmen. Randy was very excited to help us out, and met us at subway with a pair of tires for Nathaniel and helped put them on. Randy had previously worked as a biking guide in the black hills area. Thanks so much Randy, for your generosity, advice, and stories.

I traveled about 121 miles today.
Will update more later. Short story is Kory triumphs over 120 mile ride to Pierre through 15+ mph headwinds and 90 degree heat. Piano is on the sidewalk in Pierre, open to the public to play

I traveled about 88.2 miles today.
Battling strong head winds almost all day. Got a break in the last 20 miles to Huron when I turned south and the wind was out of the west. This is a picture of a field where I took a brief nap, you can see how much the wind in blowing the grass. Staying in Huron tonight with Eric, who is a professional cellist. We made spaghetti squash burrito bowls for dinner. It was really fun to cook, I haven't done that in a while. I'll be attempting to reach Pierre tomorrow, which is nearly 120 miles. Will try to get an early start and cover as much getting as possible before the winds pick up again in the afternoon.

Stopped in Willow Lake today to refill on water at a place called Scud's Bait and Tackle. Turns out, they were having a big family get together this weekend, and I met Caleb, who rode from Washington to Bar Harbour with two friends several years ago. We talked for a while about my trip, and Eaton gave me some fruit and banana bread to eat. Really nice group of people, I'm very fortunate to have stumbled across them. Caleb lives in the twin cities area as well, so hopefully we can stay in touch. Thanks guys, it was great to meet you!

I met Charlie and Rita last night when I was getting water at the campsite, and they let me set up camp at their campsite so I would not have to pay for my own, which was really nice. I sat by the fire and chatted with them and their friends Mark and Barb until I started nodding off and went to bed. Thanks Charlie and Rita for your hospitality, sorry I couldn't stick around for breakfast.
Woke up early and hit the road just after sunrise. This is a picture from one of my rest stops. Apparently, there have been times when the water level reaches the road. Yikes!

I traveled about 79.3 miles today.
Went over to the Watertown brewery after mighty ducks ended, a little after 4. I meet Scott and Marcus there, and talked about my trip a little and shared some pictures. Really cool guys, they were kind enough to pick up my tab. I was a particular fan of the IPA and porter. Got some subway for dinner (yum), then biked a few miles west of town to the Sandy Shores state park to camp for the night. This was kind of the textbook ideal day for a trip like this: early(ish) start, strong biking through the morning and early afternoon, finding a chance movie screening at the local library, meeting some cool people at the local brewery, and camping by a lake watching the sunset. I feel very fortunate and happy to be able to do this trip and be supported by so many people.