Well, we made it to Gillette, the self-described "Energy Capitol of the Nation." Today was a recovery ride for virtually everyone. One wouldn't typically think of 112 miles and 4,200 feet of climbing as a recovery ride, but after yesterday, it was nice to cruise along over the rolling hills.The weather was perfect for our ride and we made good time on good road surfaces.
One of the coolest things for me thus far happened this morning after the first stop. The guys I had been riding with were in more of a hurry than I was and left before I was done snacking and chatting. An ice cold Coke, some Cadbury chocolate, and some turkey jerky made me linger. I left as the next group of riders showed up and pedaled along on my own for the next 26 miles. Somewhere along the way I was thinking about what day it was and had absolutely no clue. I puzzled over it for a moment, thought that since I knew it was day 12 I could calculate back and figure out what day it was, but decided I really didn't care. It was a great feeling.
Dave was disheartened about the transition from blue and green rivers to brown rivers. The terrain looked a lot like the sandhills in western Nebraska, but on a larger scale. We got to see some antelope, but other than that today was kind of boring. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially given everyone's interest in dialing it back a little.We're at another Super 8 motel this evening and it's not bad. Dinner at a local Mexican restaurant was tasty and the ice cream bars we got from Don's Super Market were a nice way to top off the day's caloric consumption. Dave also got a massage, which is a nice way to end a long day on the bike. I think Bike Masters should consider having a massage therapist on staff. Now that would be totally outrageous service. (Smith, you'll have to ride more than 34 miles to get a massage though...)
That's about it for today. We're heading into South Dakota tomorrow. The rest of the pictures should give you an idea of the terrain and roads we traveled today. Especially the first one, which shows the road winding back and forth as it goes up and down until it reaches the horizon. At least you can see where you have to go! The second picture is a BNSF train as it passes through Clearmont. The last picture is a perfect example of a butte, which according to Wikipedia is smaller than a mesa (yeah, I know... Wikipedia).
We're planning to do some pictures of the various bikes on the tour, which are about evenly split between carbon and titanium. There are also two recumbents and one tandem. As well as Waterford with the prettiest paint I've seen on a bike. We'll dedicate one of our posts to the bikes soon.
Wow, Scott Tarry doing a "Zen" ride! This has been an amazing ride for you guys. Even more amazing is that you find 112 miles with climbs to be "recovery." Sorry Dave was disheartened by the brown rivers, but hope he is still "high" on the ride. Perhaps your Q & A post on day 15 can address your pre ride expectations with your actual experiences thru mid way to let us know how much harder or easier it was than you had guessed. Perhaps you can even do a projection for the second 1/2 and then see how that compares at the end. As Gary said yesterday, we are all still talking and thinking about you. In fact, I cannot go to bed until I have read your post! Keep up the good work on and off the bike!
ReplyDeleteHave you had a chance to stop for a cold beer after a hard days ride?
ReplyDeleteGary