Day 3.
August 23rd, 2021.
So with the same routine a quick continental breakfast and loading the bike up, I set off into the lovely bright, clear and warm morning.
Today was going to be more traveling along the Interstate Highway, now along Interstate 90.
Still more miles of “nothingness” to knock down.
I still needed the efficiency of the highway on this day because I had far to go and places to see.
I was a thousand miles from home with still thousands more to go.
The wind had not relented and I was still headed directly into it.
I began to get irritated and longed for a break in it’s intensity.
I was being buffeted all across the driving lane and had to summon much more concentration to deal with trying to keep the bike tracking straight.
The weather started to heat up.
28’C (82’F) and slowly climbing. I was beginning to feel the heat with all the riding gear I had on. I might have to strip off some it in order to stay relatively cool.
I knew from experience that dehydration would be a major concern, so I reminded myself to maintain the discipline of regular re-hydration stops and good nutritional snacks to ward off muscle cramping.
My highlight for this day was to ride the South Dakota Badlands Loop - another ride that has languished on my bucket list.
The last time I came through here, time constraints forced me to cut my time severely short.
That was a time when I had only one week away from work at a time.
Now with more time vested in the company, I had the luxury of being able to slow down a little bit more and smell the roses!
As I approached Chamberlain, SD I exited the highway and entered the rest stop for a break.
This rest stop is located at one of the stops of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
I had stopped here back in 2014 as well when I crossed the Missouri River in the valley below this spot.
On this trip/visit, I came to find that an addition in the form of a commemorative, 15 m (50 ft) tall statue of Sacagawea
had been made and installed.
Sacagawea was a 16 year old Shoshone Native American girl who had been invaluably helpful to the Lewis and Clark Expedition both as a guide and translator as they traveled across and through Native American Indian territories of the west.
I began to sweat profusely as I suited up to continue my journey.
I was not very far from one of the highlights of this trip, that being to ride the scenic South Dakota Badlands Loop.
Checking to make sure that all the vents of my Tourmaster Transition jacket were all open - which they were, I got back onto the highway.
The breeze felt good as it dried off the sweat on my skin under the layer of jacket material.
Never mind that I was still fighting that stubborn head wind which all this time, had still not relented.
But for now, being slightly cooler took precedence over the headwind fight.
As I approached the town of Kadoka, SD I remembered how good the juicy hamburger I had here in one of the eateries back in 2014 was.
Such a vivid memory that I could almost taste it in my mind!
I remember well too, the lunch hour I spent with the elderly gentleman resident who was such good company and made great conversation, sharing stories of his service time during World War 2.
I exited the interstate onto highway 240 south which led towards the Badlands, the beginning of which presented the last fuel stop and conveniences till Rapid City, SD way at the other side after exiting the park.
Pulling up in the parking lot/fuel station/convenience store/essential services, I stripped off my riding jacket in the now searing heat of the day.
It was so hot I did not even bother to check what the temperature gauge on the bike registered.
It was way beyond hot enough and that was all I needed to know and could think of.
I reached into my luggage and put my hands on my Yeti flask which I had filled up with ice earlier in the day and savored the still ice-cold watered down Gatorade.
How refreshing.
I was instantly cooled down and revitalized.
For how long this would last, I do not know, but it would be enough to keep me well hydrated for the next couple of hours at least.
Checking batteries and camera, I mounted my rear-facing video camera onto my newly designed tripod mount on the rear.
I was excited to use it.
I had toiled many months to come up with this new configuration on the bike and was very anxious to see what the results would turn out like.
I got back on the road and as I headed towards the park, my attention was drawn to a sign announcing Prairie Dog Town.
Curiosity stoked, I just had to stop by and check it out.
Prairie Dog town boasts a colony of Prairie Dogs, which are small creatures between half a kilo and 2 kilos (1 - 4lbs) in weight/size that belong to the squirrel/rodent family.
They live in underground burrows called colonies that have multiple/several entrances and exits that allow them to pop in and out at multiple places.
This is especially important for them when they need to evade predators from the skies above.
They are interesting creatures and you can observe them from relatively close up - good for photo ops too -as they go about their daily activity of cleaning out their burrows and foraging for food.
At the store, you can buy peanuts to feed them.
I have no doubt that kids will have a thrilling time watching them get up to their antics.
I know the little kid in me did!
After mulling around for a while, I continued towards the park entrance.
Paying for an annual pass, I entered the park and was immediately taken aback by the views that I was presented with, as I started my ride along the Loop Road.
The Loop Road follows the “Badlands Wall” which is just over 96km (60 miles) long and is the geologic feature around which the park boundaries were drawn.
Along its length, it dips into the valley and then climbs back up to the rim, making for a lovely and exciting ride with many opportunities that abound for spectacular photography.
I was fascinated!
Seeing the park features and formations and riding on the good quality roads was such a treat as it wound around, over and between them.
If you do visit, which I recommend you do, I have no doubt that you too will be thrilled at by experience.
I chatted with other visitors who were equally as enchanted as I was with the experience of witnessing this spectacular landscape.
I began to “eat up time” without realizing it.
I was truly in another world.
Head over to the Photo gallery where I hope the photos in the album/gallery may better describe it as I cannot find enough adjectives to adequately convey some of the sights and views to you.
All too soon I exited the park as the sun began to descend low in the sky.
Evening was approaching and judging from the remaining distance I had to go to my selected destination for the day, it was obvious that I had spent much more time in the park than I had anticipated.
But this is what smelling the roses is all about!
Taking it all in!
Make the time and take the time to enjoy nature and life.
It doesn’t spell the end of life or the world!
Being 198 km (124 miles) from my destination for the day, it meant I would have to ride well beyond dark in order to stick with my original plan, which was to overnight at The Whitetail Creek Resort, a Log cabin motel up in the mountains in Lead, SD.
As I mulled the thought over, trying to give myself and prioritize all my options for the evening ride, I made an executive decision to bed down in Rapid City, SD.
The last time I came to Rapid City in 2014 I found it to be very expensive (by my standards) and for that reason I left it out of my plans for this trip.
But for now, I opted to get off the road before too late and give myself a little bit longer of a night for some enhanced rest/sleep.
After all I was moving west and gaining time, the loss of which would catch up with me in the form of fatigue and loss of time on the return leg of the journey back home.
I planned to make up for the shortfall of miles the next day.
I found a hotel just off the highway in the town center and was settled and ready for the evening right at sundown. And Ooooh, what a lovely sunset it turned out to be!
I shared the lovely sundown with my loved ones, wishing they could be with me to experience it.
Before long, sleep got the better of me as my attempt to download and organize my photos and videos of my day’s experiences became an exercise in futility.