Friday, August 6 the map said we had a 68ish mile day on a long stretch of road with only one rest area between Gillette and Buffalo. We had two to six mile pulls, that's trucker lingo for climbing a hill. Those of you familiar with Route 20 between Skaneateles and Cazenovia, NY, add several more hills and we did several times that each day for the last couple days.
En route Rosie had our first flat. I heard an emergency tone 50 yards to the rear. She normally doesn't use the word "leak", but I thought she was yelling I got to take a leak. Rosie is much more lady like so I was confused. Well the leak was in the general area, but it was her rear tire. Repairing the tire, I found several shards of glass embedded in the tread. We have hard case tires which are resistant to punctures. The one that got her was not glass. It was scoria. Scoria is slag or lava. They crush and use it instead of sand on the roads. Such debris is found all over the shoulders. We've been lucky. I replaced the tube and fixed the damaged tube later that day. We were back on the road in less than 30 minutes.
We finally made it to our halfway point, a rest area. We parked our bikes against a tree. Three older guys, about my age, were sitting on a bench. They had handicap bikes. Our chat revealed the guys were from Little Falls, NY. One of many small world coincidences. Then Rosie was accosted by Ray Perez, another handicapped biker. He was spreading the gospel as he rode about the country. Said he was a badman in his youth and finding Jesus turned him around. God bless you Ray, where ever you are now.
From the rest area, I attempted to contact our friend Tony who works for Hilton Hotels to arrange a cheaper stay in Buffalo. During a six mile pull he returned my call. Rosie was behind me somewhere. I pulled up and was talking to Tony for about 15 seconds and Rosie rode into my rear wheel. She had had her head down and didn't realize I had stopped. By the time I realized she was horizontal to the ground she had picked herself up, giving me the you know what look. Guess I should have put the phone down. Tony had no favors and Rosie didn't talk to me for five miles. I did finally find another place called the Blue Gables and her urge to kill me subsided.
Our stay at Blue Gables was a delight. We had a log cabin. The owner, Jim had left the corporate world for a simpler life. He worked around the country, including Norwich, NY. We had our first spaghetti dinner at Dino's Diner, drank enough beer and enjoyed a camp fire with other travelers at the motel. Zack and Darla and three kids, from Belle Fourshe, WY, were escaping from the Surtgis Rally crowd. The rally officially started on August 9, but really begins several weeks before and continues for as many afterwards. Hundreds of bikers pass through their little town at all hours with no regard for the locals. It's a catch 22.
Old Route 16 runs through Buffalo to Yellowstone. Jim told me when they developed Yellowstone they had to build roads. Route 16 was built, not only to help develop the area, but was built from Chicago, Ill to encourage people to visit Yellowstone.
Saturday, August 7 we had a 50ish day to Ranchester. Took I-90 the entire route. Had a long lunch in Sheridan 33 miles out. They don't have a mall. Main street is nearly a mile long bordered with all kinds of stores. Felt like we went back in time. We stopped at a bike shop hoping to replace a few tires, but like Rapid City they didn't stock our size.
We climbed back onto I-90 leaving Sheridan. We had 17 miles to ride. A storm was brewing in front of us. We pulled under a bridge about 10 miles out. The gusts were at least 40ish mph. We waited for 30 minutes while the sky returned to a friendly blue. I said giddy up even though we still had stiff head winds. Rosie was reluctant, but acquiesced when I mounted the steed. Just ahead of us was a downhill for at least two miles. The grade was at least 6%. The winds were such that we were held to a speed of 9 mph coasting downhill. Pedaling we did 12 mph. The descent calmed Rosie's nerves. She was concerned about control. Of course, I told her never to fear because Bikebill was here. Add your own expletives. She had a few. It was four miles before we saw rain water from the passing storm. The winds calmed and we made it to Ranchester, our motel and a hot meal without skipping a beat.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wyoming - Days 35 and 36
Wednesday, August 4 we started the day in Spearfish with a hardy complimentary breakfast having 68ish miles to ride to Moorcroft. The sky was blue, unlike yesterday, and not even a breeze. We had 13 miles to the Wyoming border and another 20 to Sundance, our halfway point for the day. We had to take I-90, which actually has better shoulders than any of the few available frontage roads. Those 33 miles were all uphill. Even when it appears we're riding down we're riding up. After Sundance, the grade became more gentle and our pace picked up considerably. Approaching Moorcroft, our overnight, I suggested we ride on to Gillette, another 28 miles, but Rosie's parts demanded otherwise.
Shortly after entering Wyoming we found a flyswatter on the road. Yes, we retrieved it. Let's just say it would have been handy starting in Wisconsin where the deer flies were out for blood, in Minnesota where the flies were relentless and in South Dakota where the grasshoppers thought we were on the road for their amusement. So picture this, Rosie has the flyswatter strapped on her bike. We had just arrived at the Cozy Motel in Moorcroft and encountered a guy with similar intent. He saw the flyswatter and said to Rosie, "You're not riding fast enough if you need one of those." We're still laughing.
Our rest stop in Sundance started with a visit to US Forest Service Ranger Station. Thought we'd obtain information on the State and its wildlife. We heard about a bear attack in Yellowstone and I might of mentioned to Rosie that she should keep an eye out for rattle snakes when seeking privacy along the road. I told her to stomp her feet and wave a white towel; that it would scare off the critters. I don't know about the critters, but I'm enjoying it. The ranger wasn't a wealth of information, but she did assure Rosie that we were not in bear country and the rattle snakes shouldn't be a problem. She also told us we would be able to see Devil's Tower from I-90, which we did. Looking for a snack, we stopped at Hey Joe Espresso To Go, a trolley converted into a joe hut. We had a nice chat with Charlie, the owner. Nice lady.
We arrived in Moorcroft and found the Cozy Motel, Deer Haven Bar and Donna's Diner next to each other. A note on the motel's office door instructed seekers of lodging that they'd be back at 5:00 PM. We had time to eat dinner at Donna's and met Don Mercer, a cattle rancher and ex-truck driver. Said as a young man he drove two million miles in five years. He told us about the Powder River Basin, mining and ranching in he area and possible alternate routes. He warned us about the hail storms, that we should purchase a tarp in case we're on the road without cover. He said baseball size hail is not uncommon in these parts. The day we were in Sturgis and it rained Deadwood received 8 inches of hail. Thousands of bikers and their bikes were in harms way.
After cleaning up I suggested to Rosie we go bar hopping. We learned there were four bars in town. We hopped once to the Deer Haven. Elizabeth, the bartendress, soon became our friend. Rosie did her best to drink all the wine in the bar. I might have had a six pack. A unique thing about this bar is it has a drive-up window. We had plenty of fun talking to patrons waiting for their purchase. Liz told us that two riders came through town four years ago and slept in the city park. They used hammocks. Apparently they asked a local authority for permission, but that person failed to tell them the sprinklers came on around midnight. The biggest laugh of the evening came when an old coal miner said he was surprised we were bikers. He said all the bikers he met were skinny.
Thursday, August 5 we had a easy 30 mile ride to Gillette. Had to shorten the day because the next town is Buffalo, which is 68 miles from Gillette. A 98 mile day is not part of our agenda. So here we are in our $160.00 room obtained using our Marriott points. En route we passed by a coal burning power plant. The coal is mined from adjacent hills and conveyed under I-90 to the plant. We considered this a day off with a few miles included.
Shortly after entering Wyoming we found a flyswatter on the road. Yes, we retrieved it. Let's just say it would have been handy starting in Wisconsin where the deer flies were out for blood, in Minnesota where the flies were relentless and in South Dakota where the grasshoppers thought we were on the road for their amusement. So picture this, Rosie has the flyswatter strapped on her bike. We had just arrived at the Cozy Motel in Moorcroft and encountered a guy with similar intent. He saw the flyswatter and said to Rosie, "You're not riding fast enough if you need one of those." We're still laughing.
Our rest stop in Sundance started with a visit to US Forest Service Ranger Station. Thought we'd obtain information on the State and its wildlife. We heard about a bear attack in Yellowstone and I might of mentioned to Rosie that she should keep an eye out for rattle snakes when seeking privacy along the road. I told her to stomp her feet and wave a white towel; that it would scare off the critters. I don't know about the critters, but I'm enjoying it. The ranger wasn't a wealth of information, but she did assure Rosie that we were not in bear country and the rattle snakes shouldn't be a problem. She also told us we would be able to see Devil's Tower from I-90, which we did. Looking for a snack, we stopped at Hey Joe Espresso To Go, a trolley converted into a joe hut. We had a nice chat with Charlie, the owner. Nice lady.
We arrived in Moorcroft and found the Cozy Motel, Deer Haven Bar and Donna's Diner next to each other. A note on the motel's office door instructed seekers of lodging that they'd be back at 5:00 PM. We had time to eat dinner at Donna's and met Don Mercer, a cattle rancher and ex-truck driver. Said as a young man he drove two million miles in five years. He told us about the Powder River Basin, mining and ranching in he area and possible alternate routes. He warned us about the hail storms, that we should purchase a tarp in case we're on the road without cover. He said baseball size hail is not uncommon in these parts. The day we were in Sturgis and it rained Deadwood received 8 inches of hail. Thousands of bikers and their bikes were in harms way.
After cleaning up I suggested to Rosie we go bar hopping. We learned there were four bars in town. We hopped once to the Deer Haven. Elizabeth, the bartendress, soon became our friend. Rosie did her best to drink all the wine in the bar. I might have had a six pack. A unique thing about this bar is it has a drive-up window. We had plenty of fun talking to patrons waiting for their purchase. Liz told us that two riders came through town four years ago and slept in the city park. They used hammocks. Apparently they asked a local authority for permission, but that person failed to tell them the sprinklers came on around midnight. The biggest laugh of the evening came when an old coal miner said he was surprised we were bikers. He said all the bikers he met were skinny.
Thursday, August 5 we had a easy 30 mile ride to Gillette. Had to shorten the day because the next town is Buffalo, which is 68 miles from Gillette. A 98 mile day is not part of our agenda. So here we are in our $160.00 room obtained using our Marriott points. En route we passed by a coal burning power plant. The coal is mined from adjacent hills and conveyed under I-90 to the plant. We considered this a day off with a few miles included.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Our Last Day In South Dakota
We took one day off while in Rapid City to tour the area and take care of personal and bike issues. After acquiring a car we visited two bike shops before I found a tire. About one week ago my front tire was making a clicking noise. Not having experienced such a problem before I wasn't sure what to make of it. Looked at all the obvious, but not until we pulled off the road to check our tires for glass we rode through did Rosie see a bulge on my front tire. It eventually grew as pictured in my latest Kodak pics. Appears the tire was defective given the inner layer was incomplete leaving a gap. Only if wasn't such a load....
We enjoyed our tour through the Black Hills. Our touring was shorten due to the bike issue, but we at least got to visit Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish Canyon and Spearfish. Mt. Rushmore and Custer's Monument was to the south and more crowded than the direction we took. Coming off the mountain into Spearfish the descent was over three miles at 7% grade. I mentioned to Rosie we should ride this route. She told me otherwise. Got her to drink beer and eat biscuits and gravy on this trip. Still working on riding the hills.
On Tuesday, August 3 we rode to Spearfish, stopping in Sturgis for lunch. Spent about three hours in a diner waiting for a storm to move through. Our bikes were just outside the door and a gust of wind pushed my bike. Rosie jumped up a ran outside grabbing the bike and dragging it inside. Not far behind her we secured the bike and I turned to the customers and said if I could move as fast as my Little Woman I could enter the Olympics.
It continued to rain for several hours. The streets turned into streams. When it finally broke we hit the road and completed our remaining 17 miles to Spearfish, From our room we look out at the Black Hills. Tomorrow we will be entering Wyoming, heading for Moorcroft, 62 miles.
We enjoyed our tour through the Black Hills. Our touring was shorten due to the bike issue, but we at least got to visit Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish Canyon and Spearfish. Mt. Rushmore and Custer's Monument was to the south and more crowded than the direction we took. Coming off the mountain into Spearfish the descent was over three miles at 7% grade. I mentioned to Rosie we should ride this route. She told me otherwise. Got her to drink beer and eat biscuits and gravy on this trip. Still working on riding the hills.
On Tuesday, August 3 we rode to Spearfish, stopping in Sturgis for lunch. Spent about three hours in a diner waiting for a storm to move through. Our bikes were just outside the door and a gust of wind pushed my bike. Rosie jumped up a ran outside grabbing the bike and dragging it inside. Not far behind her we secured the bike and I turned to the customers and said if I could move as fast as my Little Woman I could enter the Olympics.
It continued to rain for several hours. The streets turned into streams. When it finally broke we hit the road and completed our remaining 17 miles to Spearfish, From our room we look out at the Black Hills. Tomorrow we will be entering Wyoming, heading for Moorcroft, 62 miles.
Monday, August 2, 2010
We Probably Would Never Have Visited
Places Rosie and I would probably never visited if we weren't riding our bikes. We stayed at *. If I didn't indicate camping, Rosie ordered room service. We're also rating some of the places we've been because of the digs and or food. Updating the Google maps is time consuming. I figured those interested can connect the dots. At some point I will make a map.
NEW YORK
Wolcott
Sodus Point* (Camped)
Hamlin Beach State Park* (Camped)
Point Breeze (Met a man that knew my father.)
Olcott
North Tonawanda* (My hometown. WE stayed an extra day.)
ONTARIO, CANADA
Port Colburne
Rock Point Park* (Camped)
Dunnville
Tilsonburg* (Our first KFC)
Vila Nova
Melbourne (Hey Jean and Betty) (10 - Port Hole Diner)
Texas Long Horn Ranch*(10) (Covered Wagon and the Cahills)
Petrolia
Oil City
Sombra
MICHIGAN
Marine City*
Addison Oaks*
Lakeview (10)
Metamora
Hadley
Grand Blanc
Rankin
Durnand*
Corunna
Owasso
Ovid
Elsie
Bannister
Carson City*
Crystal Lake
Sidney
Cedar Springs*
Meskegon
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee*(10- We stayed an extra day with Bob and Jill.)
Waukesha
Wales
Dousman
Helenville
Lake Mills*
Waterloo
Marshall
Sun Prairie
Waunakee
Dane
Lodi
Merrimac* (Camped)
Baraboo
Reedsburg
LaValle
Union Center
Elroy
Kendall
Wilton*
Norwalk
Sparta
Rock Land
Bangor
West Salem
La Crosse
Onalaska
Trempealeau* (Camped - Carol Ann and the kids joined us. Sagged us to New Ulm, MN.)
MINNESOTA
Winona
Stockton
Lewiston
St. Charles
Dover
Eyota
Rochester* (Camped)
Byron (Mickey D's with leather chairs)
Kasson
Dodge Center
Owatonna
Waseca* (Camped an extra day. Lots of rain.)
St. Clair
New Ulm* (Camped)
Sleepy Eye
Cobden
Springfield
Lamberton* (the American Legion was a hoot)
Revere
Walnut Grove (of the little house on the prairie)
Tracy
Balaton
Florence
Lake Benton*
SOUTH DAKOTA
Brookings
Volga
Arlington
Lake Preston* (Lake Preston Motel and the LPM Crew)
De Smet
Manchester
Iroquois
Huron*
Woonsocket
Lane
Plankington* (Camped)
White Lake
Kimball
Pukwana
Chamberlain
Oacoma
Reliance
Kennebec* (Hot Rod Steakhouse and the King's Inn -10. We rode in the rain most of the day.)
Presho
Murdo*
Belvidere
Kadoka
Cactus Flats
Wall*
Wasta
New Underwood
Rapid City*
Sturgis (Waited out the rain for three hours.)
Spearfish*
WYOMING
Sundance
Moorcroft*
Gillette*
Buffalo*
Sheridan
Ranchester*
MONTANA
Lodge Cross
Garryowen
Crow Agency
Dunmore
Hardin*
Billings*
Acton
Broadview
Lavina* Camped in the town park.
Cushman
Ryegate
Shawmut
Harlowton*
Checkerboard
White Sulphur Springs*
Townsend*
Helena*
Elliston
Avon
Garrison
Missoula* (Stayed an extra day.)
Frenchtown
Alberton
Superior*
St. Regis
Plains*
Clark Forks
IDAHO
Sandpoint*
Laclede
Priest Lake
Old Time
WASHINGTON
Newport
Dalkene
Usk
Chewelah*
Colville
Kettle Falls*
Wauconda
Tonasket*
Omak*
Okanogen
Twisp*
Winthrop
Mazama* camped - the temp dropped into the 30's
Diablo- the end of the ride
NEW YORK
Wolcott
Sodus Point* (Camped)
Hamlin Beach State Park* (Camped)
Point Breeze (Met a man that knew my father.)
Olcott
North Tonawanda* (My hometown. WE stayed an extra day.)
ONTARIO, CANADA
Port Colburne
Rock Point Park* (Camped)
Dunnville
Tilsonburg* (Our first KFC)
Vila Nova
Melbourne (Hey Jean and Betty) (10 - Port Hole Diner)
Texas Long Horn Ranch*(10) (Covered Wagon and the Cahills)
Petrolia
Oil City
Sombra
MICHIGAN
Marine City*
Addison Oaks*
Lakeview (10)
Metamora
Hadley
Grand Blanc
Rankin
Durnand*
Corunna
Owasso
Ovid
Elsie
Bannister
Carson City*
Crystal Lake
Sidney
Cedar Springs*
Meskegon
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee*(10- We stayed an extra day with Bob and Jill.)
Waukesha
Wales
Dousman
Helenville
Lake Mills*
Waterloo
Marshall
Sun Prairie
Waunakee
Dane
Lodi
Merrimac* (Camped)
Baraboo
Reedsburg
LaValle
Union Center
Elroy
Kendall
Wilton*
Norwalk
Sparta
Rock Land
Bangor
West Salem
La Crosse
Onalaska
Trempealeau* (Camped - Carol Ann and the kids joined us. Sagged us to New Ulm, MN.)
MINNESOTA
Winona
Stockton
Lewiston
St. Charles
Dover
Eyota
Rochester* (Camped)
Byron (Mickey D's with leather chairs)
Kasson
Dodge Center
Owatonna
Waseca* (Camped an extra day. Lots of rain.)
St. Clair
New Ulm* (Camped)
Sleepy Eye
Cobden
Springfield
Lamberton* (the American Legion was a hoot)
Revere
Walnut Grove (of the little house on the prairie)
Tracy
Balaton
Florence
Lake Benton*
SOUTH DAKOTA
Brookings
Volga
Arlington
Lake Preston* (Lake Preston Motel and the LPM Crew)
De Smet
Manchester
Iroquois
Huron*
Woonsocket
Lane
Plankington* (Camped)
White Lake
Kimball
Pukwana
Chamberlain
Oacoma
Reliance
Kennebec* (Hot Rod Steakhouse and the King's Inn -10. We rode in the rain most of the day.)
Presho
Murdo*
Belvidere
Kadoka
Cactus Flats
Wall*
Wasta
New Underwood
Rapid City*
Sturgis (Waited out the rain for three hours.)
Spearfish*
WYOMING
Sundance
Moorcroft*
Gillette*
Buffalo*
Sheridan
Ranchester*
MONTANA
Lodge Cross
Garryowen
Crow Agency
Dunmore
Hardin*
Billings*
Acton
Broadview
Lavina* Camped in the town park.
Cushman
Ryegate
Shawmut
Harlowton*
Checkerboard
White Sulphur Springs*
Townsend*
Helena*
Elliston
Avon
Garrison
Missoula* (Stayed an extra day.)
Frenchtown
Alberton
Superior*
St. Regis
Plains*
Clark Forks
IDAHO
Sandpoint*
Laclede
Priest Lake
Old Time
WASHINGTON
Newport
Dalkene
Usk
Chewelah*
Colville
Kettle Falls*
Wauconda
Tonasket*
Omak*
Okanogen
Twisp*
Winthrop
Mazama* camped - the temp dropped into the 30's
Diablo- the end of the ride
Saturday, July 31, 2010
South Dakota - updated
Monday, July 26 we left our Becker Resort digs after finishing left over pizza. I drank the remaining two beers. Before you think me crazy, just consider it an "E-Fuel". It was eight miles to the SD border and 28 to Brookings, the first town.
There was a mile long climb leaving Lake Benton. The road was bordered by windmills. It was early in the morning and we were close enough to the windmills to hear them whooshing. As I took pictures Rosie rode ahead eventually reaching the top of a hill looking over the border of MN and SD. It was downhill to the border.
Arriving in Brookings, we had breakfast at Perkins. Perkins is high on our list because we've found the staff friendly and helpful. They also have fast WI-FI and more importantly pie.
Our goal for the day was Lake Preston where we found the Lake Preston Motel and Bait Shop. The price was right and they had beer in the Bait Shop. Toni (Boss), Brent (Boss Too), Mark (Three Sheets), Paul (Bad Back), Brian (AllState), Kevin (Suds), and Luke (The Kid) avoided the hot sun sitting in a car port. They made our stay a joy and provided a wealth of information helping me decide what route to take across SD and beyond. The people we meet on this ride mean more than anything else. It was a pleasure meeting the LPM Crew.
Tuesday, July 27 we left the LPM with the intent to ride to Woonsocket. En route we stopped at the Blue Country Foods Diner in Iroquois to fill the void. About 1430 we arrived in Huron, our last stop before our over night town. A quick stop at Walmart, one of few out this way, resulted in a change of plans. I called the two motels in Woonsocket without responses. Not having confirmation and hearing thunder storms were imminent we opted for the local comforts at Comfort Inn. The digs were great, a free breakfast, and a great steak dinner at the Prime Time. We avoided potential tornadoes. There was a report of a nine pound 18.5" round hunk of hail south of us, the direction we were eventually heading. It was in a town called Vivian. Just think if the town was called Mary?
Wednesday, July 28 we literally flew down the road to Plankington. We were averaging 20 mph. The day was 25 degrees cooler and we had a tail wind. About the only time we stopped was at Rosie's urging. The 59 mile trip ended at the Plank Inn, had a nice lunch and found Gordy's Campground for the evening. Ending our day early made for a long day in camp. Gordy's was spartan and Rosie preferred to use the men's showers. Something about the she-side didn't meet her standards. For dinner I forged, returning with beans, mac salad, a two bean salad, chocolate milk and beer. Rosie rolled her eyes enough to make room for her spoon to reach her mouth. All was consumed accept for one beer.
Thursday, July 29 we learned that just beyond a dense tree line was another more modern campground and a restaurant. I've got to train Rosie to be a better scout. Rosie's night was restless given the bugs and her thoughts of bowling ball size hail. So, I promised her a good breakfast, hoping our first town out had a diner. Fifteen miles later we found Jacki's in White Lake. The pancakes were at least 10 inches wide. I had the standard and eggs and et al. We learned thunder storms were on the way and as we were leaving town they had arrived. We rode in the rain for the next 45 miles. We spent most of the day on secondary roads, but had to ride on I-90 after Chamberlain, down a steep 2 mile hill and up a 3 mile hill and exited after 15 miles at Reliance where we had clear sailing to Kennebec. I had booked a KOA in Kennebec, but upon arrival Rosie pointed at the King's Inn and said she was staying there. The KING must make an executive decision. Mama told me there would be days like this. Bob and Vicki, the owner's, treated us royally and the digs were top notch. We even had a King bed. We were able to dry out our gear, wash our clothes, update the blog and I worked on the bikes in the morning. We had a great dinner at the Hot Rod Steakhouse. It was a 76 mile day.
Friday, July 30 I first worked on the bikes and found things had loosened up a bit. After snugging parts we made our way ten miles down the road to Hutch's for breakfast. We had a short day to Murdo, only 44 miles so we had a late start. This put us in the heat of the day. Not like the day before, the temp was 90+ before considering the index. We rode on probably the worst roads since we started the trip and on top of that there were thousands of grasshoppers bouncing of bike and body. Rosie, she doesn't like them. When the gritters jumped through our spokes it was as if they were plucking them. I called it a Hops-A-Cord. We first had milkshakes at the GTO Cafe for $8.00. No, they were not anything special. I called around for lodging and we ended up at a Super 8 next to the cafe. Never thought I'd say Super 8 was a bit of heaven. The elevation is 2,280 ft. We climbed all day.
Saturday, July 31 we had the Super 8 complimentary vittles and got on the road early thinking we had a 71 mile day ahead of us. We rode the old road parallel to I-90 until Cactus Flats where it ended. We rode the last 22 on I-90. The old road was rolling and left mostly to us. We had pie and a beverage in Kadoka after 42 miles. The day started cool, but quickly changed to 100+. We learned our maps lied to us by a gas station attendant in Belvadere. That was for the democrats following this blog. We ended up having to ride 83 miles, the last mile uphill to Wall. You could say we hit the wall. Rosie is drinking heavily right now. Did I mention, she started drinking beer on this ride and is now less bashful when having to find a bush. There are no bushes in the grasslands of South Dakota. BTW, imagine hundreds of grasshoppers jumping about while in the tall grass.
Sunday, August 1 we left Wall after fueling up at the hotel. We met a couple during breakfast. They were touring the west on their handicap bike, that's a bike with a motor. They were from MN. The husband had a bruise under his left eye. As we were commenting on the grasshoppers, he pointed to his eye. Said he took one head on at 80 mph. Taking a hit at 20 mph isn't the same to say the least.
There are no frontage roads from Wall to New Underwood so we were on I-90 for 33 miles. Had a great shoulder until after Wasta. After that the rumbles were several more feet further into the shoulder giving us about two feet to ride on. We only had a 52 mile day, but considering the head winds and shrinking shoulder we elected to take the Old 14/16/frontage road from New Underwood. The road closely followed the interstate, at times we felt we were still on it accept I was riding in the middle of the road. Now we had rolling hills instead of the gentle grades of I-90. We took a break in New Underwood, visiting Steve's Biker Bar touted as the smallest biker bar in the world. It was a gimmick to get people to stop at his real big store next door. Nonetheless, we got our picture. From there we had 20 miles left for the day, if our map didn't lie to us again. As we got closer to Rapid City the Black Hills came into view. Rosie was none to happy with the thought of riding over those. We could cut the angle off and ride up to Spearfish on secondary roads, which would be very pretty and hilly, plus not many services for cyclists. Therefore, I'm thinking of the round about way. The day ended at 54 miles. There is an Outback nearby. I think Rosie is already there.
Here is an interesting aspect to I-90 in South Dakota, the rest areas are always next to the exit ramps to towns. Give it some thought and tell me why you think they do this. Send your response to bikerbill980@gmail.com.
There was a mile long climb leaving Lake Benton. The road was bordered by windmills. It was early in the morning and we were close enough to the windmills to hear them whooshing. As I took pictures Rosie rode ahead eventually reaching the top of a hill looking over the border of MN and SD. It was downhill to the border.
Arriving in Brookings, we had breakfast at Perkins. Perkins is high on our list because we've found the staff friendly and helpful. They also have fast WI-FI and more importantly pie.
Our goal for the day was Lake Preston where we found the Lake Preston Motel and Bait Shop. The price was right and they had beer in the Bait Shop. Toni (Boss), Brent (Boss Too), Mark (Three Sheets), Paul (Bad Back), Brian (AllState), Kevin (Suds), and Luke (The Kid) avoided the hot sun sitting in a car port. They made our stay a joy and provided a wealth of information helping me decide what route to take across SD and beyond. The people we meet on this ride mean more than anything else. It was a pleasure meeting the LPM Crew.
Tuesday, July 27 we left the LPM with the intent to ride to Woonsocket. En route we stopped at the Blue Country Foods Diner in Iroquois to fill the void. About 1430 we arrived in Huron, our last stop before our over night town. A quick stop at Walmart, one of few out this way, resulted in a change of plans. I called the two motels in Woonsocket without responses. Not having confirmation and hearing thunder storms were imminent we opted for the local comforts at Comfort Inn. The digs were great, a free breakfast, and a great steak dinner at the Prime Time. We avoided potential tornadoes. There was a report of a nine pound 18.5" round hunk of hail south of us, the direction we were eventually heading. It was in a town called Vivian. Just think if the town was called Mary?
Wednesday, July 28 we literally flew down the road to Plankington. We were averaging 20 mph. The day was 25 degrees cooler and we had a tail wind. About the only time we stopped was at Rosie's urging. The 59 mile trip ended at the Plank Inn, had a nice lunch and found Gordy's Campground for the evening. Ending our day early made for a long day in camp. Gordy's was spartan and Rosie preferred to use the men's showers. Something about the she-side didn't meet her standards. For dinner I forged, returning with beans, mac salad, a two bean salad, chocolate milk and beer. Rosie rolled her eyes enough to make room for her spoon to reach her mouth. All was consumed accept for one beer.
Thursday, July 29 we learned that just beyond a dense tree line was another more modern campground and a restaurant. I've got to train Rosie to be a better scout. Rosie's night was restless given the bugs and her thoughts of bowling ball size hail. So, I promised her a good breakfast, hoping our first town out had a diner. Fifteen miles later we found Jacki's in White Lake. The pancakes were at least 10 inches wide. I had the standard and eggs and et al. We learned thunder storms were on the way and as we were leaving town they had arrived. We rode in the rain for the next 45 miles. We spent most of the day on secondary roads, but had to ride on I-90 after Chamberlain, down a steep 2 mile hill and up a 3 mile hill and exited after 15 miles at Reliance where we had clear sailing to Kennebec. I had booked a KOA in Kennebec, but upon arrival Rosie pointed at the King's Inn and said she was staying there. The KING must make an executive decision. Mama told me there would be days like this. Bob and Vicki, the owner's, treated us royally and the digs were top notch. We even had a King bed. We were able to dry out our gear, wash our clothes, update the blog and I worked on the bikes in the morning. We had a great dinner at the Hot Rod Steakhouse. It was a 76 mile day.
Friday, July 30 I first worked on the bikes and found things had loosened up a bit. After snugging parts we made our way ten miles down the road to Hutch's for breakfast. We had a short day to Murdo, only 44 miles so we had a late start. This put us in the heat of the day. Not like the day before, the temp was 90+ before considering the index. We rode on probably the worst roads since we started the trip and on top of that there were thousands of grasshoppers bouncing of bike and body. Rosie, she doesn't like them. When the gritters jumped through our spokes it was as if they were plucking them. I called it a Hops-A-Cord. We first had milkshakes at the GTO Cafe for $8.00. No, they were not anything special. I called around for lodging and we ended up at a Super 8 next to the cafe. Never thought I'd say Super 8 was a bit of heaven. The elevation is 2,280 ft. We climbed all day.
Saturday, July 31 we had the Super 8 complimentary vittles and got on the road early thinking we had a 71 mile day ahead of us. We rode the old road parallel to I-90 until Cactus Flats where it ended. We rode the last 22 on I-90. The old road was rolling and left mostly to us. We had pie and a beverage in Kadoka after 42 miles. The day started cool, but quickly changed to 100+. We learned our maps lied to us by a gas station attendant in Belvadere. That was for the democrats following this blog. We ended up having to ride 83 miles, the last mile uphill to Wall. You could say we hit the wall. Rosie is drinking heavily right now. Did I mention, she started drinking beer on this ride and is now less bashful when having to find a bush. There are no bushes in the grasslands of South Dakota. BTW, imagine hundreds of grasshoppers jumping about while in the tall grass.
Sunday, August 1 we left Wall after fueling up at the hotel. We met a couple during breakfast. They were touring the west on their handicap bike, that's a bike with a motor. They were from MN. The husband had a bruise under his left eye. As we were commenting on the grasshoppers, he pointed to his eye. Said he took one head on at 80 mph. Taking a hit at 20 mph isn't the same to say the least.
There are no frontage roads from Wall to New Underwood so we were on I-90 for 33 miles. Had a great shoulder until after Wasta. After that the rumbles were several more feet further into the shoulder giving us about two feet to ride on. We only had a 52 mile day, but considering the head winds and shrinking shoulder we elected to take the Old 14/16/frontage road from New Underwood. The road closely followed the interstate, at times we felt we were still on it accept I was riding in the middle of the road. Now we had rolling hills instead of the gentle grades of I-90. We took a break in New Underwood, visiting Steve's Biker Bar touted as the smallest biker bar in the world. It was a gimmick to get people to stop at his real big store next door. Nonetheless, we got our picture. From there we had 20 miles left for the day, if our map didn't lie to us again. As we got closer to Rapid City the Black Hills came into view. Rosie was none to happy with the thought of riding over those. We could cut the angle off and ride up to Spearfish on secondary roads, which would be very pretty and hilly, plus not many services for cyclists. Therefore, I'm thinking of the round about way. The day ended at 54 miles. There is an Outback nearby. I think Rosie is already there.
Here is an interesting aspect to I-90 in South Dakota, the rest areas are always next to the exit ramps to towns. Give it some thought and tell me why you think they do this. Send your response to bikerbill980@gmail.com.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Do The Math
The ride began with the first pedal stroke. So you can better appreciate the stroke aspect of the ride and a few other related topics, I thought I'd do the math for you.
First you have to understand the general parameters of multi-geared bike. Our bikes have 700 cc wheels, roughly 27" diameter. We have 3 cogs in the front called chainrings and 9 cogs in the back called the freewheel. When the chain is in the largest chainring you are in a high gear. Lowest chainring is a low gear. As you know the cogs have teeth. The three chainrings are 48/36/26 and the nine cogs in the rear go from 11-32 (11 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - 21 - 24 - 28 - 32 teeth). If you divide the number teeth on a rear cog into a chainring you get gear inches (48/12=4x27 (diameter of the wheel)=108 gear inches. That is equivalent to a wheel with a diameter of 108 inches. To determine the distance traveled you multiply by pi or 3.14. Therefore, with a 108 inch wheel the bike would travel 339.12 inches. You can determine your speed by dividing 5,280 feet (63,360 inches) by 339 inches equals ~187 strokes. Divide this number my minutes (3, 4 etc) and you get the number of strokes per minute you would have to pedal and your speed. So, 3 minutes would be 20 mph and you would have to pedal 62 strokes per minute. Easy right?
Now we are riding approximately 3,000 miles and a 27 inch wheel has a circumference of (27x3.14) 84.78 inches. There are 63,360 inches in a mile. Therefore, our wheels rotate about 745 times per mile and will rotate 2,235,000 times by the time we're done.
Now the good part. Lets say our average cadence is 80 revolutions per minute. In one hour it would be 4,800 strokes. In five hours it would be 24,000 strokes, our average day. In our first 26 days of riding our feet went around 624,000 times. I'm averaging on the low side. By the time we're done we will have made over 1,300,000 strokes.
Rosie said, "Can you say rock hard buns?"
First you have to understand the general parameters of multi-geared bike. Our bikes have 700 cc wheels, roughly 27" diameter. We have 3 cogs in the front called chainrings and 9 cogs in the back called the freewheel. When the chain is in the largest chainring you are in a high gear. Lowest chainring is a low gear. As you know the cogs have teeth. The three chainrings are 48/36/26 and the nine cogs in the rear go from 11-32 (11 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - 21 - 24 - 28 - 32 teeth). If you divide the number teeth on a rear cog into a chainring you get gear inches (48/12=4x27 (diameter of the wheel)=108 gear inches. That is equivalent to a wheel with a diameter of 108 inches. To determine the distance traveled you multiply by pi or 3.14. Therefore, with a 108 inch wheel the bike would travel 339.12 inches. You can determine your speed by dividing 5,280 feet (63,360 inches) by 339 inches equals ~187 strokes. Divide this number my minutes (3, 4 etc) and you get the number of strokes per minute you would have to pedal and your speed. So, 3 minutes would be 20 mph and you would have to pedal 62 strokes per minute. Easy right?
Now we are riding approximately 3,000 miles and a 27 inch wheel has a circumference of (27x3.14) 84.78 inches. There are 63,360 inches in a mile. Therefore, our wheels rotate about 745 times per mile and will rotate 2,235,000 times by the time we're done.
Now the good part. Lets say our average cadence is 80 revolutions per minute. In one hour it would be 4,800 strokes. In five hours it would be 24,000 strokes, our average day. In our first 26 days of riding our feet went around 624,000 times. I'm averaging on the low side. By the time we're done we will have made over 1,300,000 strokes.
Rosie said, "Can you say rock hard buns?"
Women Don't Wave As Much
We have been in South Dakota for three days. Rosie remarked that women drivers don't wave as much as men drivers. Not sure what to make of that. I started paying more attention and noticed the same. She said she noticed States ago.
After further consideration, I've surmised the following. Men can better relate to the adventurist spirit. Women on the other hand, not as though they are not able to multi-task while driving to say the least, are not indifferent, but are awe struck by our pulsating pistons. First they see me with legs appearing if carved from fine marble, then they see the Biker Goddess following close behind. They can only wonder what it would be like to have legs like the Biker Goddess as they momentarily gaze at their pasty thighs. There have been reports, from where we've ridden through, that women are breaking into Walmart and stealing bikes. Those that fair better have been lining up outside of bike shops.
To all those pasty-legged women, you're welcome.
After further consideration, I've surmised the following. Men can better relate to the adventurist spirit. Women on the other hand, not as though they are not able to multi-task while driving to say the least, are not indifferent, but are awe struck by our pulsating pistons. First they see me with legs appearing if carved from fine marble, then they see the Biker Goddess following close behind. They can only wonder what it would be like to have legs like the Biker Goddess as they momentarily gaze at their pasty thighs. There have been reports, from where we've ridden through, that women are breaking into Walmart and stealing bikes. Those that fair better have been lining up outside of bike shops.
To all those pasty-legged women, you're welcome.
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