Yesterday (July 5th) was my hardest ride so far. The wind was strong (20 – 25 mph) from the south. Usually, this would not be a problem, as my route is nearly due west, and wind from the side is not an issue. Unfortunately, yesterday was one of the only days I was traveling SW rather than due W. Out here, the roads are on a grid, so you are heading either due E-W or due N-S. For the half of the time I was going south, it was directly into a fierce wind. I had to use mountain gearing to move forward on the level. It was also a longish day, over 70 miles, and it was NOT fun. Luckily the wind dropped with 20 miles left, so the final hour and a half was not bad. Here’s a village I saw near the end of the ride.

(And it was.)

As fate would have it, the wind shifted completely, so today (6th) it was strong from the N. That’s pretty much neutral, as I am riding due W again. The N wind would have been perfect yesterday. Today was a v short day (35 miles), so I got myself some rest. But it was a BORNG ride. Here’s the view for most of the trip.

Tomorrow, the wind is predicted to be at my back, though not strong. That will be nice.
I can’t complain about the weather. I watch the Weather Channel a lot, and I see extreme heat and severe storms many other places. I have had it cool (70s) and storms that always seem to come after I finish riding.

Seventy miles may not sound like a lot if you are used to driving. But on a bike, it is a big deal. For friends and family back in southern New England, 70 miles is similar to the distance from New Haven to Westerly, or Boston to Portsmouth NH, or Providence to Springfield.

As I get farther west, the scheduling options begin to be fewer in number. The distance between nearest motels is about a day’s bike ride. If I don’t make it, I have to hope there is a place to camp. Because I am still in farming country, that can be tricky. I need a site that is level, dry, inconspicuous, accessible, and preferably with a water source. Not many places like that around here. I was considering a campground yesterday, but the weather forecast overnight was for severe thunderstorms with 2” of rain and hail. Not ideal weather in a tent. I enjoyed watching it from my motel room.

This passes for a historic marker-worthy event in South Dakota.  Can you imagine Lawrence Welk and Clint Eastwood at the same event?

Even a dull road has some nice views.  I liked this one.

How can a village of 266 people field a football team, let alone win a state championship?  I think the B9 category means they play with 9, rather than 11 players on the field.  Still, it must be every boy in the school in the eligible age bracket.

In another, younger time I might have been tempted to do the 8 mile roundtrip to have seen Yale, South Dakota.