Big Ride Day 22

Photos from Day 22

Since we stayed in Army barracks over the rest day, I didn't have to take my tent down and pack up this morning, which was really nice. I had been planning on getting up really early and getting out at a decent time but the weather looked really bad when my alarm went off so I decided to stay in bed for a while and have a more lazy morning. I got to breakfast by 6:00 but by then some of the food staples had already run out. This is becoming more and more of a problem lately.

Doug was staying in the barracks with me and he slept in late too and then had to work on a few people so we ended up being one of the last ones out of camp as usual. We had a very strong tailwind and my knees felt great so we started really cranking from the start. We reached the checkpoint at 45 miles in less than 2 hours. After the checkpoint, we entered the badlands area of South Dakota, a really neat section that is very reminiscent of areas of Nevada and Utah, except that these are grasslands and so do not appear as stark. The whole area was actually quite beautiful. We continued to cruise until the 75-mile point when we reached the small town of Interior, SD. Everyone descended on the one cafe in town that had really good pie. We had a good cheap lunch there and again the place was completely packed with riders. Some people even took a nap out behind the cafe after eating because they were so stuffed.

After lunch, we entered he main part of Badlands National Park and went to the visitor's center. I learned how the badlands were formed -- it was interesting, though I still don't understand why these are so different and special than the numerous formations in Utah and Nevada. After the Badlands, we visited this little Prairie Dog town which was fun. These prairie dogs were totally domesticated and used to people so they would pose for pictures and all that but it was still neat to see. Then it was a cruise through some rolling hills to camp. Tonight, we are staying at a school in Kadoka, SD. We had steak for dinner. That was a treat for most but I am getting sick of eating meat all the time. Sometimes, I wish I had signed up to be a vegetarian. Their food usually looks better. Well, it's time for bed once again. Tomorrow, we lose an hour so I have to be up a little earlier than usual.

This page modified November 25, 2000