Loaded up the truck by 6 and headed back to the H&H Restaurant for eggs, homemade biscuits (3 please - and and do you have any butter?), juice, fruit and "coffee". You could tell it was going to be a fairly warm day. Rollers for much of the first 18 miles or so, right along that I-90 service road. Little-to-no traffic made it nice, along with early morning cool air.
Today's routing was quite simple: 18 miles east, 40 miles north, east again for 38 or so. Stopped in at the designated lunch-prep stop and made a sandwich. Rode out of town with Tony (and with him for most of the rest of the day) Both of us commented that we felt an increase in humidity as we climbed the little hill out of Midland. Hmmm. Perhaps this town is the dividing line between arid and humid (summer) weather.
Early on in the 38 mile segment, we stopped to eat our PB&J sandwiches at the Oasis gas station in Hayes. Did our best to find some shade - any shade, and supplemented our lunch with items from the Oasis. As we ate, we watched a John Deere machine cart about 12 round bales of hay up the road. In short order, the driver and his machine rolled into the station to fuel up. We chatted with him to better understand some of the things we had been seeing. He told us that round or rectangular, the bundles of hay are called bales. The round ones weigh about 1000 pounds each. Yes, indeed they grow sunflowers in the area. Mostly for seed. Sunflowers grown for oil require more moisture than this area can support. He was very friendly and laid-back. Tony and I could have asked him lots of other questions, but wanted to finish the ride to get out of the heat. More rollers ahead. The miles and high temps brought on a good case of Hot Feet for me. And there was no gurgling stream in sight to end my misery. I resorted to squirting warm water from my spare water bottle directly into my shoes. That helped for a bit.
Tony blazed ahead of me around mile 80 or so. But I met back up with him, and Steve, in Pierre near the entrance to the park along the Missouri river. When I finally reached the gear truck, I was very glad to drink down a bottle of ice water and pour another one on my shoes. Ahhhh.
Set up camp and took a shower. Barb, Jim, Diana, Rosie, Janet, PattiC and I walked down to the business district (which looked a little worn) and had a good dinner at a Chinese restaurant - Welcome House. Went to Walgreen's and bought bug spray - as the mosquitoes are increasing in number. I feel that we have turned a corner and will now be regularly facing bug combat. And I need to be armed.
Transients in the park made it a dicey place to camp, but we made it work by taking turns having Riders present around the tents and (locked) bikes.
Oh, and once we crossed the river, we needed to move our watches ahead by one hour. What a time in my life to lose an hour of sleep.
Bales of hay litter the hillsides in this region. Sometimes it looks as though they've been blown around the landscape, sitting in random spots. Once in awhile, you'll see an orderly row of them. And from time to time, there will be some collections of hay that might have started out all bundled, but their shape is now more loosely defined. Bunched together, they almost look like gigantic wads of dough, rising, ready to be baked: fresh loaves of bread.
Today's routing was quite simple: 18 miles east, 40 miles north, east again for 38 or so. Stopped in at the designated lunch-prep stop and made a sandwich. Rode out of town with Tony (and with him for most of the rest of the day) Both of us commented that we felt an increase in humidity as we climbed the little hill out of Midland. Hmmm. Perhaps this town is the dividing line between arid and humid (summer) weather.
Early on in the 38 mile segment, we stopped to eat our PB&J sandwiches at the Oasis gas station in Hayes. Did our best to find some shade - any shade, and supplemented our lunch with items from the Oasis. As we ate, we watched a John Deere machine cart about 12 round bales of hay up the road. In short order, the driver and his machine rolled into the station to fuel up. We chatted with him to better understand some of the things we had been seeing. He told us that round or rectangular, the bundles of hay are called bales. The round ones weigh about 1000 pounds each. Yes, indeed they grow sunflowers in the area. Mostly for seed. Sunflowers grown for oil require more moisture than this area can support. He was very friendly and laid-back. Tony and I could have asked him lots of other questions, but wanted to finish the ride to get out of the heat. More rollers ahead. The miles and high temps brought on a good case of Hot Feet for me. And there was no gurgling stream in sight to end my misery. I resorted to squirting warm water from my spare water bottle directly into my shoes. That helped for a bit.
Tony blazed ahead of me around mile 80 or so. But I met back up with him, and Steve, in Pierre near the entrance to the park along the Missouri river. When I finally reached the gear truck, I was very glad to drink down a bottle of ice water and pour another one on my shoes. Ahhhh.
Set up camp and took a shower. Barb, Jim, Diana, Rosie, Janet, PattiC and I walked down to the business district (which looked a little worn) and had a good dinner at a Chinese restaurant - Welcome House. Went to Walgreen's and bought bug spray - as the mosquitoes are increasing in number. I feel that we have turned a corner and will now be regularly facing bug combat. And I need to be armed.
Transients in the park made it a dicey place to camp, but we made it work by taking turns having Riders present around the tents and (locked) bikes.
Oh, and once we crossed the river, we needed to move our watches ahead by one hour. What a time in my life to lose an hour of sleep.
Bales of hay litter the hillsides in this region. Sometimes it looks as though they've been blown around the landscape, sitting in random spots. Once in awhile, you'll see an orderly row of them. And from time to time, there will be some collections of hay that might have started out all bundled, but their shape is now more loosely defined. Bunched together, they almost look like gigantic wads of dough, rising, ready to be baked: fresh loaves of bread.
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