Month: August 2017 Page 1 of 5

Finally got WIFI that works,  so sitting in my tent typing away – not the most comfortable but the mosquitoes have come out to play so it is safer in the tent.

If you look back I’ve added some photos of Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore and The Badlands.

So why am I feeling nervous – 2 reasons – (1) I’m very aware of the time disappearing by and that I have a date with the Statue of Liberty and Dad in New York City – (2) I’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather so far and that could well change and in turn affect how long it takes me to get to New York City.   The area that I’ve been cycling through for the last couple of days had been hit by a 3 inch deluge of rain a few days before I got there – Nick, who I met last night, had to decamp and move to a motel for the night – the motel then got a power cut due to the rain fall.

So in spite of above I took things easy yesterday and had a short day on the bike to Pipestone and visited Pipestone National Monument – this is where the Native Americans,  for generations, have quarried the  red pipestone;  carved it into pipes and to finish it off,  heat it and rub bees wax into it to give it a beautiful finish.   Really interesting museum and information centre and I got to see some of the work in process. The short walk to the quarries themselves (where only the Native Americans can dig) was really pretty with lots of wild flowers.

So good progress made today from Pipestone to St James and took a wee bit of time out to look round the End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum in Currie.

I’ve been told that the good weather is going to continue for the next week (unlike the poor folks in Texas) so I’m going to keep making progress and heading East towards La Cross,  where Bertie is going to have a wee check up and I’m going to get a new memory card for the camera – current one seems to have packed in and I’m having to rely on my phone for taking pictures.

Night all and love to everyone back home and everyone I’ve met while on the road.

Sounds boring but I’m enjoying the change – long, straight, flat roads – love it – and it’s green. Lots more wee towns as well so more places to stop and have a breather. The only downside of more green is more flies and mosquitoes!

Did get a fright earlier – big dog bounding towards me from out of nowhere – thought he was going to eat me and then I had to hammer on the breaks as he stopped right in front of me – wee heart was going like the clappers – turned out he was just a very cuddly German Shepherd who’d come to say hello and have a cuddle. So I gave him a talking to – told him (or her) not to frighten cyclists and not to run into the road and that I didn’t want him to be road kill – not sure that he listened to me but he liked being clapped. So after that bit of excitement I set off and cuddly doggie headed back in direction, of what I presume is his house.

Camped in a wee town tonight called Colman – nice wee place and met Nick who is camping here during the week while he works – Nick invites me to dinner and have a fabby meal of barbecued hot dogs, yellow peppers and corn on the cob – cheers Nick, it was delicious.

As I type this a wee truck has wizzed in and out of the campsite and various other areas of the town – it’s pulling a wee trailer which is spraying something out of the back of it – I suspect it might be bug spray but not sure – now wondering what I may or may not have just inhaled??

So after my un-cooked pizza disaster – yesterday while at the Left Tailrace Campground at Fort Thompson I was looked after by Terry and Jean who cooked fabby proper hotdogs on the barbecue and home made chilli – yummy – and tonight at Woonsocket (which is a gorgeous wee town),  Joanne let me use the shower in her RV (big campervan) and then dined me on home cooked stuffed peppers and chocolate brownies – delicious.

Another big thank you to all the super folks I am meeting and hopefully I can do the same for other folks in the future.

Can’t say thanks in person but thank you to all the motorbikers who give me a wave and thumbs-up on the way past – much appreciated. Did speak to one couple yesterday riding the most gorgeous Indian Motorcycle – they were impressed by my bike ride – I was impressed by how shiney their motorbike was – was very tempted to ask if he would take me for a wee ride but didn’t think he would want my sweaty ass on his motorbike.

It’s been misty the last 3 mornings – makes for cooler cycling – still hot when the sun breaks through. Much lusher and greener now and no where near as hilly – hopefully I haven’t just jinxed things.

Not sure what happened to Bubler yesterday. Looks as if I’ve been transported from Midland to Pierre by tardis but I promised I cycled every inch of the road, on highway 14 via Hayes.