Day 23. Wall, SD. 57 miles 1,550 ft. climb

To once again quote from Travis' early blog, Zippy is one "dog-toy tough" cyclist.   After yesterday's crash at Mt. Rushmore, he got a good dinner and a good night's sleep, and was ready to hit the road again (NOT literally) for today's ride.   He had a few sore body parts which complained at times, like when he had to unclip from the pedals, which takes a sideways movement of the leg.  Ouch.  But, basically he felt good enough to ride.

Dog-Toy Tough

Today's ride was supposed to be an easy one, but turned out to be quite tough, due to strong 15-20 mph headwinds for much of the distance.   But the challenges began earlier than that---just getting out of Rapid City was a series of confusing turns, new roads that weren't on the route maps, and assorted other issues.  They were allowed a late start this morning, because the mileage was low.  Terry was about the last to leave, along with  the ride leader, Mike and "first-mate" Karen.  Trouble was, they kept getting lost, too!   At one point, they told Terry that he could go on without them, to which he replied, "Why?  I'd rather get lost with you than without you".  Good point.

Today's temperatures were great---in the 60's at the start and no higher than the 80's at the end, with cloud cover keeping it cool for the ride. There was more riding on the Interstate, which this time wasn't much fun because the shoulders weren't in great condition.  The terrain, while not spectacular, was very beautiful---rolling hills, green landscapes, farms and hay fields.  

Lots of Hay in the Fields

Rollers are what they call the hills----lots of short but steep hills that riders must endure for many miles.   Most riders find it more tiring on rollers than on long, mountain passes that maintain the grade and you can get into a rhythm.  Not so with rollers.  And then there was that head wind.  Brutal.  One rider said that he felt like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz---pedaling furiously downhill and not making much time or distance. 

Rollers

One thing that was a constant, besides the headwind, were innumerable billboards for Wall Drug Store.   All the riders kept track of their approach to Wall by these signs which got more frequent the closer they got.  Apparently, this is quite a famous landmark and tourist attraction, which is announced in funny and creative billboards for hundreds of miles during the approach to it.  Once you get there, it's one of those places that has everything under the sun, both kitchy and cool.   Whether it actually has a pharmacy any more, I'm not sure.     But Wall is a friendly place and the motel welcomed them warmly.  Outside each cyclists' room was a plastic bucket with "cycle rags" so they could clean their bikes.   Smart move.  It discourages them from using the bathroom towels in the rooms.

Drugstore, Chapel, Cowboy Boots, Clothing, Cafe, Museum And More

Anxiety was building about tomorrow's ride, which at 117 miles is the second-longest of the tour.  To make it worse, the same kind of headwinds are predicted.  Plus, they cross into Central Time Zone tomorrow and lose one hour. They all decided to go to bed early to make up for it.