02.06.2012 Snake Creek Recreation Area, SD

Day 09: South Shore Lakeside Use Area, SD to Snake Creek Recreation Area, SD

Saturday June 2, 2012, 78 miles (126 km) - Total so far: 500 miles (805 km)

Again starting the day climbing up and away from the Missouri River. Continued on to Fairfax, SD for breakfast, really not much available in town but with a population of around 100 I was really not expecting much. From there the riding wasn't hard on through Bonesteel, SD to Burke, SD. It was a warm day so a few breaks in between to get out of the sun and take and eat a snack. By the time I rolled into Burke I was hot and pretty tired. I found a grocery store and plopped down on the sidewalk in front of it with a cold drink and rested under the awning. As I rested there a lady came out of the store and gave me a snack and another cold drink. It was just the boost I needed for the day. When I was on the AT we would call this type of thing "trail magic" (unexpected acts of kindness from).

As I continued out of town with some new energy I was stopped by Phil who is also cyclist. He is also originally from the East Coast so I stopped and chatted with him for awhile. The stop in Burke, SD was just the thing for a tired, drained day. After leaving Burke, I road on to the Snake Creek Recreation Area. As I came up to the entrance station the girls at the booth told me they were completely filled. It is a long way to anything else listed on the map as camping options so I talked with them for awhile and convinced them to help me find a spot. It turned out they had one handicap spot being held that hadn't been claimed so they put me there for the night. It really isn't a great site (mostly concrete and hardly any shade) but it is right next to the water and rest rooms and it means I am done for the day. I showered and set up camp and made a good dinner.

A long day today, another long one tomorrow as I try to make it to Pierre, SD and finish this leg of the trip on Monday.

01.06.2012 South Shore Lakeside Use Area, SD

Day 08: Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area, SD to South Shore Lakeside Use Area, SD

Friday June 1, 2012, 70 miles (113 km) - Total so far: 422 miles (679 km)

The day started out climbing, up and away from the Missouri River. I stopped into Springfield, SD for breakfast, was told the cafe had been closed so just grabbed something from the convenience store instead of going into town and then got back on my way. A little while after leaving Springfield the rain started up again. Road on in the rain until I reached Marty. I found a nice overhang to get under and out of the rain for a nice break. Once I felt satisfied with the break I continued on my way. The rain stopped a little while after leaving Marty but was threatening to continue on later.

I arrived into Pickstown, SD and considered calling it a day and just getting a room, but the motel was filled with fishermen coming down to the lake for the weekend. Which is a good thing, helps me maintain my budget, but eventually I will give myself a break and a hotel/motel room for a night. I talked to the guy in the convenience store and he recommended the South Shore Lakeside Use Area over the Randall Creak Recreation Area, less people go there and its only $10 instead of what they charge at Randall Creek. I was still going to go to Randall Creek but it looked like it would be more work getting back to the road in the morning so went over to the South Shore since it was right off the road. As soon as I got my tent set up, it started to rain again.

The South Shore's "camping" sites are pretty much a hill sloped down towards the lake. Somebody else had already set up on the only strip of grass that was level between the road and the lake, so I set up next to them instead of the normal camp sites. Later in the evening another family showed up and was too loud, too late as the guys were fishing and not paying any attention to their kids running all over the place. Oh-well, place to sleep and then push on.

31.05.2012 Lewis & Clark Lake Recreation Area, SD

Day 07: Elk Point, SD to Lewis and Clark Lake Recreation Area, SD

Thursday May 31, 2012, 60 miles (97 km) - Total so far: 352 miles (566 km)

First full day in South Dakota. I got a late start, always do when I have to pack up after a rainy night. It didn't take too long to reach Vermillion, SD for breakfast, stopped off at the Market Street Cafe. After breakfast it was off through Gayville, SD to get to Yankton, SD. There is a section between Vermillion and Gayville that has you going down a "hard packed dirt and gravel road" well after a few days of rain it wasn't very "hard packed" so I headed north and took hwy 50 into Gayville. This stretch is under construction so not really suitable for riding but I made it there fine.

Once I reached Gayville I received a moment of comedic relief at the stop sign before turning across the tracks into town. (pictured below). I stopped, did a little hammer dance and progressed on my way. It was still raining when I reached Yankton, so I took shelter at a gas station for a drink and some rest. After I got through town and on the bike path the sky cleared up and it warmed up a bit. I continued down to Gavins Point Dam and the Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area. This is long enough of a day for me, so I am in for the night.

30.05.2012 Elk Point, SD

Day 06: Aurelia, IA to Elk Point, SD

Wednesday May 30, 2012, 75 miles (121 km) - Total so far: 292 miles (470 km)

Today started out really nice, a little heavy on the truck traffic heading into Cherokee, IA but still nice riding. C38 was a pretty nice ride as well, lots of ups and downs as it passes through rolling hills. I will now concede to the fact that Iowa does in fact have hills. I arrived in Merrill, IA in time for lunch and stopped off at Emma Rae's Cafe. Great place, recommended for anyone passing through.

Shortly after pushing on from the cafe, it started to rain. It would continue raining for the rest of the day. Luckily from here the riding was not too bad. I continued across C44 to K18 where I connected with the official ACA route and headed for Jefferson, SD. I completed my first state, its a good feeling of progress and its nice to be on the official route. I took a brief break in Jefferson, SD out of the rain before pushing on to Elk Point, SD for the night. Camping tonight at the city park. There is a nice little plaque marking this as one of Lewis and Clark's camping sites.

28.05.2012 Aurelia, IA

Day 04: Lizard Lake, IA to Aurelia, IA

Monday May 28, 2012, 58 miles (93 km) - Total so far: 217 miles (349 km)

Happy Memorial Day.

Another very windy day. Luckily for me I managed to get a good 22 miles in before the wind picked up. I stopped into Varina, IA and filled my water bottles at the American Legion. They also gave me some orange juice and a donut. Although windy, it is much cooler today than yesterday which helps a lot. The traffic remained light until I reached Buena Vista County near Storm Lake, IA. It then picked up significantly. I stayed just north of Storm Lake and stopped for lunch before pushing on to Alta and my final destination for the day Aurelia. There is not good way to get to Aurelia from where I was except for two busy highways. The only other options were go the whole way around adding several miles or a gravel road which was a direct line to town. Weighing the options and knowing I was a bit early to reach my friends house, that traffic was heavy on the highways and the tires handled fine on gravel, I took the gravel. It really wasn't so bad, just slow going for the next 7 miles.

I reached town and he was already home. So go in, changed and we headed to the store for some grocery shopping. I have been craving a good chef salad for awhile now, so I bought everything I needed (except it was missing the hard boiled eggs) and made myself a gigantic salad. It was delicious. Cost more than I had spent on all three previous days combined, but to me it was well worth it.

Tomorrow they are forecasting another day of this wind (although it is suppose to stay cool) so I have opted to stay in town to pick up some packages from the post office and get some "chores" done. It will also be nice to give my sunburns a day with no sun. (So when you read the next entry and there is a day missing, you understand, no you aren't missing something.)

27.05.2012 Lizard Lake, IA

Day 03: Eagle Grove, IA to Lizard Lake, IA

Sunday May 27, 2012, 38 miles (61 km) - Total so far: 159 miles (256 km)

Today was such a challenging day, really horrible actually. I should have realized it was going to be a hot one when I got up and it was already quite warm. But it really got hot (95° F (35° C)) and to make matters worse, 25+ mph headwinds and/or crosswinds all day. I stopped about every 6-8 miles to rest in the shade and get more water and other cold drinks. I lost track of how much I drank, but it was a lot. As I pedaled on fighting the wind, I would catch myself talking out loud. I would stop realizing that nobody was listening, and then realized that I wasn't even listening and that threw me into a whole other line of thinking. Its only the third day, too soon to go crazy.

Twice I stopped in peoples yards for breaks under trees, each time they gave me cold water. The second time (above 30ish miles) I pulled into a driveway and was laying under a shade tree (I usually ask permission, but nobody answered the door and I really needed the rest). About 20 minutes later I was joined by their German Shepard. Really sweet dog. They invited me in and I ended up spending a couple hours with them talking and waiting for the heat to subside and hopefully the winds as well. Around 6:00 clouds had rolled in and did help with the temps, but the wind seemed even worse, but I needed to push on to make it to where I intended to camp (Lizard Lake). (If you do read this, Thank You, again for your hospitality.) Lizard Lake (well not really a like now) has a very small campground which was pretty much full. I found a spot to set up my tent in the shade.

Another note. I did get to test the solar charger today, which seems to work nicely. It would work even better though had I not stopped every 6-8 miles in the shade so it had very little sunlight except the periods I was riding.