Day 61 - 8/7/16 Cedar Pass Campground to Sage Creek Campground, Badlands National Park, SD

Sage Creek is a primitive campground which means there's space to set up a tent and there's vault toilets but, no running water or electricity.  There was no way I could ride 35 miles through Badlands and have enough water to last me til the following day to fill up at the next town.  

Luckily, I met a couple guys in their big red school bus camper at the Cedar Pass Campground who were headed to Sage Creek and told me I could fill up my water when I got there.  And that's exactly what I did.  

I woke up at 3:30am to be on the road by 5 and hopefully get to the other side of the park before 10:00am.  The road is only 35 miles long but I knew I'd be stopping to take photos.  Today was easily the best ride of the trip so far.  

Meandering through all those sandstone spires while the sun came up is an unforgettable experience.  The colors of everything were completely dream-like – light blues, pinks and reds, deep greens and purples with splashes of yellow.  

The whole rainbow was present.  The entire rest of the day was spent napping, reading and wathing the herds of bison roam around the campground and the surrounding hills.  

There was no town for miles in each direction, it felt like a beautiful oasis amidst a beautiful oasis.  The sky cleared up beautifully before night fell and my only regret is that I couldn't stay awake to see the stars come out, tomorrow starts early again.

Day 60 - 8/6/16 Badlands National Park - Day Off

I had some real ambitious plans for today – an early bike ride to watch the sun rise, a hike on some of the foot trails this afternoon, and then another sunset ride tonight.  But, upon laying my head down last night, I realized there is no need to wake up at 4:00am, I'll already be doing that on Sunday.  And there's no need to go out and watch the sunset again, I can do that from tonight's campground and then tomorrow as well.  

And as for the hike, well that's still up in the air I guess.  It's just about noon and this picnic table is just getting more comfortable by the minute.  A lot of folks left the campground this morning.  I'm sure most of them are heading to Sturgis for some biker weekend there.  

Motorcycles, not real bikes.  Now it's quiet, a little on the windy sode and I still have a nice virw of the great big rock walls.  Yes, there is nothing wrong with right here and that is something to be thankful for.

Day 59 - 8/5/16 Wanblee to Interior, SD - Badlands National Park

Yesterday being such a good ride, I didn't even think today could be better but, it was.  Another early and chilly start to the day was shared with all the dogs that just wander and bark around Wanblee.  There were 3 or 4 dogs keep us company at the park while Derek and I got ready, taking note of the visibility of our breath. 

 

It was barely 30 miles to Interior and just beyond the halfway point the road turned to the North, we climbed a hill and from there we could see the otherworldly rock formations of Badlands in the distance.  I couldn't help but laugh with excitement going down the hills heading into town, I've never seen anything like this before.  Experiencing things like this is food for the mind.  

To bear witness to new landscapes and terrain and even dangera adds so much to the reservoir of thoughts, emotions and memories inside your head.  Never having traveled much in my 26 years on this planet, a simple experience like visiting Badlands National Park makes me wonder what else will blow my mind out there.  

I left Derek in Interior and rode a couple more miles to the campground on the Eastern side of the park.  I couldn't wait to explore more so once my tent was set up, I took the bags off my bike, filled up my water and took Ginger into the park. 

 

Riding and walking among these towers of rock was like visiting the ancient ruins of a cathedral crafted by the delicate yet forceful hands of nature.  After riding around for a bit I decided it was time to go back to the site for some food.  

It wasn't long before I went back out on a different road to find a spot to watch the sunset.  Morning and evening are the 2 most beautiful times of day for the softer light changes the colors of everything and gives it a soft glow.  

There's too much beauty here, it's a little overwhelming, kind of like my visit to the museum in Chicago.  You can't see everything in one visit – kind of like life but, see what you can and let it change you.

Day 58 - 8/4/16 White River to Wanblee, SD

It makes me real damn happy to be in the Mountain Time Zone.  It's like I get an extra hour of sleep tonight.  But mostly, it's another big milestone telling me I'm that much closer to seeing the Pacific Ocean.  My friends on the West coast are only an hour behind me instead of 3 and for some reason that's very comforting to me.  It was hot as Hell yesterday in White River.  Luckily the park had a nice pavilion so I stayed out of the sun but still got to enjoy the fierce breeze that seemed to be coming from all directions on top of the hill where that little town is located.  

While I was sitting in the shade the afternoon slowly became evening and at that point something I've yet to experience on this trip happened: another touring cyclist showed up.  Poor bastard, he did exactly exactly what I intentionally avoided yesterday which was riding 50 miles through the hottest and windiest day in weeks.  Derek went right for the spigot and soak his head under the water, I know that feeling.  

This dude is great he's been on the road for about 3 years now.  His trip is not as linear as mine, he does not have a point A and a point B.  Originally from British Columbia, he's ridden his big yellow bike, appropriately named, Blue through nearly every state in the U.S. and even down into Mexico.  Derek ultimately wants to end up in Argentina but he's got a lot more places he wants to ride to before he gets there.  

So maybe Argentina will be point Q by then or maybe he'll need to start inventing new letters to the alphabet.  So today we rode together from White River to Wanblee, the next closest town which was 50 miles away.  I'm glad he was on board with waking up at 4:30 to get on the road by 6.  After his ride through the heat yesterday, I didn't really have to twist his arm.  The ride was gorgeous, lots of hills but we got to them early enough so we weren't dripping with sweat on the climbs.  

Hills are a beautiful thing after hundreds of miles of flat corn fields where it feels like you're on a stationary bike because the scenery never changes. Hills, on the other hand, offer great surprises once you get to the crest and are given a brand new view of the landscape.  There are some interesting rock formations out here, I wish I could go out in the fields and touch them but they're just so far away from the main road that snakes through all this beauty.  There's also more trees out here than I've seen since Ohio, not that that's saying too much.  I really enjoy riding with another biker.  Derek and I both went at our own pace but we never got so far apart that we didn't meet back up when we took breaks.  It's nice talking to someone that's just been living on his bike for a few years now.  Just more evidence that a non-traditional lifestyle is completely possible if you're smart with your money, live simply, and are inspired enough to keep going and going.

Day 57 - 8/3/16 Witten to White River, SD

3rd day in a row waking up at 4:30am to be on the road by 6 so I don't have to ride through the heat.  Right now it's close to 100 degrees and it is the windiest day I've seen on this trip.  Even at 8:00am there were some strong gusts that pushed my bike one way or the other.  

If I even tried riding my bike now, I'm sure the wind would blow me right over.  This is also my 3rd day in a row camping at a city park.  It's nice because it's free and I can camp with a roof over my head so I don't have to set up my tent completely.  In these small towns, these parks are somewhat designed for people like me, just passing through for the night, only needing a bathroom and some running water.  

These towns don't feel much like civilization to me.  Am I just spoiled having grown up with all sorts of modern conveniences so close to me?  Or is it because the only form of entertainment out here is gambling and drinking?  I think people have a tendency to participate in what's around them if that's what most people are doing already.  If there's a bar, people will drink, if there's a casino, people will gamble.  

But how often do people in these small towns decide to pursue other things?  I just met a woman, drinking vodka with her brother at the park in the middle of the day.  She's never even left South Dakota before.  It's one thing to be happy with the place you grew up in.  It's another thing to be distracted by things like alcohol that could make anyone content anywhere under its effects.

Day 56 - 8/2/16 Burke to Witten, SD

I'm so excited to get to the Badlands.  Most people I meet tell me I'm going to love it.  I already know I am.  I'm just looking forward to seeing some other terrain besides big, open spaces.  I want some hills and mountains to break up the monotony of seeing the same thing for 50 miles.  

I'm sure I'll be regretting this wish in a couple weeks but, big hills are inevitable on this trip, especially in the Western half of the country.  I'm also excited for the Badlands because I know seeing some dramatic, beautiful nature is going to get my blood pumping.  There's not much excitement in these big green fields after a couple weeks of riding through them.  Change is good and it is just on the horizon.  

I really love ending each day in a new little town.  There aren't many streets in Witten and it doesn't look like any of them are paved.  I wonder if there are any kids in this town.  There's a slide and a swingset at the park and that's all there is.  I heard these towns have a downside to them too, even beyond the fact that there's not many forms of entertainment.  I met a cool dude named Casey last night before I went to bed.  

He loves living in Burke, hanging out with his dogs and girlfriend in his yard, gardening and just enjoying the sound of his sprinkler watering his vegetables.  But, they both said people in small towns know everything about you, both good and bad.  

Seems like there's the potential for some high tension and drama that you canmg escape just by going home.  I still think there's a lot of rewards for living so simply, I'd definitely like to try spending more than a night in one of these little towns.

Day 55 - 8/1/16 Pickstown to Burke, SD

I stayed in a hotel last night and left at 6:00am to beat the heat.  It was already warm and humid before the sun came out so I thought I was going to be in a sweaty situation once it got later but, the heat never came.  If anything, it just got cloudier and cooler as the morning went on.  

Since I got to South Dakota, I've been noticing sunflowers growing on the side of the road.  They look just like the ones we used to have at work back home.  Some are large but some are real small and dainty.  Most of the ones I've aeen haven't bloomed yet.  On my ride today I saw plenty of these little guys growing between the paved road and the great big fields of grass but then, almost out of nowhere, I came across an entire field of 6 foot tall sunflowers, all yellow in bloom.

 

 I wanted so badly to just float up over them and just be cradled on their yellow petals.  They stretched into the hazy distance just like all the corn fields I've seen but, sunflowers are just incomparably beautiful next to corn and soy.  As I kept riding, a kind woman pulled over in her pickup truck, offering me a ride to the next town.  I could see the sign just over her truck saying Burke was just 7 miles away.  

She was trying to help me avoid getting caught in the rain but, in the back of my mind a little rain sounded pretty good.  I waved as she drove past me and sure enough, the rain came.  I doubt I'll shower tonight so I welcomed the 7 miles of rain like someone performing a rain dance.  

Taking cover in the only coffee shop in this 700 person town, I am amazed and curious as to what it would be like to live in a place like this.