Badlands - Rapid City, SD

Waking up to the sight of the sun coming up over the Badlands was on par, if not better than waking up at the Missouri River in Chamberlain. Unfortunately I was in a rush to get packed up because while backcountry camping is legal in the park, you must camp at least a half mile from any road or trail. We were only about 50 feet from the road.

The one setback I faced in packing up quickly was that the dry bag I had been putting the tent in was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately it seems as though it blew away in the night into the canyon below...or a mountain lion ate it, but most likely it blew away.

So to adjust I simply moved things around and made room in one of my rear panniers for the tent and just like that problem solved. I'm clutch in high pressure situations so just call me McGuyver.

And thus began our day which started out on a hill of substantial grade. Climbing was the theme of the morning up pass after pass, all on only the fuel of a Cliff Builder bar.

After about 20 miles of riding I was starting to worry that I might implode from a bad case of being a fat kid with food withdrawal but then we finally hit the town of Wall. Remember my previous post about tourist traps and clever brainwash marketing? Well the town of Wall is second to none. They have billboards for Wall Drug for hundreds of miles. I have only seen the Big Texan in Amarillo attempt to beat their efforts but its no contest really. They advertise free ice water and 5 cent coffee every 200 feet or so. I was sold on that alone but when we found out they had a breakfast buffet for $10 I was in love with the place.

As an aside, this trip has had a strange way of throwing off my taste in food. When you ride as much as we do you are so hungry that a meal that would normally be a 4 is upgraded to at least an 8 just like that. Wall Drug's buffet was probably a 5 but it tasted like a 9 to me.

While we were eating we ran into Nick and Jessa again who had stayed in town last night. It has been nice having a familiarity with them over the past couple days but sadly this was the last time we would see them as they would bypass Custer.

After our meal I was sitting outside by my bicycle and a group of people who seemed to be in their retirement years. They started asking me about the trip and somehow we got onto the topic of what cause I was riding for. This is a fairly popular question we get asked and its nice to get to discuss what Lighthouse, Inc. does and what the current situation in Cleveland's project communities is.

As it turns out one of the men actually sent his two daughters to Olivet and they had just graduated so he said with all the extra cash he was able to take this trip out west. After politely telling him I was happily in a relationship and could not be set up with his daughter but that Jared could, he asked if he could pray for me. The group huddled around me and lay hands on me while they prayed. It was a surreal feeling to be prayed over in this way by total strangers (although they are my new friends) in a tourist trap like Wall. I was very blessed by this gesture of love by these people who I suspect were thinking of me as if I were their child. They took some photos with me and the bike and one of the sign I have attached to the rear rack with this blog address. I hope they happen upon this post even though it was over a week ago when this happened. I would like to thank you all if you are reading this.

After we departed from Wall we encountered much of what we had become used to, rolling hills with not much to look at except grass. Then we started to see men in tractors harvesting hay on the side of the road. At first I thought it was cool that they were making good use of the median on I-90 but it didn't take me long to figure out that I just might have a hay allergy. It shouldn't have surprised me because in August when I would go to school in Oklahoma I would get a shortness of breath and a weezing cough.

Unfortunately this cough and shortness of breath has yet to escape me even a week or so later in Wyoming. I now continue coughing out of habit and due to the dry climate we are in, but on this particular day in South Dakota I struggled heavily until we finally reached Rapid City, an oasis of sorts with a big city look and small town feel.

When we arrived we went to a truck stop to get a drink but we were stopped outside by a crazy old man who rambled on and on about all sorts of things for 30 minutes. I wish I could tell you his story but to be honest it bounced all over and I find myself in a rare loss for understanding of what exactly he was saying. After escaping we went inside only to realize we were too cheap to buy a drink there so we chose to relocate to fast food destinations. I went to McDonalds while Jared went to Arby's (because he's made of money apparently).

In McDonalds I was able to make some calls on wifi while waiting to hear back from our warmshowers host, Fred. We were hit with a steady downpour for awhile but waited it out inside for a change.

Then we climbed. And climbed some more. Then we headed down into a valley, giving up all the ground we had worked for just like that. Finally we reached the seemingly obligatory hill that all riders who host warmshowers seem to live on. Fred's house was on a hill that almost reached Richland Center status but thankfully one of his neighbors decided to converse with me from her car window as I rode up. She was saying how impressed she was and that she was a rider too and that the hill never gets easier. I was out of breath and didn't chat very much with her.

Fred wasn't home yet because he's an architect who was doing an open house for a building he restored in Pierre so he told me to let myself in the back door. That is where we were greeted by the most hateful cat I've ever met. She would hiss and growl at us from the time we arrived to the time we left but I think she secretly loves me.

Fred's house is simply incredible of course because he designed it but I can't describe it well enough so I won't try. You just would have had to been there. After meeting our hosts and showering we passed out quickly.
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Murdo, SD - Badlands National Park

Today I decided to get an early start and by the time Jared was packed I had already packed up, made myself oatmeal for breakfast, and gotten ready. I think its the first time I was faster than him at anything all trip.

After riding a grueling 1500 feet downhill we decided we better reload on calories so we stopped in at the GTO Diner and ordered a big breakfast where we met Clint (because he had a cowboy hat on). Clint chatted away with Jared but I didn't say a word because he was sitting to my left and my ear was still out of commission.

Then it was back to good ole Interstate 90 which looks pretty much the same for forever, but I'm pretty sure its just because of the state we're in. Aside from being boring its important to understand that in South Dakota there are marketing geniuses who place billboards from the same thing every 500 feet. By car you might well be able to breeze by some of them, but on bicycle you are going as slow as 6mph uphill and usually no faster than 15mph. You do the math but it takes awhile to go 500 feet sometimes and after entire days of seeing signs for the same things you sort of become brainwashed. Don't get me wrong, you know the places are going to suck (some more than others) but you can't help but want to make sure to prove yourself right and at that very moment you have become an idiot (otherwise known as a tourist). One such tourist trap we fell victim to was 1880 town which is famous for being used to film several movies. We decided to forgo the $9 admission price but we did go to the train car diner for our second large breakfast of the day.

We've been relatively blessed in our time in South Dakota so far as weather is concerned but today it started to become a factor as it made for rough riding along 90 in 105 degree heat with humidity.

I couldn't take much more heat so I got off 90 and headed toward a gas station that might as well have been an oasis. As we climbed the off ramp we met two touring cyclists, an uncle and his nephew, who are touring west to east and had just come through the Badlands. I had been against the idea of going through that area because I didn't want to pay admission (they told me it was only $7 for cyclists) and I didn't want to add miles (it only added about 10).

Only five minutes later we met Kyle, an ultra minimalist, touring from Portland to Chicago. When I say ultra minimalist I mean the guy had barely any gear on his bike, just a spare change of clothes, a small tent, and a sleeping bag basically. Just when we thought we had simplicity down Kyle shook our foundation. Not only is he not carrying any panniers, Kyle is touring on a fixed gear Rivendell Atlantis. Needless to say I respect his approach but to each their own on this one. I threw away some excess gear after this encounter but I'm keeping every gear I can get my hands on.

We said our goodbyes to Kyle and headed on to the Badlands which I will describe simply as breath taking. Don't get me wrong, its not the kind of place you'd want to live if you could but the way the sun hits the land, I never knew God liked to color.

I was getting hungry so after much debate I decided to splurge on the restaurant at their lodge where everything featured buffalo meat. I went with the loaded nachos while Jared did a buffalo burger.

Loaded up on calories, we set out in search of a good hidden spot to setup camp. But since we procrastinated we had to settle on a rock ledge halfway up a hill. After getting setup we found ourselves sliding throughout the night so I can safely say it was the worst sleep in awhile.
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Mind and Body Beginning to Strain

I must be honest, at some point I'm not sure a trip like this is always worth it, at least for some people. As much as it has been a fun ride so far, a dream really, I must confess I'm starting to waver.

What have I gained from this some 2500 miles of riding? I say I have gained quite a lot. I no longer have to doubt what it would be like to tour by bicycle. I can now say I know what it is like.

As for the remaining miles between myself and the ocean, it is true I have never been this far west out north, but I think of all the things that await for me after this trip and while I'm sure the land beyond this wasteland of Wyoming is certainly something to behold, at some point I recognize it might not be worth the sacrifice of so many other things.

I have not yet made the decision to call it a trip and head back, don't mistake my words there, but to be honest most of my reasons for continuing would be of a prideful nature and then of course there is the rather simple reason of simply finishing what my 12 year old mind started.

This is where my mind is right now. I'm sure in hindsight I would have chosen a route much different than this or a riding companion who didn't always leave me 15 miles behind, but for now I have to make due, lay in the bed I have made. Or do I? We'll see what happens as I pray about it in the next couple days.
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I'm A Hick Magnet: Chamberlain, SD - Murdo, SD (6/28)

Last night we ran into some accidental good luck. There is a campground in Chamberlain right on the river, but because of unusually high rain, the river is flooded and the campground is almost completely under water.

We called City Hall who connected us to the Chamber of Commerce who connected us to Parks and Recreation who connected us to City Hall (did someone chop off a wing of the government and tell it to fly?) Eventually they agreed to let us camp at a park called Roam Free. Google it, its awesome!

After exploring the town and asking everyone we could if they knew where the park was we had all but given up since it didn't show up on my blackberry. We met three guys who had toured before (I'll call them Harry, Larry, and Brad) and they said to just camp off somewhere out of sight. We were ready to do this until we decided to go to a motel on the river. I'll admit that part of me wanted to be like William Shatner and negotiate for a last minute room at rock bottom prices but instead we simply asked if they knew of the park and finally we got directions.

By this time it was pretty much pitch black out so by the light of our bicycle lights and the stars we climbed up a bike trail headed up a cliff. I barely made it without stopping but I suppose the darkness helped distract me from the grade and distance. Eventually we made it to the top of a cliff overlooking the beautifully swollen Missouri River and town of Chamberlain. We could see the lights reflecting off the water and the crystal clear starry night made all the headwind and climbing worth it. Its amazing how God works, assuming this to be the work of God. Had the day been easy we would have pushed to Presho and breezed through the river valley and even if we had decided to stay here, had it been an easy day I don't think we would have appreciated it. Joy does not come without a cost as I've learned from Donald Miller's book. The camp site we found was top shelf and worth every penny.

We woke up early to the most beautiful view of the river valley as it was waking up to the sun. Unfortunately we weren't quite ready to do the same because it was rather cold outside so we stayed in bed and didn't get going until 8am.

Because of the flood we had to go over to Interstate 90 which we were hesitant about at first but we immediately took a liking to the well paved shoulder and may stay on it awhile.

It also brought us to Al's Oasis, a total tourist trap but a cool place anyway. They actually sell $.05 coffee and our waitress Amanda hooked us up with free sausage gravy because she was trying to put the moves on Jared.

As we headed off from Al's, I couldn't help but day dream about Jared staying with Amanda to settle on 500 acres of useless grassland so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, but after a lovely breakfast together Jared just couldn't commit, typical Jared.

Then we began a day full of hills, long, gradual, and even sometimes steep hills. We're glad we took the interstate because the country roads had to of been worse.

Despite making arrangements with a church for the night we decided that it wasn't going to be far enough for the pace we were carrying. I don't think we realized just how boring this area of the state was but we weren't really in the mood to stop and smell the roses because there aren't any, just tall grass and dead crushed turtles and owls.

We came up to our first highway rest area today where we met Nancy and Bob. They are from Wisconsin and heading to Spokane, WA to see Nancy's father who is battling cancer. It was nice to chat with them about our trip and our thoughts and prayers go out to them in this difficult time of mourning what seems the inevitable while celebrating a life in its last season.

Out of the rest area we tackled some more hills while having RVs blow by us. It seems most everyone we see is a tourist out here and with July 4th close its no wonder.

Eventually we came to a "town" called Vivian. They had advertised a coffee diner 24 miles prior so when we arrived to find it was being remodeled we were deeply saddened. If I'm a business owner in this part of South Dakota on I-90 I'm definitely remodeling in the other 9 months of the year when nobody probably comes through but what do I know about running a truck stop really?

Instead we sat under an awning at the diner next door which was closed while we ate peanut butter and other delicacies.

And then more hills. I may have gotten high hopes a bit soon for cranking out high miles because around 7pm I just got tired. Saddle soreness reared its ugly head and I found myself yawning, not a good sign. I could have kept pushing but fatigue got the best of me and I knew I was one bar of a Coldplay song from swerving out into traffic so I decided to stop at the exit for Murdo, a tourist trap by all accounts with an automotive museum and little diners and hotels for weary travelers who like to quit down the home stretch instead of finishing the drive like champions (like the Chicago Cubs of drivers if you will).

But Murdo is also home to some and we saw evidence of this in the presence of a high school and a swimming pool which I saw as a beacon of hope. See I've worked at the pool in my hometown before and I know that most pools are run with a relatively easy going attitude so after riding for days without a shower I suspected that it might be our lucky day. A bit of batting my eye lashes at Megan, the guard at front desk, and Jared and were lathering on all the soap in the place, doubling as both a shower and laundry mat.

I felt refreshed after a great shower and figured people might be slightly more likely to like me. Come to think of it, maybe Megan was just trying to do the world a favor by letting us shower, but either way I have fantastic eye lashes so let's remember that.

Turns out I was right about people liking me, but apparently a well showered me attracts self proclaimed high school hick boys (eye lashes, blessing and curse). Ben, Kyle, and Steven were really interested in my trip and we got to chatting and learned quite a bit about each other. I taught them about the price range of gear while they taught me that hicks chew tobacco and spend all Tuesday trying to find a way to score beer. There was a lot of learning going on but alas I had to get going as Jared had run over to a church to see if they would let us stay there only to come to find that it was the very same church we spoke with early in the day. So after making a Chef Boyardee canned dinner along with Rice Sides I lay here ready for bed.

In case you're wondering, yes I do make up almost all the names in these posts. Hosts are usually the only ones I remember unless I write it down right away.

Hope you're ready for the Badlands, be there before you know it!
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Plankinton, SD - Chamberlain, SD...holy headwind!

Our second time camping illegally went off without a hitch. We were fortunate enough to find a town park with a covered pavilion so it hid our tent and gear a bit and allowed us to leave the rain fly off for better ventilation.

We planned to get up early (7am) but didn't end up waking up until 8am, just in time to be taking down our tent when the parks and rec crew arrived to collect the trash. It was awkward for them, but probably more because we weren't wearing any clothes than anything else.

The morning was rather chilly so I put on my ankle high wool socks for the first time all trip and my long sleeve jersey all day to help deal with the cold wind.

And wind there was plenty! We hit headwinds all day for the first time as previously we have had mostly cross wind. Headwind is definitely worse than hills because during our day today we could see up to 50 miles because its so flat but with the wind it seemed as though the objects you feel are so close will never be any closer. To top it off you couldn't stop pedaling ever or the wind would bring you to a dead stop. On downhills we even had to keep pedaling which was quite a weird experience.

And then I met Jeremiah. He was struggling with the wind so much that he couldn't move an inch as he was practically paralyzed in the middle of the road. I took a picture of him from within 3 inches which was a dead giveaway that he needed help and since the wind was blowing so hard he was unable to call out to his parents who were probably too busy enjoying their empty nest.

So after taking my handlebar bag cover and scooping up Jeremiah so he wouldn't bite me, I placed him on the ground near the grass off the road. He said thank you and goodbye but I could tell he was being insincere, ungrateful baby bird he was. I checked to see if he would stay put and he had, but I suspect he probably flew into the next available semi truck because while many birds are enjoying the trees across the country, Jeremiah was stuck in nothing but the tall grass of South Dakota...happy thoughts.

I must say that in spite of the wind, South Dakota is quickly growing to be perhaps my favorite state. You can see forever out here on the prairie and I've never seen a sky so massive with such incredibly beautiful clouds. The majority of the land is tall green grass but it sets in stark contrast to the vibrant yellow, pink, violet, and white flowers and dark blue lakes and flooded fields. It felt like I had been watching life on a wood paneled television all my life and then God upgraded me to an HD Vizio today.

We stopped at a gas station along the way and I took the opportunity to finish reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It was an incredible book and the best $20 I've spent on this trip so far, but I guess I'll have to go back and re-read it since its my only book. That or my posts will just get longer (shout out to Dr. Michelson who encourages me to write in as many words as possible).

Anyway, then we climbed a nice large hill that opened us up to a surprise view of the swollen Missouri River. It felt as if I could throw a baseball into it (because I could, but didn't have one) but it was still 10 miles away. Now we're in the town of Chamberlain just east of the river. I'm updating from McDonald's right now since they have wifi that allowed me to call my beautiful girlfriend and write this overly wordy blog post. We'll be heading out soon to find a park to illegally camp in again tonight along the river. We called City Hall to get permission but they told us about a park that seems to not exist so we're going to pick the one we want and claim ignorance.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out www.urbanlighthouse.org or simply donate $1000 on the link below. You can also get short and frequent updates on my twitter page at www.twitter.com/clementefan87.

Hope you're enjoying our journey. You'll get to the coast soon enough but remember to enjoy the ride along the way.
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Mitchell, SD - Plankinton, SD (take 2)

I swear I don't do as well with technology as most people my age. I didn't mean to send the post prematurely.

So after the peroxide didn't work we did a measly 25 miles to the small town of Plankinton. We considered another night in Mitchell but we decided that a short day was better than nothing after leaving at 4, and it would set us up to do a reasonable day to Presho tomorrow morning. From there we'll head south and then take highway 44 through the Badlands. We're also eager to cross the Missouri River tomorrow at Chamberlain because we keep getting warned that its at a record high and from seeing flooded fields across the state we don't doubt it.

The ride to Plankinton was uneventful. There was a steady grade but nothing too bad as we were around a 12mph average. The rain made it a bit more interesting and eventually the sky split into stark contrast. On one half you had a dark purple sky with lightning bolts and on the other a bright heavenly sky with massive pillow looking clouds, all the while being under rainy conditions.

And now we lay in "bed" in our tent under a paved pavilion in the town park, which of course is illegal as we've been told but we're not apart of their system here and besides how can cops in a small town like this expect me to take them seriously when I've lived in real towns with real cops before? We'll see if I talk this boldly in the morning. I'm pretty tired now after having read 12 chapters of the book. Only 20 more pages which makes me kind of sad since its the only book I have with me, but its too good to put down, unlike this wordy blog you've been reading for some reason, all five of you (or mom logging in on five computers to make me feel better).

Thanks for joining me today. Sleep well because tomorrow is going to be 80+ miles through pretty empty country. Lots of time for you to reflect on your lives.
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Mitchell, SD - Plankinton, SD

Today we got to sleep in! What a joy to be back to the days of civilian life!

I took a quick shower and then headed to church with Aaron, the pastor's son, who offered to drive us to the 11am service. Along the way we passed the famous Corn Palace, a building that is covered in corn in a very ornate fashion. It was impressive from the glimpse I got but we saw no need to explore it any further.

I was surprised at how large the church was but even more surprised to hear that they had out grown it and were planning to build a new sanctuary. I guess knowing they have 3 services should have been a give away.

During the service I tried to sing but in Marshall I had been a bit too vigorous with a Q-tip and had pushed the ear wax down in such a way that my hearing was almost completely impaired and my joyful noise would have brought great sorrow to the body of believers we worshiped with. We took communion together which I find interesting because on this trip we have attended church all but once, each time with a different denomination and each time partaking in communion. As a Nazarene I'm on overload from all this blood and body but thankfully the blood was not fermented as was the case at the Lutheran service we attended in Conyngham a month ago.

After service and a good deal of fellowship with people who were interested in our journey, we headed to Corona Village which is a Mexican restaurant and not a place where people live in drunken beer induced harmony. It was nice to be able to discuss matters of the church with the pastor and I found myself referring to Desiring The Kingdom by James Smith and A Royal Waste of Time by Marva Dawn...did I actually pay attention during my last semester of college? Thank you Dr. Dunnington!

After loading up on chips, burrito, and conversation, we headed back to the house to get changed and load up the bikes.

I must say that God must be looking out for us and you all must be praying like pros because yet again we stayed with a family who in just a short period of time almost adopted us. I feel like I gained another foster mother and father and a wise older brother and for that I am blessed.

We took our pictures with the family and off we went in search of Walgreens so Jared could buy a new toothbrush to replace the one he left in Sioux Falls and I could get peroxide (per my mother's suggestion) so that I could pour it in my ear in order to look like a complete idiot in public (or to clear it out supposedly). Of course I couldn't justify throwing out most of a bottle that I shelled out a dollar for so I packed it like the pack rat I am.
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