Friday, July 1st
Tough day. The naive dream I’d had last night of covering 130 miles today was quickly shattered when I realised, just two minutes into riding, that the wind direction had turned 180° overnight and now I was facing at 13mph wind from the South.
With this change in direction my mood flip flopped too. Yesterday I enjoyed the openness and emptiness of the South Dakotan landscape, but today it seemed to drag on endlessly as I tried hard not to count down the 30 or 20 miles of space between the few small towns which did exist out amongst the fields, cows, and pylons.
On the route 47, I stopped at Bowdle, twenty miles into the day. Home of South Dakotas tallest water tower. One gas station on the edge of town where I bought a coffee and sat outside a pretty church to try and find some energy. All these towns, no matter how small, seemed to have a water tower and a church. The water towers were like lighthouses, a beacon on the horizon to guide you the last few miles, though often these places were so small and quiet finding a place to buy even just a cup of coffee was no longer a guarantee.
Two more towns broke up the open road. Firstly Hoven, though the main street was completely shut down with road works, nothing was open, and I just carried on.
The next was Lebanon – ‘Home of South Dakota’s 1st Outdoor Swimming Pool’. The pool was dry and looked like it hadn’t been used in years.
Then I reached Gettysburg and the Trail Motel. I’d given them a call the other morning from Gackle and knew that had rooms for $39 which is not that much more than a lot of campsites. Today I needed a break from being outside.
It was a simple, basic room, with old furniture made of dark wood and a TV with an outdated aspect ratio which meant some channels bled off the side of the screen. But it was comfortable and friendly. On the TV is CNN. Another terrorist attack. This time in Bangladesh. I flip the channels to an American documentary about Glasgow, then informercials, later I catch a bit of Scarface and Kill Bill. Like food on their supermarket shelves, the choice of channels on American TVs is overwhelming, and also like their supermarkets, most of it is corrosive junk.
I’d been a bit distracted all day. Mainly two things 1) Bears, 2) if I have enough time to reach Vancouver before the flight i’d booked. It’s the 1st of July and my flight is on the 30th. Less than a month and probably at least 1500 miles ahead of me. I need to so some serious planning.
Tomorrow: Continuing South in what looks like another windy day. Make it to Pierre and cross the Missouri.