People are in a good spirits this morning. We have only 73.77 miles to ride and it is fairly flat. Tomorrow is a rest day and believe me, that is a big carrot. It was foggy this morning but warm. We are also all excited because Karen, who was badly injured earlier in the trip, will attempt to ride today. I can’t believe the courage of this woman. Her husband Darrel is also riding and has been very supportive. She has to wear a mask so she doesn’t get dust and bugs in her wounds. She has plans to have some of the stitches removed in Sioux Falls on our rest day. What an inspiration to us all!

Danny loaded his luggage this morning and took a look around and described how he felt and how everyone else looked. It was a pretty sorry sight. We all need a day off.

I love riding through the fog. It hung just off the ground and burned off about 10:00 AM in the morning. We rode on remote country roads most of the day and there was no traffic. The Stop A Lots rode four across and just visited all morning while we rode. It felt like we were sitting in Starbucks having a cup of coffee and chatting. We are beginning to ride through areas that are entirely green. We are traveling through farmland and it is so beautiful. I will never know how the farmers get those long rows so straight. We are beginning to feel the humidity now.

We stopped at mile 40.6 at the SAG stop in the town of Canistota, SD. I spoke to a local gentleman who warned me of Miller’s hill, which is on the route we will travel. I thanked him and have to tell you I don’t remember any big hill all day.

I failed to mention yesterday that I have been having trouble with flat tires. After my third flat in two days, Gerard the ace mechanic found the culprit. He found broken glass in a slit in my back tire. The good news is that so far today I have not had a single flat. When I get to Sioux Falls, I am going to purchase some Specialized Armadillos. These are very heavy tires but hopefully they will hold up and prevent me from getting more flats. A friend of my sister’s, John, recommended these tires to me prior to my trip and I should have taken his advice.

Dan is always releasing “air biscuits” while riding his bike so Mary bought him some air freshener to hang on the back of his bike seat. It really works! We could smell the scent of pine and I thought I was back in Oregon again.

At about mile 62 Mary’s hamstring was causing her problems and would tighten up every time she sat down. She decided to stand up and go ahead of the rest of us so she could get into the motel and ice it down. She took off like a shot! Later when Steve and I were coming up behind people on our way in they all asked us what we did to Mary. She flew by so fast they figured we had upset her.

The rest of us stopped for a drink at a gas station where Steve changed a flat tire he had due to a wire that had poked through his tire and tube. Steve can change a flat faster than anyone I know.

Steve and I picked up the pace on our way to the motel. At times we rode at about 25 mph. Every time I went faster, so did he. I think he is about over the bonking episode. Dan rode at a leisurely pace with John, and they had a good conversation on their way in.

When I arrived at the motel and got my room, I checked on the laundry room. The machine was available so I quickly collected my dirty clothes, did a load, and got that over with. The van was leaving for the bike shop at 3:00 PM and I wanted to get two new tires and a couple more tubes. Everything timed out beautifully. We managed to hit two bike shops and I got the supplies I needed.

When we returned we went into the bar in the next motel to watch the Tour De France on the big screen TV. Dan and Mary treated everyone to hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Afterwards there happened to be a pool table there and Mary took Dan on. The minute Mary picked up that pool cue I could tell she knew her way around the table. As to who won that game, I will leave that up to your own speculation.

That night at dinner we hit a new all time low. The food was not appealing, nor did it taste good. Now I don’t mean to be complaining. I am just making an observation. This fact only makes our desire to have a good meal on our rest day that much more intense.

Well, we have all made it to another rest day. As I reflect on the trip to date, I can believe we are here, but I almost don’t believe that we rode our bikes here. It is as though the two facts are unrelated. The fact that we get up every day and ride seems so removed from the fact that we rode here. We have been riding 27 days. It is all a blur to me. Keeping this website is like an extra job but I am so glad I am doing it so I can remember what has happened. I have made such good friends in Dan, Steve, and Mary. We still marvel at how we happened to hook up with each other. We have ridden through mountains, across plains, over the Teton Pass and the Continental Divide, up through the Teton Valley, and through the winds of South Dakota. We have seen so much and experienced so many things in the last 27 days.

I need to go to bed now. A rest day is really a day to catch up on things. I will make a list of what I did on the rest day for that journal entry. Thanks again for all of your support. I have heard from friends that I have not spoken to in years. This week I got an email from someone in Denmark who is following along and hopes to ride across America. Good night and have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow.

Click here to see more pictures from today!