Tour De Kota - Day One

So there I was camped out at SDSU. The lawn of Hansen Hall was filled with tents and bikers. I set up, tried to get my gear organized, and ended up visiting with Rhonda, a gal who was set up next to me. She shared a bit about her experience and tried to reassure me that I'd be okay. I chatted a bit with David Trefz, a biking veteran from Webster who agreed to show this novice the ropes, and his riding partner, Joe. We made plans to wake up at 5, take down tents, grab breakfast and head to Madsion. It was hard to sleep that first night, but I must have dozed here and there. The day was right on schedule. By 6:00 AM, I had finished my yogurt and was thinking, I should have a little something more, and a lady walked by waving a banana, looking for any takers for the extra half. Perfect! Some say coincidence, I call it God's hand. I just kept getting these "good vibes" about the week. It was the second time that morning that a fellow biker seemed eager to visit and connect. I had met Carrie in the bathroom earlier. I was beginning to see the commaradre among many in the biking world. It wasn't long, and we were off. Our first run was only about 7 miles down the road to Volga and I was feeling pretty competent. The pace felt comfortable, I was able to keep up with David and Joe. They each gave me pointers as we chatted along. Two more short stops and we pedaled onto the campus of DSU by 10:00. It was good to have such a short ride, the temps shot up into the nineties. The winds were calm, but the heat was mighty. We set up camp and took the shuttle downtown for lunch. Blueberry pomegranate ice tea and a yummy wrap. A fellow WHS grad, Kevin Rydberg came up to our table to introduce himself, he recognized me, and we visited just a bit. He was taken aback to realize it was Mr. Trefz right beside me. He said he didn't recognize him without his trademark beard! Another curious encounter for the trip. That afternoon, I opted for a little AC in the dorm. I lounged, watched a little tv, and snoozed a bit. Then back out to my tent to start journaling. Dreadfully hot - upper 90's and humid as all get out. I struck up a delightful conversation with Christine, a tenting neighbor. She is from Sioux Falls and we seemed to click and have lots to visit about. We met Dave and Joe for supper and had a pleasant evening. Just before turning in, I ran into LeAnn Suhr, a fellow biker from Webster, she was planning to bike the next day. Dave and I put an advance on our wake-up call, trying to beat the heat and the high winds forcasted. We decided to rise at 4 AM and try to be biking by 5 - o'dark thirty! It was a tough night for sleep, I think it was still in the 80's at ten o'clock. Day one and 42 miles under my belt!