In the days leading up to the ride, knowing I
had not put in enough long sixty to seventy five mile rides in my training, I
was feeling quite anxious about the adventure I had so eagerly signed up for
months earlier. I even told my family to remind me of this moment, if I
attempted to register for a similar ride in the future. Well, as with any
challenge in life, you tend to forget the unpleasant moments and only relish in
the best parts when it all felt perfect. I am already making my list of items I
forgot this year for the 2015 ride.
The Webster Biking Club, comprised
of three riders, David, LeAnn, and myself, had 100% participation in the ride.
David and I were meeting up with LeAnn in Rapid. About forty of us boarded a brand
new coach bus in Sioux Falls bound for Palmer
Gulch Campground, our first night’s lodging near Mt. Rushmore.
We all knew this was the easiest riding we would experience on this trip. Before
long, we rolled our bikes into a moving van, loaded our bags into the luggage
bins and, we were off. We stopped at a rest stop near Chamberlain, which housed
an interesting display of Lewis and Clark’s
Corps of Discovery and their time in SD. The RASDAK crew provided a great lunch,
riders began introducing themselves and friendships grew. John, from Nebraska,
was sitting across the aisle, he and a buddy had met on another biking
excursion, had abandoned the BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska) to cross the
border to the north for this year’s ride. Stories were shared of last year’s
first RASDAK, apparently, our coach bus was a major upgrade from the previous
year’s bussing.
There had been precip in the Hills,
and although it was not raining at the moment of setting up our tents, the camping
area was fairly damp, but we were ready to tough it out. I soon realized I had
not packed enough warm clothes. The nightly low was forecasted at about 40,
which is a pretty chilly way to start the ride. We wandered around the
campground and went into the resort restaurant to get out of the weather.
Wally, a rider from Watertown
was eating alone, so David and I joined him. I had met him on the Gran Fondo century ride
last summer. When LeAnn arrived, she came to my rescue with the best offer
ever. She was staying with friends from the Aberdeen Bike Club and there was
room for one more in the camper. Her invitation was accepted in a heartbeat! David,
however, was left to his own defenses. He is a trooper and was fine with
tenting it. Steve, a rider from Texas, whom I
met waiting for the bus, realized the rain fly for his tent had not made the
trip from Texas,
so he and several others were striking their tents and grabbing up any
remaining rooms and cabins available. Dawn, a rider who had come solo, also offered
me a place in a room with a few other gals who were also riding alone. I
commend those ladies coming on the ride not knowing anybody, confident they
would get acquainted with others on the ride. As LeAnn describes the culture of
biking, it is very inclusive. Friendship, positive thinking, and helpfulness
are evident every day.
The Aberdeen group was going for
supper, so I took my tent down, and tried to organize what I needed for the
night in the camper, and my first day’s ride. I found myself with some extra
time and saw Steve at a campfire with a group of riders. Though I felt a bit
out of comfort zone, I just walked up and joined the group. I found myself
sitting next to a rider I had met in the 2012 Tour de Kota, Julie, from Armour.
As the people around the fire realized there was a newbie to the group, I
introduced myself and was soon razzed for being a teacher with summers off. All
in good fun though. Before long, LeAnn and my new friends from Aberdeen were walking by, and I bid farewell
to Steve and his bike crew. This was going to be a good week.
The night in the camper was
splendidly cozy. We were up and going by 5, planning to meet David at the
pancake tent at 6. With the chill in the air, we opted to skip the outdoor
breakfast and find a café in Hill
City. As soon as we got
on the road, raindrops began. My Frogg Togg rain suit was working, my feet were
pretty much dry, and I was feeling good about my purchase of some Toe Thingys, (yes,
that is the real name, it’s a neoprene shoe cover). Hill City Café offered a
great breakfast and we were all set. We missed the Sheridan Lake Road turn and ended up
backtracking about a mile. At that point, biking into the rain, I realized the
full boot rain cover would have been the better choice. Soon my feet were
soaked. Oh well, the others were in the same boat, with water squishing inside
our shoes. We made it into Rapid and through the bike trail with Michelle’s
expertise, and arrived right on cue to the Central States Fairgrounds. Tents
were already set up in a quonset, and the luggage was there. I found a somewhat
warm shower and was dry while Michelle and LeAnn waited wet and cold for Randy,
Michelle’s husband, to arrive with the camper and truck. Two other riders, Jeff
and Erika, arrived too. Luckily, Randy’s sister lived in Rapid and offered warm
showers and laundry facilities. A Godsend. She even had a little rack that fit
in her dryer so our shoes could be dried as well. I had found some grand
friends, thanks to LeAnn. We went for lunch and to browse at a bike shop. I
found some warmer gloves, socks, and arm and leg warmers so I felt better about
the cool morning rides. That night we went into Rapid to the Firehouse for
supper. We were outdoors, but these amazing heat lamps glowed right over our
table. Very pleasant evening, though the fish tacos left a bit to be desired.
Michelle and I agreed we should have went with our gut and just ordered dessert
instead. Back at camp, we were soon tucked in bed ready to head into the Badlands.
Tuesday’s ride out of the Badlands was by far the most impressive portion of the
trip. We were up close and personal with the landscape on the Badlands Loop. The
switchbacks took all the effort we had, but the view from atop was glorious. We
were even greeted by some mountain goats. Michelle’s idea to hold our bikes
over our heads for a photo opp was one of the highlights of the trip. We left
the Badlands behind and headed into Wall for
lunch at Fat Boy’s BBQ. As we left Wall, we had a brief escort by a Highway
Patrolman. He was insisting we ride on the shoulder, but Jeff took care of it.
The Two Bit Saloon was just a bit down the road, but it was decided that a stop
was in order. A good day with 62 miles, the wind picked up some on our last
stretch into Philip, but it was an enjoyable ride. The Aberdeen delegation departed due to other
commitments, and we had to bid them farewell. Michelle kept telling us that if
we could just figure out a way to tow the camper, we could keep it, unfortunately
we had to wave them off. We opted for a picnic supper, so we picked up some
fixings and enjoyed a meal on the bench outside the school. In Philip, we were
given the opportunity to bed down in the high school gym due to storms
forecasted that evening. LeAnn and I were among the first to nab a spot. The
routine is established early on in these events, setting up camp, organizing
the gear for the following day’s ride so avoid as much rummaging through the
bags as possible in the morning. The sounds of zippers and ziplock bags
crinkling serve as the best wake up call. The first noises usually begin about 4:30. Bikers are early risers. It
was amazingly quiet in the gym that night, and we slept well.
Day four was to be our most
challenging ascents with a gain in elevation of 4972 feet and a decrease of
5078. Lots of climbing today. Egg bake and fruit in the morning provided some
decent fuel and we were pedaling by 6 with White River
on the radar. The Mellette County Cattlewomen provided a great steak sandwich
for lunch at the Stoddard Ranch. It was located at the bottom of a hill, it was
difficult to pull the brakes when we were coasting down, but the food was
definitely worth the stop. The picnic went over so well, the three of us
decided to go for a second round. I
opted for the gym and LeAnn and David were camped outside. This night was not
as pleasant, a snoring biker disrupted the slumber party. It didn’t take long
for someone to wake the guilty party. Plus my air mattress went kaput and I
found myself on the hard gym floor. Ugh.
Thursday was our ride across the
river. We had been warned about the steep and long hill climbs into the river
bottom. The first stop was Karla’s Last Call just 17 miles into the day. This
was an excellent rest stop, probably the top vote getter. There was a fire pit
on the deck to warm us and a spread two tables long of rolls and baked goods.
Too many calories, but it was delicious! We had lunch in Winner at Shirley’s
Café and felt good. We had convinced ourselves the looming hills were doable,
but at the last stop before the river we were informed that the ride
coordinators had recommended not going across the bridge due to the lack of a
good shoulder, heavy truck traffic, and high cross winds. An old 1980 something
party bus was there to transport us with our bikes secured on top. After much
discussion, LeAnn and I decided to play it safe and take the bus. David went
for it. The post ride reports came in with conflicting stories, some said it
ended up to be an okay ride, though the hills were definitely a beast, I
overheard another biker say she felt lucky to survive the ride. I guess it’s
better to err on the side of caution. I ended the day with 76 miles, weekly
total thus far, 334. Riders participated in a “Road Booty Contest” throughout
the day, as treasures are found along the way and stories are shared as to the
circumstances that led to these items being left on the highway, plus
embellishment is encouraged. Items like broken CD’s, bungie cords, and baby
dolls were among the treasures, providing plenty of good laughs. The night at
the Snake River Campground fit all the specs for a perfect evening, a full
moon, friends, great steak supper, temps in the 50’s, calm, and no rain.
Friday we climbed out of the river
bank first thing. I was riding along with Ann, from Kenebec, and breakfast was
in Platte, great pancakes and sausages, with
bananas for the road. The winds were due to increase from the southeast, the
exact direction we were headed. Riding in a draft line helped cut the wind, but
it still was a hard day. There was a group of us stopped at a corner, and we
opted out of an extra jog into Corsica to
shave a few miles off. It was too difficult to ride four abreast on the
highway, so we opted for pairs. At a corner, Ann and I came upon Doug, a rider
from Sioux Falls,
and so the three of us rode into Armour for lunch. This was to be a special
stop as Julie, a rider who had collided with another rider and suffered a
broken collar, bone was forced to leave
the ride early lived here. A last minute parade into town was planned. The
three of us were a bit early, so we were the parade watchers at the park. We
had a great veggie lasagna that hit the spot. We continued on into Parkston,
enjoying a little tailwind. As we came into Parkston, I noticed the Catholic
church, which is the architectural design that Christ the King used when the
church in Webster was built in the 60’s. I should have stopped in, but didn’t
have the energy. Ann and Doug needed refreshments, so I joined them for one and
then headed to the school for a hot shower. Once again, the gymnasium was open
for campers. After that long day of wind, people were already looking at
tomorrow’s forecast, the same SE wind plus a chance of rain. LeAnn made a call and
convinced her husband John to find us on the route so we could cut the final 88
mile day short. The six days of hard riding had taken its toll, our bodies were
talking to us. Once we had the rescue vehicle in place, we all felt better
about tomorrow’s ride, we’d go as far as we could. There was a great pork loin
supper planned that night. The gym was quiet and though one never sleeps well,
I did get some decent rest.
The final day of riding was on of
the most difficult, the wind really beat us up. We had a rest stop and ended up
making it to Freeman by the time John caught up with us. With 36 miles on the
final day, my weekly total was 436 miles. That’s enough for me. My calves were
now shouting at me, and I knew I had to get my running shoes on again and start
my long runs for my September marathon, so we cut the ride short. All in all
the week was incredible. Lots of good memories and new friends. We were among
the first to show up at the luggage truck, so we helped unload and then hit the
showers at the Pentagon. Heavenly, to say the least, they were on the opposite
end of the spectrum in comparison to the campground showers. There was a post
ride gathering to show off the slideshow that had been put together throughout
the week. I decided to eat and run, as the date was June 14th and I
had an anniversary supper waiting for me. I did squeeze in time to go browsing at
the bike shop though, dreaming of an upgrade. As I’ve reported to many who have
asked about my ride, it was wonderful, very challenging at times, but overall,
a super week of riding with some great people. Here’s to riding the rest of the
summer and being able to opt out if the conditions are not to my liking.
