WORST: The bathroom at the lunch stop in a bar. The smell was life extinguishing. I later learned the correct bathroom to use was at the Shell station in the other direction.
MOST UNEXPECTED: I am sleeping in the band room at the Miller High School, home of the mighty Rustlers.
Todays ride was almost dead flat with around 700 feet of overall climbing. The distance of 73 miles was very doable, and of course there was a headwind that kept us honest. Average speed was under 14 mph on a road which we should have averaged around 20. There was nothing to see on the ride except for wheat fields, corn fields and hay fields. Also some exciting granary towers, and lots of huge trucks attempting to share the road with us. Most of the truck drivers did move over, but there was very little shoulder to ride on, and we did have some drivers who were mad at their spouses and wanted to take it out on us. I included all of the pictures I took today so that should give you some idea of how darn exciting today's ride was. We did have threatening skies as you can see in one picture and there was some rain, just not on us. There were lots of roadkill to look at as well.
I have noticed a bad mental practice that I do as I ride and it has to do with stupid mathematics. When you get close to the end of the ride you do the first conversion of how far you have to go from how far you have come. If I had 90 miles to ride and I have ridden 75 miles I have only 15 miles to go. Fair enough, but then I figure my speed and if it is 15 mph, I realize I have another hour of riding, and that is not favorable. 15 miles is good, one hour is not. It is amazing how various parts of the body indicate they are unhappy when they have 3600 seconds of riding to go.
I apologize again for the lack of pictures, but can offer the advise that if you are in this part of South Dakota, drive fast and don't waste time looking around.
At the lunch stop, one of the relatives of the rider indicated he was an Electrical Engineer who had retired back to the farm where he raises wheat, corn, and soybeans, and then took us through the process. Note to self: Do not retire to become a farmer.
One thing I did learn is that the corn which cattle eat is actually a mash of the corn stalk and the corn. I had always envisioned corn fed beef meant the cows would be sitting down with an ear of corn between his hoofs and gently nibbling the kernals off. No, they eat the mash which often times ferments and is hot during the winter and apparently the cows love it. I wonder if they get drunk on the mash.
See what happens to my blog when there is nothing to see or comment on from the ride.
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