Author: Bob

50.24 Miles, 2187.4 miles total so far. 

We would like some northwesterly winds some day soon.  While 10 mph headwinds are nothing to complain about (and I will not), I do miss the good luck that brought great tail winds not so long ago. Our day progressed pretty much as it should for a day with a modest goal of about 47 miles. We had set the goal a bit low because the combination of wind, temperature, hills (yes, in Nebraska) and rural highway fatigue had us in need of a bit more recovery time. 

Our lunch was from two competing Mexican food trucks in Schuyler, NE.   That wasn’t intended, but I went to the wrong truck and I wasn’t about to walk away from the nice lady at the window. They had Mexican Coke with real cane sugar, and since I drink only about two soft drinks in a typical year, this was pretty exciting. Everyone got great food, which we ate in neutral territory in a nearby park. 

Travel was uneventful, which is generally good, until we arrived at David City Campground.  I am not sure what David City Campground really is. It does have RVs parked there that look magnificent. Arriving folks are notified by way of signage that reservations are required, though there is no way to actually make a reservation at the designated web site, and there is no camp host. 

We moved on to the shade of a nearby tree up the street to ponder and discuss our dilemma. We decided to stealth camp not far from that tree, and in the meantime we would do laundry at the town laundromat. 

As it happens, the laundromat is accross the street from Subway.  While our filthy clothes flopped around in the wet machine, we ate. And while eating I asked a fellow customer if there was a campground in town.  She replied that camping was allowed in the city park (not the place we had just been). We gathered enough evidence on our phones to believe this was true, and changed our camping plans to something a bit more sanctioned.  

As we gathered our laundry from across the street, an interesting and interested group gathered around our bikes. We came to understand that one person in the group was the nice lady’s son, and the group was a mix of family and friends intersected by biking and teaching.  We were invited to come and enjoy beer, brownies, and ice cream around a fire, talk about biking, and camp in the yard. Thus, plans change again.  I tend to write this as I fall asleep.  This time it is from my tent in the big yard of new found friends. 

30 Miles, 1999.7 miles total.

This was a designated easy day, with at least two of us in need of some bonafide rest. Further justifying an easy day: it is my birthday. 

Probably the most difficult part of the day was at the very beginning of the ride, as while we had to climb out of our campsite in a creek revine. 

Me (Bob) and Steve took the paved road route to the town of Stuart, while Colin took the Cowboy Trail. We had a notable but not disabilitating headwind. This contributed to selecting the shortest of our optional rides for the day. 

The three of us rendezvoused in Stuart, Nebraska  in the lawn of the  St. Boniface Catholic Church — where the neighborhood cat was very, very glad to meet and greet us. 

The town of Stuart offers free tent camping with hot showers.  This surely validated our decision to keep the ride short today and call Stuart, Nebraska our home for the night. 

We enjoyed jalapeño stuffed sausages, a variety of bean salads, and a special cheesecake assortment for my birthday celebration. 

69 miles today, 1846 miles total.

Our day started about 5:00 AM with a spontaneous symphony of sound, including car alarms, a six year old boy imitating a 2 year year old boy, a dog barking, and more. This helped us get an early start on the day. 

There was not much rest today, as  the route included over 24 miles of a dirt surface, which wax pretty rough at times.

Lunch 1 was along the side of a dirt road in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is home to the Oglala Lakota Nation. There a local gentleman stopped to check on our well being, he being not used to seeing bicyclists enjoying lunch in a grass field. 

As the route today was a bit taxing, we had lunch 2 in Martin, South Dakota in the town’s Hodson Memorial Park.  As we dined on fried chicken and salads, we noted how this town, and so many others, take great care of their memorial parks. 

This meal turned out to be our last meal if the day, providing the fuel to get to our lakeside camp space at Cottonwood State Recreation Area near Merriman, Nebraska. 

While in Martin, SD, Colin took a few minutes to mail some items home to lighten the load, since cold weather is now behind us (yah, sure).

Having now landed in Nebraska, Colin owes us all a beer. That’s in the plan for tomorrow.

Colin encounters his first flat of the ride.

June 6, 2025

60.7 miles today, 1679 miles overall.

I decided to go back to the Hill City town center to  pick up some supplies while the others started today’s short trip to Custer State Park.  There would be plenty of time to meet up later, as today’s plan was to ride 20-something miles. A few blocks into the ride, I realized I had the peanut butter.  I considered turning around to join my cohorts. Then I realized: If I have the peanut butter, then they’ll have to find me later.

This set the stage for my most slow and relaxed morning of the trip so far.

Then, just as I was nearing the planned exit point for the Mickelson Trail, I received a text. 

And so we reunited within a few minutes and proceeded to Custer State Park, deciding to eat lunch a bit later.  

Upon entering the park we learned that our intended campsite was not available. This set in motion a series of pursuits for campsites further down the road.  We traveled through rain (unfortunately) and with a strong tailwind (fortunately) to arrive at Rapid City comfortably before dark, and not terribly wet. 

This set the stage for a fine campsite meal of beans and rice before planning the next few days journey. 

65.7 miles today.  1544 miles total progress

It’s a brief update for now, as the phone keeps falling out of my hand as I drift into sleep. 

We opted to bike the longer of two optional distances today, as the weather is cool and dry, and questionable tomorrow.

Great, warm food started and ended the day, as we let others do the cooking.  Lunch was mix of things prepared in a beautiful city park in Sundance, WY. 

We were released from the State of Wyoming without incident, and we are discovering quite an array of fun and interesting things to explore while in South Dakota. 

Fortuitously, a bike shop sits at our entry point into Spearfish and it was still open when we arrived in town.  With a new shift cable in hand, necessary repairs can start on my bike shorty after dawn. 

Our plans for the next day or so are somewhat fluid, though certainly include the highly rated Michelson Trail through the Blackhills. For now, KOA Campground has once again provided a sure place to rest and restore our clothing and our gear. 

54 Miles, 1239 miles total.

If we could find a secret passage through which we could bike in Montana all the way to the east coast, I would take that path. We don’t know of that route, so this is likely the last night in Montana. We’ve been traveling through the state for a long time, and the scenery and friendly people will be missed. 

Today started with great velocity, even though a long climb started the day out of Billings, MT.  Mid-day the complicated flat tire out on the plains zapped our energy.  Upon repair, a large shared bag of potato chips and a beer in the nearest town lifted our spirits, but not enough to go further today. 

An odd and goofy thing happened today as well. After returning to our campsite and enjoying pizza for dinner, my tent had vanished.  After some pondering and searching, Colin found it sitting perfectly fine on the other site of a fence in an adjacent field.   This creeped me out for a bit, though as it turns out another camper had witnessed a freak gust of wind gently lift and reposition the tent.  It is retrieved  now and functioning perfectly in its intended spot.  

Tomorrow it is on to Wyoming for a few days, then the Badlands of South Dakota. Life is good.