Scott, Alison and Andy at 1/2 way mark
1/2 way mark!!!! 1600 miles!!! Incredible.
Waiting out the storm in someone's barn
me with my extra dorky raingear outfit
80.75 miles (including ride to hotel from camp)
14.4 mph
Headwind all day again. The day started with a storm lingering above us, it was real cloudy and overcast. We reached our halfway mark at about mile 44 today!! Halfway across the country! It's really hard to believe we've biked this far, when I look at it on a map it seems impossible. I still can't really believe it, what an incredible journey it's been! Half way to D.C.!! The storm finally hit us around mile 50. It was some serious thunder and lightening. I was riding with Alison, Kari, Scott and Andy. We rode in it for awhile but then decided to duck in for cover in someone's barn on the side of the road and wait it out. It was really pouring and the lightening was close. We tried calling other riders in to our shelter as they rode by, but no one heard us. We got back on the road once the storm passed.
We found out later that lightening had struck on either side of Dan Scott and fried his cycle computer - pretty scary!! We also found out later that Brack senior had taken a spill today and was in the hospital with a fractured pelvis! His wife, Jean Anne, was just leaving today to go back to work for a few weeks. They luckily caught her before her flight took off. It was really sad that he's not going to be able to finish the ride, yesterday was his 72nd birthday too!! He wanted so much to complete the ride. Instead, we are keeping them with us in our community by helping update their blog to keep them and their sponsors updated on how the ride is going and they are sending us some jersies from one of his main sponsors and we are going to take turns wearing them across the country and sign off who wore it on each day. They are still here with us in our everyday thoughts and actions, but we miss them both and hope Brack has a quick recovery. Hopefully we will see them at the finish line.
We arrived in DeSmet, SD pretty wet and clammy and all of us (my riding group today and I) decided to go in on a hotel room to dry out our things because it looked like rain again tonight. We got a room with 5 beds in it for a little over 20 bucks each - what a deal! We also got to soak our sore legs under the jets of their hot tub!
DeSmet, SD was home to Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. Five of the Little House books take place in DeSmet. I went the Laura Ingalls Wilder visitor center and saw "the house that Pa built" which is now a museum. I didn't get to go inside though, becuase I didn't have time for the tour. Their house on the prairie was located on the outskirts of town and we will ride past the site tomorrow. A reproduction of their home is there. Original artificacts are in town in the general store and in the museum. Carrie Ingalls even worked for the local newspaper here in town. Dinner was provided by the Chamber of Commerce I think at the Catholic Church and people camped in the park. Dinner was excellent - Brats, fruit salad, baked goods....hhmmm.
No comments:
Post a Comment