Decisions, Decisions

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Yesterday's stage was from a spartan hotel in Miller, SD, to De Smet, of Laura Ingalls Wilder fame.  We delayed our departure long enough to allow the rain to pass, but the road was still plenty wet to get covered in truck spray.

Flat lighting from a low overcast didn't make for good photo ops.  Well, except for this, in Huron:


Good news?  For once, a strong tailwind.

Bad news?  Rain picked up again for the last 30 miles.

Seventy-eight miles is a fair stretch.  But not nearly as fair a stretch as the 1,605 still in front of us.

Now today's effort: De Smet to Lake Benton, MN.  First forty miles went fine.  Little bit on the cool side, winds neither helping, hindering, nor annoying.   Stopped in Brookings, SD, for lunch.  Looked at the forecast for the next several days: unchanged from dire.  Up to an inch and a half of rain each day from tomorrow through Saturday.

Lucky for us, Brookings is big enough to have a UHaul location, so I threw the "Hell with This" flag, and rented a 15' box truck to haul us, keeping to our schedule, to Cannon Falls on Saturday.

If it turns out not so biblical as predicted, we will do out and back rides for the next three days.

Otherwise, we avoided an exercise in stupidity on stilts.

Seventy-three miles today; 45 under our own power.  1,532 still to go, of which the next 250-some odd will be UHauled.

Benton Lake, MN



Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 19, 2024 at 4:59 PM

    Enjoying all the puctures!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 19, 2024 at 7:29 PM

    I don't know how you.are doing this. You may never ride a bike again..Love M

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 19, 2024 at 7:37 PM

    You’re in Patti’s home state, Dontchaknow? Be safe.

    Mike F

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 20, 2024 at 8:30 AM

    Turns out the decision to drop back and punt was a good one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeff GuinnJune 20, 2024 at 8:32 AM

      Don't know why Google can't get my name in there, considering I'm authoring the blog, and am logged in. (Other than doing it manually, that is.)

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJune 20, 2024 at 1:11 PM

    Recognize the lake and the big pheasant from US 14. Brookings is not only big enough to have a UHaul, it's the home of the two-time NCAA Div I (FCS) football champion South Dakota State University "Jackrabbits." (It was also our home for three years while I was in school and five years after I retired from the USAF).

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJune 20, 2024 at 3:53 PM

    Thanks for the daily updates and commentary. Getting closer to the finish line very day. Keep up the carb loading sound like you need it, more ways than one. Tony K

    ReplyDelete

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