What a day! We rolled out of Rapid City at 7am and very soon found ourselves in (or on) a train of sorts.
Of all people, Simon, was at the front of a pace line that eventually numbered 18 riders. We were very content to allow him to pull us along at over 20 mph for ten miles! All in all, with some additional assistance we covered the first 30 miles averaging over 20 miles per hour. At one point, Nick, our mechanic, rolled ahead of the pace line in the truck taunting us to get behind him. 100 yards separated us from him – I jumped and closed the gap but the energy expended to catch him didn’t allow me to stick with him for long! It was great fun trying….
The Badlands were stark and impressive; like touring another planet. Scenic (not much there) and Interior (an unfriendly bar and a friendly gas station) were the only inhabited places we saw for over 30 miles. We stopped for lunch at the Cedar Pass Lodge and while we were there I experienced a déjà vu moment – we visited Cedar Pass and stayed at the nearby camp site many years ago! In fact, I made Brad, Tim, and Eric, (ages 11, 10, and 7 at the time) ride up this very same pass. Sorry boys!
Exiting the Badlands, the route paralleled I-90 for the last 12 miles into Kadoka. The service road we were on was the same one I had watched pass by when we drove this route two years ago. During that trip I dreamed that someday I’d have the chance to ride a road like that – and NOW HERE I AM!
By the way, Kadoka is home to the world’s friendliest people! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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