This is getting to be as predictable as the sun rising in the East. I had a 100-miler scheduled today to get from Watertown to Aberdeen and was supposed to have a helping breeze. Alvin had made some pancakes and I was ready to roll a bit after 7, but alas, it was pouring down rain. Uggghh. Alvin was supposed to be leading a ride around Watertown at 7:30 but wisely pulled the plug on that and we sat around the house waiting to see if/when the rain would quit. By about 8, it had stopped and it looked like it was clearing off to the west. With 100 miles to go, I couldn’t afford to wait much longer so I decided to go for it. Unbeknownst to me, as I left the house, Alvin and Kristi opened their garage door, pulled out their beach chairs and watched. They watched the clouds suddenly shift and the wind picked up dramatically - right into my face, of course. They watched the rain begin to come down in drops the size of quarters. Kristi says to Alvin, let’s just go get him. Alvin put the bike rack on his truck and they waited for the inevitable. At about this same time, I had made it a whopping 2 miles up the road. When the first huge drops hit, I was right in front of a convenience store so I pulled in and waited inside. Alvin texted me to see if I wanted a ride back to the house. I decided to wait it out a bit longer but after another 15 minutes or so, I gave up and called in the cavalry.
They came and picked me up and took me back to the house. We were there until a bit after 10:00, at which point the rain was down to a light drizzle but the thunder and lightning was still going strong. In just my short time in their home, I have learned that Alvin is a consummate planner, often in relation to a bike ride, whether it’s for a couple hours around the house or a weeklong tour. He came up with a plan to put my bike in the truck and load their tandem bike on the rack and head north - in the direction I was going. They would do a loop ride on the tandem and I would head west toward my target. We had lunch at a diner in Webster, SD and then parted ways for the second time that day. They had effectively driven me past the storm and when I finally got on the road, the wind had indeed shifted and was straight at my back. I covered the next 31 miles in about an hour and 45 minutes, averaging almost 18mph. I spent the entire time in my top two gears, even going up what few hills there were. That was the fastest extended stretch of riding on this trip, even with all my packs. I made a stop about 20 miles short of my final destination and while I was enjoying(?) a lemon lime slushy at DQ, the wind changed. It was coming across rather than behind, so the last stretch wasn’t quite as good, but all in all I think it was my fastest fully-laden ride. It was good that it was fast. This was the South Dakota I expected (but dreaded) to see. If you need more description or photos, look at yesterday’s post. It’s the same.
I ended up at another Warmshowers home, with Chuck and Leora. Chuck has done a number of long distance rides and we had a good time swapping stories. We had an excellent home cooked meal that even included a vegetable - something that has definitely been a foreign concept for much of the past 3 months.
Good morning to you too.
I have never in my life seen this color sky at 8:15am - or ever
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