Unexpected Pleasure

Updated: Dec 7, 2022

Today was going to be the easiest, quickest post yet. It was going to be something like this:

Zzzzzzzzz

Trucker honked at me and I flipped him off.

Zzzzzzzzz

That’s it. The road turned 2 times in 70 miles. There were no towns from Dawson, MN to Kranzburg, SD, a mind-numbing stretch of 45 miles. Not only were there no towns, there were only 3 “commercial” buildings during that portion, all of which were boarded-up fireworks shops. If you had counted all the people in a 5-mile wide path with the road I was on down the middle, there is a 0% chance you would have reached 100. At least the wind was a non-factor today.

I had another Warmshowers stay lined up for tonight with Alvin and Kristi in Watertown, SD. When I showed up around 2:45, I was exhausted. Normally, I’ll stop in each little town, every 15-20 miles apart, get a drink and sit for a bit if such an option exists. Since I left my stop in Dawson at 9:30, I spent the next 4+ hours without a break. We sat inside for awhile, chatting about various places we’ve been and then after getting cleaned up, we headed out to a local watering hole to meet several of their friends. The conversation was easy and it was an enjoyable group to hang out with. At some point, the conversation turned to kayaking. I had noticed a couple of kayaks in the garage. One of the other ladies at the table had a kayak that she said we could borrow for the evening so after dinner, we headed over to the Big Sioux River just outside of town. The evening was perfect. The wind was gone. The sun was getting low and we spent an hour or so on the river. Based on what I’d seen earlier in the day of South Dakota, this was absolutely the last thing I expected. What a hidden gem. This was one of the best off-the-bike experiences (non-people category) I’ve had so far on the trip. Other things I’ve done (seeing ballgames, the boat ride in Mobile Bay, Nashville) were all planned in advance and all came on days I hadn’t ridden at all. If you happen to be near Watertown, I strongly recommend getting out of the car or off the bike and checking it out. You won’t be disappointed. Unless it’s January, in which case you have no business being here!