Day 27 – Holy Cow!

July 14, 2018

Day 27 – Mitchel to Sioux Falls, SD – 72 miles, 1,420 feet vertical 

Why Holy Cow?  Take your pick:

• A) Holy Cow, we just passed the 2,000 mile mark!  Seriously – 2,000 miles!
• B) Holy Cow, it’s Bastille Day (🎶 Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé! 🎶)
• C) Holy Cow, there were a LOT of cows on today’s ride.
• D) Holy Cow, my wife, Joanne flew out here to meet me for a couple of days. 

So, all of the above are true, but the correct answer of course, is D. 

We passed the 2,000 mile mark today as we headed into our third rest day in Sioux Falls.  And, it’s Bastille Day and a reminder that we’re missing all the action in the Tour de France this year.  And yes, there are a LOT of cows all along today’s route.  Still a lot of corn, but also … cows. 

And yes, Joanne is here with me. 

Our last rest day in Casper had to be earned with a 119-mile killer ride into a headwind (see my post: Survivor, Wyoming!)  By contrast, today was an easy 71-mile stroll.  Like yesterday, the skies were sunny with giant white cotton ball puffs of clouds that gave us moderate temperatures and magnificent vistas of the miles of farmland in this area.  

Everyone rode at his or her own pace today.  There was no rush.  The weather was amazing and we knew we could relax in Sioux Falls, unpack our bags and spread out for a change.  It is extraordinary that 70-plus mile rides are now (yawn) ordinary.  

Not much to report on the ride itself other than a) more of South Dakota, b) more farmland with corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see, c) more cows – lots of cows, d) more small towns with populations in the low three-digits, and e) more friendships, more laughs and more smiles.  Oh, yeah, there’s some sort of Harley motorcycle rally in town this weekend, which meant there were miles of motorcycles and motorcycle riders all day long.  Made me wish I had at least one of my Harley’s here.  (Actually, no, I am having a ball on this ride without a motor, thank you very much.)

Tomorrow is another well-earned rest day and we’ll all be chillin’.  There’s a nearby golf course and Joanne asked me if I wanted to play.  She almost fell off her chair when I said, “Sure, let’s do it.”   We’ll see.  Not setting the alarm tonight. 

Not a lot of photos, but please enjoy them anyway.  As always, watch the growing line of green dots at Where’s Jeff at jeffblye.com.   And check back tomorrow for my post, “So, Sioux me.”