Day 24 Miller to De Smet

Day 24 Miller to De Smet

Essence - New beginnings

Today was a good day. It was also a vital day. In the middle of a 6 day ride week, we needed a good day. The last 3 days had whooped us all. Everyone was having bad days. I noticed in the fact that I had only taken 9 pictures during our riding days. Except for Eric's boost on Monday night we hadn't had a high spirit in days.

So waking up this morning in the AC, not having to roll up a tent and being ready to go was huge. Further complimented by heavy cloud cover and 40% chance of showers. While we weren't crazy about riding in the rain, we relished the 70 degree weather and cloud cover.

Breakfast was a comedy of errors. I spilled my cereal on Tom. Kari actually slipped on a banana peel. Yes indeed, someone has now actualy slipped on a banana peel. It isn't all just propaganda that we have been told. Darn dangerous thouse banana peels can be.

After the hilarity of that wore off, we were off on a cool 76 mile day. Here we are as Jerry and Dave teh mechanic are pulled over to check on us in their support explorer.
Pictured are: Lisa, Kari, Alison & Scott and I am the photographer.


The Scott train was rolling again, with me as the navigator and redundant backup locomotive.
The headwinds had shifted and clamed from the level of the last 3 days and were more of a constant 15 mph versus a 20-30. That made our progress much faster as we maintained 14-16 mph a lot of the day. Keep in mind that when you see that youare working hard to maintain 14 mph and that you have 76 miles to go, you do the math and realize you have a 6.5 hour riding day with stops and minimal breaks.

But we cruised along in our merry little way and were happy to add Alison to our group as Tom was still being easy with his knee.

Roads were concrete so expansion bumps that drive you crazy and no shoulders as you can see in the photo above. (i.e. sometimes the trucks had nowhere to go and were a lot closer.)

As we pulled through Huron, I really liked this mural!




Shortly there after we had our midday checkpoint and also reached 1/2 way through the ride! From here, it is actually closer to finish the ride than to return to Seattle.


A few pictures at midway and we were off again, still under shady skies and still keeping one eye on the clouds and one eye on the road.

Riding along we saw somehitng we hadn't seenor heard in a while. An ambulance. It was coming towards us in traffic with lights on no sirens. We could see it from a long ways off and as it got to us, we pulled on the road and stopped just like traffic is supposed to and it kept on going in its lane of traffic. It mademe think of my EMT friend Laura and I wondered what they were responding to. I ceratinly hope it wasn't one of us.

One effect I had realized about the increased humidity is that the efective time of the Chamois butter, is decreased. Therefore to prevent the saddle sores, one must reapply the chamois cream more frequently. I pulled in to a gas station to do just such a thing while we all had a little break and manage to catch up with the Dimmits and have a good conversation with the local mechanic.

Foolishly we kept watching the sky and headed back out trying to stay ahead fo the storm.

Yeah............. No. That didn't work so well.

3/4 of a mile down the road, the light sprinkle turned into a rain, which then invited it friend lightning to play with us. As we were discussing, where to draw the line of when to take cover, a lightning bolt jumped cloud to cloud right over our heads. the crask fo the thunder was instant and I called quit on the ride right there. Everyone followed as I turned and whizzed down the driveway of teh farmhouse to the covered carport out between 2 barns.



Now that I have called, "rain delay" and abandoned the ride twice now, I guess I have become the unofficial rain gauge.

Standing in the covered shelter of the carport we actually faired quite well and were by just wet from not having stopped sooner.

30 minutes of waiting and the storm passed and we were back on the road. with 24 miles to go and working on a plan to share motel rooms tonight and avoid tenting in the rain.

After the storm the lighting was great from dramatic picutres, which my poor little camera wasn't up to the task for. The Green fields really popped green against the dark smoke blue clouds all separated by lines of golden wheat and hay rolls.


We got to camp, checked in and forged on in to town to investigate a motel.


We found a Super 8 where we all 5 of us split a room and had luandry facilities, a pool/hottub, internet, AC and everyone eve got their own bed.

A little blogging, a little ice cream and the day had turned out to be a great day and just the day we needed to rekindle our spirits to ride on.

Crossing 1/2 way, having cooler weather, getting a good days ride in, beating the wind and getting a great room made it a good day.

Our good day however was dampened, by a rider getting hurt. Our dear Doctor Brack, did have a crash and the ambulance we had seen earlier was most certainly for him, although we hadn't known it until we got to camp. Brack, a lung tranplant surgeon in his later 60s, had been riding with some other riders when he wound up crashing. He wound up with a consusison and non-separated fractured pelvis. His wife Jean Anne had been riding with us and had been called away and left us this morning with plans to return to us in Ohio to finish the ride. The ride crew managed to get a hold of Jean Anne and get her plans switched so that she could be with Brack as he stayed overnight in the hospital.

Brack first comment, from the hospital was to say Hi to all of us. It hasn't quite hit me that he won't finisht he ride with us. Both He and Jean anne have left at an earlier point ont he ride for various business obligations. So having them gone is not strange, but progressing without them is.

Of course we wish Brack the speediest of recoveries and apparently he should be up and around on crutches back home before too long. I cherish that I got to have sucha wonderful dinner with them both last night in Miller and that plans will continue to include them.

Brack and Jean Anne would surely want us to ride on, an so we will, even happily, but it will be a new start. For them and for us as we start the last half of the ride.

Heal up, good Doctor. Your place is in the saddle! ;)

Dr. Brack Hatler Sr.s Big Ride Blog.

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