Day 23 Rapid City-Wall

Miles:  57.75         Terrain: Rolling terrain
Depart:   8:38 AM      Arrive:  1:41 PM
Riding time: 3:55:26
Average Riding Speed: 14.7

            Today’s Garmin Download and Map (for cycling data junkies)

Today's Ride

Only 58 miles today as we traveled up and down rolling hills between Rapid City and Wall, SD.  Wall is the home of one of the most kitschy attractions I’ve ever seen—Wall Drug.  More on Wall Drug later.

Leaving Rapid City on a pleasant bike path through a park, we came head-to-head with a large group of cyclists coming the other way.  However, it was tricky passing each other—they were all on unicycles!  I saw more unicycles this morning than in my previous 65 years combined.  I didn’t pull out my camera to get a picture because it was a tight squeeze.  But we did hear one of the unicyclists look at us and say, “Gee.  Look at all those wheels!”

We had only one sag stop set up at a small convenience store.  Outside under an overhang they had some chairs and painted on the wall was “World’s Smallest Biker Bar.”  We weren’t sure if they were looking for a small cyclist.

Most of the last 20 miles were on the shoulder of I-90.  The conditions were not great with lots of stones and debris, but one rider who had done this same trip 10 years ago said they were greatly improved.  I can’t imagine what they were like then.

The big attraction in Wall is Wall Drug. It was a drug store back in the 1930’s that was failing.  In an effort to get people driving past Wall to stop, they put up signs on the highway saying that at Wall you get free ice water!  That lives on today and the drugstore has evolved into a tourist trap with everything from a café, to a dinosaur that comes to life every quarter hour, stores that sell western garb, all kinds of props with which to get your picture taken.  You really have to see it…and then shake your head at what you see.  Oh yeah...somewhere in there is a drugstore!

 









Wednesday is another short 58-mile ride that will take us through Badlands National Park.  We end the day in Kadoka, where we are told there may be no wi-fi at the hotel.  So if there is no post by Thursday morning, there may not be one until Thursday night or Friday morning.  In case there is no post from Kadoka, I'll let you know now that our 114-mile ride on Thursday will bring us past the halfway mark