The Rise Up Ride: Day 9 Planning Day: Onwards Across the Missouri River and Into the Badlands
Date: Saturday 1 May 2021
Start Location: De Smet, SD
End Location: De Smet, SD
Distance: 0 km
It was one of those days that the locals dream of throughout the long, dreary, snowdrifty winters. It was one of those days when the kids would play in the sprinklers but their mothers would tell them that it was too cold. It was one of those days that the kids had dreamed of all winter and they just didn't care.
The official tour of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes was booked and taken. Not having read the books or watched the show, my perspective was more unsentimental than the usual pilgrim to De Smet. These folks in the 1870s had tough cold lives, ravaged by yellow fever and diphtheria, moving whole households and kids from one opportunity to another by wagon.
The rest of the day, while icing my knee, was spent deep in research on the roads ahead. I've planned out a series of shorter hops, moving westbound on the Adventure Cycling "Parks, Peaks and Prairies" route as it crosses the Missouri River and heads into the Badlands. The weather is going to return to normal (cold) and no more warm favorable breezes from the east. So my rides each day from one safe overnight location to the next will be manageable enough to allow my wounded knee (perhaps I won't call it that here in South Dakota) to get over its present inflammation and deal with any incoming heavy weather.
The owner, Grumpy himself, Mic Hunt, was installed behind his bar and wholly engaging. We bantered like two old friends who had never met but who hadn't seen each other in years. Great place to eat and chat, Grumpy's.
It's back on the bike tomorrow to test out my knee on a flat ride into Huron to stay with a WarmShowers host. From there I'll ride to Wessington Springs on Monday to camp in town, to the Left Tailrace Campground on the Missouri River on Tuesday, and then to the Kennebec KOA for Wednesday and Thursday.
