For you bikers, can you believe that I'm still on my original tires, which now have nearly 3,500 miles on them. Most of our riders have already changes tires. I am riding on Continental All Season Elite tires which provide a great ride and excellent wear. People have asked if I have had any flats. Yes, I have had 2 flats. The first one was on Day 2 and was what they call a SAG spot flat, ie my tire went flat as I was leaving the SAG spot. I also had a flat on Day 6 from a thorn I picked up while driving thru some farmland. None since. I did bring a spare set of spare tires (Specialized Armadillo's) that some think are nearly flat resistant. It is probably time to start thinking about putting the new tires on the bike.
Today's ride is the last ride of this 10 day leg that has brought us half way across country. We will celebrate with a day off on Sunday before starting again on Monday.
Here are some pics of the day:
Barry and I leaving early before the heat (95 degrees expected)
Approaching the town of Emory, SD
Barry checking out the huge grain elevators
Soybeans as far as the eye can see! We are surrounded by crops on this route. Soybeans, corn, wheat, rye, alfalfa hay, etc. And lots of black angus cattle. South Dakota is very prosperous farmland.
The Corn is as high as an elephants eye.... (almost) and goes on for miles and miles. There's an old saying in farm country that corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July". Here it is the 16th of July and this corn is about 6 feet high (about right) but it hasn't tasselled yet. This corn will be 9-10 feet high by mid-August.....nearly as high as an elephant's eye and ready for harvest.
A Tractor Pull (for the kids) in the town of Canistota, South Dakota. At our first SAG stop of the day, we got to watch a tractor pull for the 6-8 year olds. They would pedal the tractor as the load progressively got heavier. Some of these kids can really zip.
Our bikers cheering for the Tractor Pull (Phyllis, Barry, Colin)
Leaving the SAG stop after the Tractor Pull (Phyllis, Barry Lucas, Lucy Biddlestone, Colin Doyle)
The Vermillion River of South Dakota. This South Dakota land is wet from rainfall and swollen rivers. Look at the lush green grasses around the Vermillion River as far as the eye can see.
American Flags flying in South Dakota. Many of the farms we pass are flying the American Flag. Here was a flag right in the middle of the lawn. It's great to see the love of country across our land.
Barry and I pulling in to Sioux Falls for a day off. Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota, with population of 154,000. It's nickname is the "Best little city in America". The first settlement occurred in 1857, right on the Great Sioux River at the point known as Sioux Falls. It's motto is "in the heart of America". We would agree with this......sitting right in the middle of our country.
Barry stops on the way in to buy a tractor. We were intrigued with all the farm equipment in South Dakota. We think there are more tractors than cars. This big CASE tractor has everything, including air conditioned cab, night lights, sleeper, microwave, and coffee maker. So what do you think this puppy costs?
Hey Barry, maybe we should settle for a combine or a harvestor? Those tractors look pretty steep!
The Black Rocket and Mellow Yellow checking out our new tractor. Barry was all set to take this baby home when we found out the price. Would you believe $300,000? And that doesn't include any of the lawn mowing equipment we wanted. So we're going to sleep on this for a night. The Black Rocket and Mellow Yellow don't think we should make any hasty purchases, so we're taking their advice. Sure is a nice looking tractor, you gotta admit.
So we checked into the Comfort Suites in Sioux falls. It was close to 95 degrees. We had time to get a haircut at the Man Salon (got a massage, a facial, and a haircut, and watched the Tour de France on a wide screen TV for a total price of (get this), $15.90 including tax. Only in Sioux Falls. We had dinner at the Royal Fork across from Empire shopping mall. After dinner, 8 of us stopped at Old Chicago for a beer and a game of pool. Our final shot of the day is a few of the bikers enjoying the air conditioning and a game of pool. Believe me, these folks are better bikers than they are pool players.
Our tired riders get in a game of pool before heading off to bed. Karina, Jeff, Lucy, Blythe (not shown Jim, Mary, Julie, ME)
Tomorrow (Sunday) is a day off. We will be cleaning bikes, catching up on blog sites, visiting the local bike stores, and resting for the long trek across Minnesota next week. Hope you are all well. More on Monday.
Love to All,
ME
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