Tour de Kota 2012 Little Bike Ride on the Prarie

A pattern emerged: one bad day and two great days in a row.  The previous day sucked so the next two days had to be good.  I do not believe in such superstitions but the that is the way this week worked. 

Refreshed, fed and recharged we rolled out of Watertown, SD, on fresh black top.  Today I was prepared.  I wore Underarmor underneath my jersey and a jacket.  No chances today even if the jack would come off after 10 miles.  Today's destination was De Smet, SD, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  We would roll past the tracks leading to "The Little House on the Prairie."

I may or may not have relieved my bladder near this historical marker

The terrain was flat and marked by lakes, remnants of the glaciers.  Trees were scarce again.  The wind was at our back or at least out of our way.  The route would be a shade over 60 miles.  We rode strong and together and kicked ass.

Nothing to report of the pass through towns.  There was a "gas" incident in Hayti.  Not naming names but if you are sitting next to me and let one loose be prepared to get a face full.

Lunch was in Lake Norden.  Ribeye sandwiches, delicious and filling.  The bar across the street was closed although some riders managed to get mixed drinks.  The owner lost out on a lot of money that day.

South of lake Norden and the Sargento factory.  This business does metal scuptures

We found a service station that sold beer in badger, SD.  Although they had new Belgian's Dig in bottles, our riders thought that a 12 pack was too much so we had a 6 pack of Busch Light tallboys at the city park.

Erwin was the last town out.  Only gonna say that these residents need to trim their bushes and plant life, thin out the garbage trees and leave the water on at the church.  Donnie discovered this to his shock and horror.  It was good for a laugh and later that night some others related this incident.

One can almost see the horse drawn wagon in the distance. @Laura Ingalls Wilder historical Marker

The remaining ride into De Smet was fast and smooth.  We stopped at the historical marker for Laura Ingalls Wilder and then rocketed in to the first open bar we could find, Wheaties.

Wheatie and Mrs. Wheatie.  He went home to get this jersey.  Later he wore it when he rode his motorcycle around the campground.

Wheaties is named after the owner Pete.  It is a classic dive with a HD fetish.  All of us were able to belly up at the bar and I bought the first round.  later we had cheese burgers and fries and Joe got Wheatie to buy us the 6th round.  Many bikers appeared.  Took them almost the entire week to show up for beer but now they came out of the closet.

just a small town girl....My camera must have got wet or settings changed.  There is a huge quality issue since the ride into Watertown

Entertainment was in the form of vocal talents at the campground.  A family from upstate New York, near Albany, moved here 9 moths prior because the father enjoyed the hunting and fishing opportunities.  One of their daughters and her brother sang.  Their music teach also sang for us with the best of Whitney Houston.  I almost requested I Feel Love by Donna Summers but that was a request beyond my control.

Bicycles make good drying racks.  The bikes stayed dry underneath this tree when the rain hit early the next morning.

Despite my lack of cellphone service De Smet had an espresso machine.  This was at Wards where we dined on lasagna and salad before hitting Wheaties for round two.  While there we met up with Beau and Michelle Anderson of Dell Rapids.  When they told us what they saw in Erwin we all laughed.  Yep, check the water before using the toilet.




DONE!!


Back at camp I busted out the Fireball.  Mrs. Wheatie gave us a bag of ice to chill this bottle.  Julie and Sandy and Mike from Team Duster helped us kill the bottle.  They never have had this whisky before.  Julie thanked me the next day.

The day was now complete.  I slept well.  About 4 am there was a light shower but that did not slow anyone down.  I was hoping to sleep in but did not need it.  One last ride and I was in good shape.