A Hard Slog on Day 2

I almost feel guilty using the terminology "a hard slog" as I first heard this in relation to the Allies conquering Europe in World War II, and I certainly don't mean to compare the relative ease of riding a motorcycle a long distance on a beautiful day to the greatest generation and their herculean effort to save the world!

But, with that said, it was a damn hard slog today. Started out with overcast skies in Iowa City and it promptly turned into a thundering rainstorm, so we slipped under an overpass and put on our rain suits. And guess what happened next? True to form, ten minutes later the rain quit and left us hot and sweaty for another 50 miles while we debated stopping to take off our rain gear.

Each of the two days sees us going about 150 miles or so and then getting off for refueling, so it takes three times (at least) of stopping to get gas which ends up about $30 for Cheryl and I to fill our two bikes. $100/day for gas isn't so bad, but out here in the middle of nowhere you can get off an exit only to find the gas station is in town (e.g., find Nora Springs, MN on your map) that's 3 - 4 miles away . . . .arrrrgggghhhh. Frustrating, but the weather was extremely nice as were the people in tiny Nora Springs.

So, we traversed Iowa into Minnesota - we didn't go this way in 2008 - and hours later on into South Dakota. We were under the impression that we were almost to Murdo, SD - our stop for the night - when realization set in and we learned we had another 80 miles to go. You can start to see where it gets tough. So, after leaving this morning at 8:00 a.m. we finally rolled in to our old-fashioned motel (a Days Inn) in Murdo, SD about 7:00 p.m. A long day it was, indeed.

The best part of the day, though, was thinking about trying to describe the absolute stunning beauty of descending through the hills of South Dakota and crossing the wide Missouri River (note, the picture to the right shows a hint of the Missouri River but mostly features the Sinclair gas station sign - we don't have ANY of these in Ohio anymore!). I smiled to myself thinking about how my beloved English teacher from high school (Rachel Martin - sorry Mark Tootle!) would've had a heck of a time getting me to say the exact right words in staring out at the lovely green rolling hills. I know with Ohio as flat as it is you can see to the horizon, but out here, the horizon REALLY IS way out there. I've never seen miles and miles of lush, grassy plains without a single house in sight. It really is amazingly beautiful.

Tomorrow, with Sturgis about 170 miles away, we'll slip south, first, off I-90 for a couple hours going through the other worldly Badlands National Park. World-famous Wall Drug is on the other side of the park, and then on into Sturgis and, finally, to Deadwood to our rented cottage. Should be some great photos to share with you tomorrow. See you then!