Four square

Pickstown to Lucas, South Dakota Saturday, July 17, 2021

Today was a day of symmetry. I left precisely three months ago, so the trip is exactly one forth over. I also happened to pass 4,000 miles on my odometer today. If I can maintain this pace, even with the days I “took a zero” or had meager mileage, I should be able to complete 16,000 miles when the trip is over. I estimated I would need 15,000, so this gives me some margin for error.

Although I felt OK when I woke up this morning, I guess yesterday’s huge mileage, and the moderate heat, took its toll. Even with a tailwind today, my rolling average was only 9.3 mph, when yesterday’s was 10.8.

The day started auspiciously enough. I got to swoop down 3 miles to the Missouri River, right at the Fort Randall Dam, which impounded the 105 mile-long Lake Francis Case.

Trouble is, what goes down must come up, and crawling up the other side of the Missouri River bluffs was enervating, it was hot even in the mid-morning, and I was so bleary I didn’t even witness the odometer rolling over. I was also disappointed to be following US 18 almost the whole way, even on the official Adventure Cycling route, and I did not see a single other long distance bike tourist. All of this was mildly irksome, but nothing too daunting.

100% chance of severe thunderstorms tonight, but it was Saturday, so hard to find a free motel room. Ultimately stumbled upon the Sully Flats Hunt Club, in the middle of nowhere, the proprietor thought there would be a room available, even at the last minute, so I didn’t have to commit until I was 10 miles away and knew that I would make it. He took my credit card info and said he would leave the door open.

I needn’t have worried. This is the hunting club, there was nobody else around for miles. I just hoped Stephen King wasn’t hiding out in one of the back rooms.

From their website https://sullyflatshunts.com, it looks like they make their living running pheasant hunts, and skeet shooting, this was the skeet launching device trailer in the back. Guess it was too hot for that this weekend.

It actually looked nicer on the inside, and I was comfortable, with the whole place to myself. They had a full kitchen, beers in the refrigerator, and a pretty impressive man cave in the back.

Distance 62 miles, 4,046 total. Time 10 hours with stops. Elevation gain 1,499 feet

©️ 2021 Scott Luria