After going to bed pretty late I was kind of worried about getting up in time to not delay Thomas but I did okay and we left a little after 9. Thomas had mapped out the route to make it more efficient in terms of turns so we started off but soon found ourselves on a dirt road. While I have the Continental touring tires that have a line of nubs for soft dirt, Thomas has standard road tires and struggled a bit through the soft areas. We eventually made it to the next cross street and did some back tracking to get to paved highways. The rest of the ride went well if uneventful. At least the scenery has become easier on the eyes than central SD. It's starting to look more like the Midwest I'm familiar with, full of corn, soy, and alfalfa. There are also many more trees and ponds that are sprinkled about where there is no agriculture.
We finally made it to the Tower Campground which has highway and airport noise but also has several trees for shade. After cleaning up I fixed some food and did some route planning. I had talked with a friend last night and remembered Lake Okoboji in northern Iowa. I've been to Okoboji before on a family reunion and had a great time at the beautiful lake and on the wooden roller coaster in Arnolds Park. Since I have to cut south at some point anyway, I figure I might as well do it sooner and hit the lake. There seem to be good enough roads and frequent gas stations so I think I'll go for it and try to get there tomorrow, a 100 mile day.
After deciding in the affirmative I hopped on the bike and headed for downtown. I rode through a couple historic neighborhoods and past some lovely parks before hitting the Sioux Falls Trail. The bike trail ended up winding along the Big Sioux River and past several more parks that were full of people enjoying the warm weather and playing volleyball on the sand courts. I made my way to Falls Park which was absolutely stunning. The river bounces, collides, and falls down large chunks of quartzite and the rocks are bordered by green grass and numerous paths and lookout points. I had no idea this type of scene existed here and found dozens of people enjoying the sunny park, which is one of the most beautiful city parks I've ever seen. I was getting hungry again so I made a loop of the cool historic downtown area and ended up at Monk's House of Ale Repute for a pale ale, stout, BLTA, wings with green bean fries, and a tasty saison.
I made a pit stop at Hyvees and got some snack for tomorrow's long ride as well as some bananas, kiwis, and strawbs for the morning. When I got back Thomas and I talked about his lost money affairs and it seems Wells Fargo allowed him to open up a checking account so he can use a debit card for the duration of his trip. He was planning to go to Worthington, MN tomorrow and now also has to stop at the bank in the morning. Due to these differences we decided to part ways in the morning, hoping to reunite in Boston.
Thomas has been a great riding partner and I have been glad to share the past couple days with him. Most of our gear and some of our styles of going about errands, cooking, and sightseeing are pretty different but we ride well together. He can't replace Steph until he starts whispering sweet nothings in my ear but we had fun telling stories of the road and enjoying the familiar ones such as Fred and eating at the Wagon Wheel in Interior. He also took a couple pics of me while riding, I've included one in this post. Good luck Thomas, hope to see you in Boston!
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