Wednesday 7-18 Day 24

Start: Miller SD
End: De Smet SD
Scheduled Miles: 76.7
Actual Miles: 80

Woke up to the usual routine. My team is on KP today, so after getting everything cleaned up we are the last to leave. I start out pedaling solo today which is fine. The weather is cloudy, overcast cool and our constant headwinds. We are traveling on E Hwy 14 the entire time. I catch up to Helen and we talk for a bit about the different jobs she's had and it is very interesting. Than as she travels a bit slower, I move on. There are a lot of wheat trucks whizzing by us as harvest is in full swing. The workers must get paid by the truckload, not hourly. The harvest this year is so big, they can't store it all in the silos, and they pile it up next to them. I have never seen such big piles of stuff before!(Note the semi in front of the pile) I go to get a closer picture and find a pile of wheat on the side of the road and take a sample, don't know what I'm going to do with it.

I catch up to Ben and ride with him a bit, than again move on, like a salmon going up stream.

Then I see a sherrifs car pulled over ahead of me, surrounded by a few other cars and some bikers. One of us has gone fallen. It is Brack Sr. He bumped wheels with Mike and hit the pavement hard. While there, an ambulance comes and takes him to be checked out, as he was unconcious for a moment or two. Jodi, goes with him to the hospital as she was right behing him when it happend. We look after our own. Mike is a bot shooken up and I ride with him to keep him company. We soon come to the half way point of the ride, marked in chalk and the rest stop. Some get creative with thier pictures. Sean lies on his back with his bike in the air as if seated on it. Yound David poses standing on his head. Ya gotta love'em!

As Mike and I head out it starts to rain pretty hard, which lasts about an hour, we get completely drenched. We stop at a gas station for some candy bars and David rolls up and joins us. It is still overcast and cool, and we are all hoping Brack is OK.

The scenery reminds me a lot of WI. Wheat fields, corn and hay are predominant. Lots of farmers are rolling the hay into these big rolls and we have seen them stacked in the fields, two and even three high. As we roll along, I spot a bunch of them stacked three high and yell at Mike and David, "wanna have some fun?" Not knowing they follow me as I ride my bike into the field up to the stacks and I start climbing. Halfway up I had Mike hand me my bike which I lifted over my head onto the top, and finished climbing. I then had them take my picture and in turn each of them got their picture up there too. The best posed shots of the trip I think! Plus it helped lightened the mood from Brack getting hurt.

Just before camp, we stop at DG for cheesburgers. Once in camp, we set up and do a bit of laundry at the local laundry mat and clean the bikes. Dinner was by the local church womens group and was delicious. Tomorrow is the MN state line, so cricket will go along.