June 10, 2018
Springfield to Pickstown- Herding Dogs on Empty Roads in Indian Country
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We experienced our first uneventful nighttime rain in Springfield. It was so nice to hear the rain start, sans tent-buckling wind and frightening lightning. No need to dash for the nearest concrete structure. The Hubba Hubba kept us warm and dry and we slept through most of it.
We took off to ride 52 miles to Pickstown at about 7am so we could finish riding before the predicted 90+ degree afternoon heat. Most of the ride was on the Yankton Sioux reservation and the road that was completely absent of motorized vehicles. Maybe because it was Sunday? The only sounds we heard were birds, frogs, singing insects, and our intermittent conversations.
At one point I was riding a short way behind Gay and we saw some dogs running toward us from one of the very few houses. There were four of them and, though they were loud, we were pretty sure they weren't out to take our legs off. So we stopped and yelled at them to go home.
Ron rode up a few minutes later and the dogs came back out to the road. A Heeler-type dog looked a little too interested in chasing Ron, and Gay put on his Dog Herding hat. He got on his bike and rode after the dogs shouting in a threatening Virginia accent, "Git on home or I'm gonna wring your head off!!" All four dogs looked back at him and ran obediently back home. Pretty impressive! We are riding with a man of many talents.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
After that, we stopped in a town called Marty and perched on the stairs at the Community College to have lunch - bagels with peanut butter and an orange. By the time we got to Pickstown we we ready to shop for dinner at Abby's Country Store. We walked in and most of the store's space was taken by tables that were occupied by fried chicken-eating locals. The smart thing would have been to join the chicken revelry, but we walked over to the 2 rows of shelves. Our options were canned peas, baked beans, antifreeze, and Calamine lotion. Our Sioux City bug bites had healed so we got the peas and beans.
Onward we pedaled to Randall Creek Recreation Area, which is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. After showering and setting up our tents, we sat down to enjoy our tasty meal. We mixed the peas with some beans and rice that Gay had, and the second course was baked beans with our remaining summer sausage. Mmmmmmn!!! What a way to end the day!!
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 404 miles (650 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 11 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |