the badlands

Today we rode just over 100 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota to Kadoka, South Dakota via the stunning Badlands National Park. The amazing scenery, a light tail wind, good cloud cover, and coming with fresh legs off of a rest day made the day quite manageable and I managed an average pace of 14 miles per hour (despite the rolling hills of the last 20 miles). (This was pretty good for me, but it makes me seriously appreciate the riders in the Tour De France who can average around 28 miles or so!)



The Wikipedia entry informs me that badlands are "a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water". Those rocks sure turned out pretty. :o)

We spent the night in the small town of Kadoka and camped in a park there. Very happily, the community pool was just beside the park, so we all spent some time cooling off in the waters there. We ate dinner at H&H Restaurant (I could never find out what it stood for) where we had salad, baked potatoes, fried chicken, ham, and rolls. Kadoka was definitely a small town with the younger residents cruising the main drag. One fellow didn't let the fact that he didn't have a car to cruise in hold him back one back -- he came trucking right on down the rode on his lawnmower with his feet propped up on one side. Only in Kadoka...

Also, I saw this sign in a nearby town and thought it captured the vibe pretty well. Now if you're having second thoughts about whether to attend the dance party, please bear in mind that Golden Warrior is appearing. ;o)