Day 21
Enter the grasslands...and range fires!
 

Yesterday took more out of people than they thought, but the cool departure temperatures put some life in their legs as they were riding a pretty brisk pace by the first SAG.  I spent most of the morning bouncing around taking photos of the vast open spaces while trying to get good composition with a rider somewhere in the frame.  This area really lends itself to some awesome snapshots.  I'd like to just have that job...take photos and just see how many great ones I could take in one day.

We kissed Wyoming good bye today at about the 55 miles point as we entered our 4th state...South Dakota.  The only thing that we noticed was the road got narrower in places and we picked up a few more hills.  At right,  a couple riders pose while I take the obligatory pictures of the entry sign (I heard that John's wife wasn't sure if he was on the ride so I made sure he was in the photo).  In years past, the sign was filled with bullet holes...they must have put up a new one or had someone put liquid putty in the holes so we wouldn't get the wrong impression upon entering their fair state.  Or was it the impression they wanted us to have in the past...Hope they don't shoot at cyclists.

Everything was going pretty well until after the second SAG stop.  I had hustled up to take an intermediate water stop to the top of the 4 mile climb right after the SAG.  I dropped Karen off at the top with a water jug so I could stay mobile.  As I was leaving, I was notified that there was a range fire in the Hot Springs area and smoke and ash may affect our route.  That's all we need...70 cyclists scattered all over SD and no where to go.  We called the motel and they said the fire was south of town and the winds were blowing from the NE...whew...maybe we could make it.  The motel assured us we were not affected by the fire...that was a bit optimistic.  I drove over the hill to check things out and I could see the smoke behind the mountain range that was between us and the motel...every thing seemed OK...ride on but watch out.  By the time the middle riders got over the 4 mile climb, smoke had blown into the valley we were riding through.  It was pretty intense so I hustled up through everyone to see if anyone needed a lift.  The smoke was a bit spotty but in places it was pretty thick.  Most everyone rode through the couple miles of smoke and by the time the final riders got there the winds had blown the smoke up the slopes and over to where our second SAG had been.  All in all, we were pretty lucky today with the fires...some of the locals weren't so lucky.  We needed a prescription for a sinus infection and the local pharmacist opened the pharmacy to fill it...on a Sunday...and his house along with about 20 others had burnt down in the fire but he still serviced his customers...our prayers are with him and his neighbors.