Wednesday
Wanblee SD to Winner SD
102 Miles
Travel Time 10.5 hrs
Saddle Time 8:15 hrs

Knocked off another time zone!

Got on road at 5:15am and was followed by both house dogs! Then saw a rainbow. I was going to bike to the rainbow to find the end of it, but I decided I didn’t have enough time.

Got to first town after 50 miles and hoped for a good late breakfast/early lunch. (Can’t really call it brunch because nothing resembles brunch out here). The only restaurant said “closed” so I was forced to buy food at a gas station…..again! I’ve decided that when eating my meals on the road, I eat outside instead of in air conditioning. I have found I don’t tighten up as much. So once again I was sitting on sidewalk when people came up to talk to me. One messed up looking guy steps out of a beat up truck and asks if I’m busy doing anything. I say no (I begin to get a little worried). He asks whether I can take a picture of he and his wife, they just got married. He offers to pay me $5. I ask if he is wanting me to use my phone. He replies that he has an IPad and his wife is inside in the casino. All buildings have casinos out here. Now I’m convinced that he wants me to go inside so he can grab my bike. I suggest why doesn’t she come out and I can take a picture outside with the nicer background. He thinks it is a great idea. They come out, with his best friend and the other wedding witness, and I take their picture with their IPad and of course my phone. They had been dating for 12 years! So much for my NY paranoia!
As I was biking I saw something in the distance that I couldn’t figure out what it was. As I got closer, I saw that it was 22 buildings lined up next to each other in a perfect row. Maybe because I had visited Auschwitz last summer, but these buildings gave me the creeps. Plus it was sealed off and no one was around. I later found out that is a deserted hog farm.
I push on. Through a rain storm that turned into hail. Happened to be near a store when the hail came, so I ducked in until storm passed. My goal for the day was to make it 100 miles to Winner, the only real town around. I wanted to find a motel so I could shower. As I got closer, my goal changed to trying to get there while World Cup was on. As I entered Winner there was a sign for a Holiday Inn. I figured they would have ESPN so I made it to the hotel and got to my room with 5 min left in regulation play. Watched the end of the game. Then walked to restaurant around corner. They happened to have an all you can eat spaghetti night. It was the best spaghetti in the world and I was in heaven. 180 miles to Sioux Falls.