Monday, July 4th, 2016

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Onita this morning. The sky was a mix of pinks, purples, and oranges as we began our ride.

This morning’s ride was dedicated to Sara’s mom’s friend Wei yee Wong. She is in the middle of her third battle with breast cancer.

We rode 85.6 miles to Murdo. The topography began to change a lot, and we rode over many hills with a lot of wind all day. The sun was also extremely strong and hot, and we all really had to work hard to stay hydrated.

Despite the challenging day, we appreciated the scenery. We are getting into what we all expected South Dakota to look like, and it’s beautiful. We rode through the grasslands and many fields of amber waves of grain. The distance you can see across the grass is just incredible.

We are staying at an auditorium in Murdo, and we were provided with a delicious 4th of July meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, watermelon, and veggies. They even had gluten free and vegetarian options for us! It was an excellent treat after such a challenging day. There is also an ice cream shop, the Murdo Drive In, right across the street, so dessert was a must.

We are all very excited to make it to the badlands tomorrow.  All of this pedaling has finally gotten us to the West!

DR