A few days ago I passed the 2000 mile mark, signaling the half way point in our journey across America. The countryside has been steadily changing as the miles pass by. Gone are the fields of corn we rode through in Illinois. Gone too are the rolling hills, forests, and lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota. We have entered a new scene in this American adventure, one populated with cattle, buffalo, grass, and not much else. With these changes my excitement grows. New sites and experiences are all that is left for the next 2000 miles. We head ever westward.

In the next few days we will be heading towards Rapid City, South Dakota and with it the sites of the Badlands and Mt.Rushmore. The Badlands are an additional 20 miles to our route but most seem set on making the addition, since whats another 20 miles or riding on a 4000 mile trip! I am also looking forward to the legendary 5cent coffee and tacky attractions at Wall Drug in Wall. We will get to Mt. Rushmore a couple of days after the 4th of July celebration, which is unfortunate, but I am still very excited to see both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

We still see, everyday, random acts of kindness that really put a smile on my face. During our rest day in Mitchell, we met a great guy named Rich Brown when several of us were having dinner and singing karaoke in town. He not only donated to the cause and motivated others to do the same, but came by the church we were staying at the following evening with his grill to cook for use. He promises some incredible scenery as we head further west. I'm looking forward to that promise being realized.