Riding through the Badlands two days ago was amazing. The morning started off good, even with scattered thunderstorms. We had a long leisurely lunch before we entered the Badlands together at around mile 60. It was a lot of fun climbing the rock formations (not on our bikes of course), and my arms were aching a little after all that climbing. There were a few big hills in the Badlands, and each hill just got bigger and longer. Towards the end, after a huge uphill climb with ferocious headwinds, we finally came to the top. We got off our bikes and sat the the edge of the cliff, silently appreciating the beautiful scenery below us, and the bison we spotted far away. Even though I enjoyed the Badlands, I was exhausted from battling the relentless headwinds at the end of our 97 miles day. After seeing so many giant billboards advertising for Wall Drug, we finally went there to see what all the hype was about. I think the free water, food and the 5 cents coffee was what made everyone excited. Lauren and Greg made us a delicious dinner of cheese pasta. For someone who doesn't like pasta, I must say that pasta was really good. What a great way to end our long and hard day.Yesterday was an easy ride of 58 miles. The roads were really deceiving though. They look flat, but as you gradually approach them the hills start to get bigger and bigger, and then you begin to wonder when will you ever see the bottom of that big hill in front of you. Rapid City is such a pretty place, surrounded by mountains. A trip to the bike stop, grocery store, another impressive dinner of chocolate chip pancakes by Lauren and Greg, and a team meeting was what concluded my day.I want to really rest on my rest day, so I don't have much planned for today. Other than trying to sleep in, I spent 2 hours cleaning up and working on my bike. Yup that's what rest days are for.