Rapid City Event Day
After 10 days of riding, today was finally an event day in Rapid City. Rapid City is a very beautiful place! The downtown has many unique shops, such as a handsome chocolate factory and a nice bike shop. We started our day off with a portrait of a retired paramedic we encountered at McDonald's. Ed has lost family members to cancer and has battled skin cancer for many years. He stressed the importance of taking preventative measures like using sunscreen and getting tested. It's these unexpected interactions that remind us of why we ride!Then we headed to our campsite. Tonight is some of our team members' first time camping! During the day, riders took care of much needed maintenance on their bikes and enjoyed the cool water of the campground's pool. The weather is perfect: no rain and the temperature has dropped! Rebekah's mom donated sub sandwiches for us to eat for dinner! We'd like to extend a big thank you to her for reminding us that there are other foods out there besides pasta! Before the sun set, we met a remarkable man named Eric smith. He is a Marine who lost his brother to cancer last year. Eric's brother, Randy, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and fought it for 5 years. He compared his brother's battle to his military experience. You always need to attack it and never give up. He emphasized the importance of family and explained to us that his brother is still with him everyday. The portrait meant a lot to the riders that were able to sit in on it and it was a great way to close the day.