posted by Steve Largent at 2:45 PM 10 Jun - 17 Jun Council Bluffs, Iowa to Pierre, South Dakota

11 Jun David suffers his 2nd flat outside Pacific Juntion, IO fortunately for him nearly in the yard of two curious young children who brought us water to drink and a tub of water for Dave to use in finding his flat. Council Bluffs was a bit of a disappointment; a strip mall kind of town which isn't pleasant in a car and offers little to a cyclist but overpasses and 4 lane roads without shoulders and with speeding motorized vehicles.

12 Jun 116.6 miles 8:46 Our first century of the trip! We had tailwinds for 40 miles, had a lunch and altered plans to allow for a century. Of course the wind shifted during lunch, so no more tail wind for the day! Of course I've been talking about a century since we started. Chris acquiesed, maybe just to get me to shut up! David's price for this was that we agree to stay in a church which he immediately got hold of and got approval to stay in; I don't believe he likes camping though he keeps saying he does! Chris made it with good color and didn't seem fatigued by the experience though he did complain about the miles. However, just after 100 miles, David hitched a ride on into town. It took all of 45 seconds for him to find a pickup willing to haul him in! He had the instructions for finding the church, announed he was hitching a ride in, and had his bike loaded on the pickup before I could pull out pen and paper to copy the notes! Sioux City is a nice town for cyclists; a central downtown, neat and clean.

13 Jun 51.4 miles 4:30 riding time Steve suffered his first flat of the tour today! Road construction caused a snake bite! Drats! David patiently waited until I had my flat fixed and back on the loaded touring bike while Chris rode on. David and I were rewarded with a real milk shake at a genuine old soda fountain in Elk Point, S.D. The flat after viewing a late opening Lewis-Clark museum caused us to get in at 5:55. Chris had sneaked into the National Guard Armory for a shower, and I quickly followed. David went in search of a motel, but some Elks or Eagles convention had the few motels in town full, so he settled for the Lions Park with Chris, me, and a couple other cycle tourists we enjoyed camping with.

14 Jun 03 70.3 miles 5:53 riding time After yesterday's late arrival in town, Chris & I were up by 5:30 and out of camp by 6:30 when David arose! He's usually first up, but he got lost in conversation with those tourists, or else the swarm of mosquitoes carried him away for a few hours of feeding, and he felt he needed the extra sleep. We found a helpful and competent bike shop in Yankton S.D. where I had my barely worn out chain replaced.

15 Jun 03 92.5 miles 7:01 riding time Arrived in Platt, S.D. today which is slightly off the Ac route. David suggested we alter the route slightly and pick up a few real towns which was a good idea, but once we left it, he and Chris had a disagreement on routes. I liked Chris route- more scenic but slightly longer so I rode with him. Great winds from the SxSE today as we head NW. David either tired out or just found a desireable spot where he stopped about 20 miles before the planned stop. Chris checked into a motel, and I wanted to check out the camping options, so rode into the heart of town where I met two college kids on tour. They were planning to set up tents in the city park. No showers there, so when asking which places were legal to put up tents, I asked if there was a garden hose we could use to shower. New idea for the college kids who hadn't had a shower in a couple of days. Now I'm a hereo in to people's eyes! Believe it or not, they had tuna fish and crackers for dinner on tour! I declined the offer to eat with them, but I should have offered to buy more food at the store. Their budge allows $10 a day in expenses!

16 Jun 03 82.2 miles 6:16 riding time Enjoyed talking to the college kids this morning before leaving. Met another tourist this morning just outside of Platt as we got back on the AC route. Another Dave. He tried to talk us into riding with him, but he's supported and travels 75 miles a day. We enjoyed his company for about 40 miles and shared lunch. David was still behind us, and we wanted to see him. He caught us about an hour after lunch. We had great tail winds today, and extended the ride. David stayed in Chamberlain, S.D. but didn't want to go on! We wanted to take advantage of a great tail wind while it was available, so we went on.

17 Jun 03 90 miles 8:00 riding time Well, the tail winds were over today! Head winds and steep grades up to the plateau followed by descents back to the Missouri characterized the day! It was hot, and I ran out of water. I did go for my first swim in the Missouri. Chris took a short cut into Pierre. David got discouraged trying to catch us in the head wind and caught a ride most of the way into Pierre.

18 Jun 03 layover day in Pierre, S.D. Viewed the state capitol. I worked all morning on "the plan". We have had no master plan of where and when we'd be staying. Since I have to National Guard drills, that isn't acceptable though Chris' best guess did basically work to get us into Kansas City. With National Guard scheduled for 12-13 Jul in Missoula it looks like we'll be arriving in Salmon, ID on 13 Jul and I need to make alternate arrangements with the Guard! There are some desolate areas in MT ahead of us!

Chris let his web-site fall way behind for a while, but he has it up to date with a photo of each day for anyone wanting to check it out.

Happy Cycling for Fun, Fitness, and Transportation!